Home Wine U The Buzz Wine Reviews   Review Archive   Rating System Calendar Fun Stuff About Us Feedback Key Contacts Search FAQ Links		Wine Tasting Notes Jekel. Bill Jekel founded his eponymous winery in 1972. The winery is located near Greenfield, in the Arroyo Seco AVA. He released his first wines from the 1978 vintage. The winery and its vineyards were acquired by Brown-Forman who then closed the winery in 2005, moving red wine production to a larger, company-owned Paso Robles facility and white wine vinification to Hopland (at the Fetzer facility - also owned by Brown-Forman). As is the case with such large acquisitions, the winery was sold in 2006 as were the vineyards providing the fruit for Jekel wines. The plan, currently, is to continue sourcing Monterey fruit after the current arrangements for fruit from Gravelstone and Sanctuary Vineyards run out. New vineyard sources have not yet been identified. Louisville, Kentucky – based Brown-Forman is a 137 year old company employing nearly 4000 people worldwide and distributing over 35 brands of wines and spirits – including 10 California wine brands. Of those, Jekel and Five Rivers are in the Central Coast. In the case of the latter two, Brown-Forman does not own the winery facilities, but rather the brands. To date, Jekel wines have reflected the terroir of northern Monterey County, specifically the Arroyo Seco AVA. The Salinas Valley which makes up much of the Monterey AVA, is a cool climate area benefiting from ocean proximity and powerful, sweeping early afternoon winds which cool the vines planted on sometimes rocky, nutrient-poor, alluvial soils. The Gravelstone Vineyard is a 135-acre property more or less in the center of the Arroyo Seco AVA, northwest of the town of Greenfield. This location in the Salinas Valley gives the vineyard more exposure to the afternoon cooling winds. This location is best for Chardonnay (which makes up the bulk of the vines at the site) as well as Riesling and Pinot noir. Since Brown-Forman retained the rights to he Gravelstone name in the recent sale, this vineyard is likely to be renamed after 2007. The Sanctuary Vineyard is a 187-acre property with 122 acres under vine in the southeastern corner of the Arroyo Seco AVA - near base of the “tail” of the AVA which follows the Arroyo Seco River into the Santa Lucia Mountains. At this place in the AVA, the Arroyo Seco riverbed is deepest, and the palisades framing it protect the Sanctuary estate from the winds of Salinas Valley. In 1984 Bill Jekel began to develop the property to Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet franc, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Petite verdot. The soils here are coarse, gravelly and very well draining. Combined with limited fertility, the soil of this site is conducive to producing concentrated and complex wine grapes. Brown-Forman sold the vineyard along with the other Jekel Vineyard holdings in 2006.   2005 Jekel Gravelstone Chardonnay, Monterey County 90 Points 2005 Jekel Gewürztraminer, Monterey County 92 Points 2005 Jekel Pinot noir, Monterey County 87 Points 2005 Jekel Riesling, Monterey 92 Points 2004 Jekel Cabernet sauvignon, Central Coast 89 Points 2004 Jekel Merlot, Monterey County 90 Points 2001 Jekel Sanctuary, Arroyo Seco 92 Points Back to top. Search our wine reviews archive by: review date, vintage and winery.			Get the buzz: Wine reviews Great stories Interviews Wine education tools New content every month It's FREE! Shop redwinebuzz.com:
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