J. Jenkins

Vintage: 2008
Producer: J. Jenkins Winery
Appellation: Julian
Grape: Viognier

On My Palate:

Very varietal specific and genuine. Oily, nutty, honeysuckle. Rich without being oaked. Bone dry yet refreshing acidity. Some stone fruit, but missing some of the fruit/floral expression that lifts up the best Viogniers.

A welcome surprise and effort from an overlooked, up-and-coming wine producing area in Southern California.

The Dregs:

The California wine atlas continues to chart new territory. Instead of smacking their lips in the anticipation of tasting new wine from a new area, most wine drinkers lift their noses and quickly snub San Diego County’s vinous efforts. Maybe the wine glut is just too confusing. It would take over 500 meals to semi-adequately work your way through the wines of Napa Valley wine country, let alone neighboring Sonoma County and the rest of the enormous, vineyard-laden state of California. And if we start paying attention to San Diego County, then there’s no reason not to continue south of the border to the Valle de Guadalupe. Yet, there are, sadly, a limited number of meals to one lifetime.

Yes, I was surprised to find such a varietal-specific expression of Viognier from a seemingly quality-conscious producer in San Diego County. The stuffings of Viognier are all there, minus the new oak trap, which plagues so many green winemakers hoping to make a splash in the masses with their newest releases.

Jenkins’ plantings are some of the highest in the state at over 4,000 feet. Could high altitude plantings put San Diego County on the wine map just like Chile and Argentina?

Thank you, Mr. Jenkins, for using a variety, Viogner, that has already proved itself in a Julian equivalent—the baking hot summer sun, frigid winter, and relentless winds of the Rhône Valley. It is, after all, almost impossible to draw any parallels between Julian and Bordeaux. Best to accept this before planting than after.

Where:

Outdoors at the Hawaiian-themed Bali Hai Restaurant on San Diego Bay, host of the annual San Diego Nouveau party. Performances by hip-shaking, half-naked Tahitian dancers. Fried chicken tenders and greasy eggrolls to eat. All to the backdrop of, thankfully, the dazzling San Diego skyline.