Inside A Winery That Only Produces One Type Of Wine

By Tom Marquardt And Patrick Darr          

When Ed Filice looks across the JL Wood Ranch Vineyard, all he sees is chardonnay – 130 acres of nothing but. No pinot noir, no cabernet sauvignon, no sauvignon blanc. Just chardonnay.

A winery’s exclusive focus on one great variety is unusual in California. Producers want different avenues to appeal to consumers, some of whom prefer a red wine over a red. Yet Filice is happy to focus on a grape that he loves to craft a unique wine from this Arroyo Seco appellation near the town of Greenfield – arguably the most ideal location for chardonnay.

Fortunately, he has the support of Carol and Paul Morrison, who took over the family ranch in 1993. It was once planted in alfalfa, vegetables, and corn. Carol’s father – JL Wood – had started planting two clones of chardonnay. The Morrisons, who fell in love with wine during their travels, brought many improvements. But Chardonnay remained its primary focus.

“Paul and I want the same style,” Filice said. “Focus on fruit and keep other influences – oak, malolactic fermentation – out of the way to preserve the wine’s acidity and freshness….You can have fruit without excessive ripeness.”

The two wines we tasted – the 2023 JL Wood Classic Chardonnay and the 2023 JL Wood Premier Chardonnay – embraced that philosophy. The fruit was front and center – fresh with balanced acidity to make them a better match to food than over-oaked, over-extracted chardonnays made elsewhere.

There are nine chardonnays in the portfolio, ranging in price from $18 to $49. We love chardonnay – the most widely planted white grape in the world – because of its versatility with food. These reasonable prices are unusual for such quality.

Even without the toys freely wielded by enthusiastic chemists, Filice has plenty of opportunity to flex his winemaking skills. The four blocks of chardonnay impart a range of flavors – apples, tropical fruit, pineapple, and even mango – to add to a blend. Some soil is lighter, while others are sandier and different in elevation.  All blocks, though, benefit from brisk, northerly winds that cool the grapes in the afternoon.

“At 1 p.m., they start. You can set your clock by it,” he said.

Does he ever get bored with making chardonnay?

“I love what I do. Every vintage is different,” he said. “Nothing is ever a carbon copy.”

One of the most important decisions he has to make each year is when to harvest and what yeasts to use.

When we spoke to him, Filice was ready to taste this season’s grapes for ripeness. Deciding when to begin picking is a tense time in the vineyards. He doesn’t want to pick when the grapes are too ripe, so checking brix levels and tasting the grapes are critical to preserving acidity. Once the grapes are picked and fermentation begins, he checks the tanks every day to ensure the yeasts are active and the aromas are clean.

“We’re not on autopilot,” he said.

JL Wood’s annual production is a scant 800 to 1,200 cases. Much of the fruit harvested from these vineyards is sold to other producers. The wines are best purchased on its website. They are worthy of the effort.

Clairet or claret?

These are difficult times for Bordeaux and other wine regions of France. Sales are off 38 percent over the last five years; 45 percent over the last 10 years. Of course, the demand for wine has dropped off everywhere, so the loss is not unique to France. Sales in the U.S. dropped nearly 8 percent last year, but wine in France is like crab is to Maryland.

The culprit – or hero, depending on your view – is that alcoholic beverages are now considered bad for your health. Young people in particular are consuming little alcohol, if any at all. Add to this climate change, and regions such as Bordeaux are struggling to keep up.

As the temperature rises steadily year after year, the French are introducing new, hardy grape varieties that can withstand the heat. Meanwhile, they are ripping up vines and planting olives and kiwi fruit with subsidies from the French government.

Does this mean cheaper prices for French wine? We’re waiting for that moment, but not sure it will ever come. The anticipated tariffs will force producers and shippers to decide how much of the price increase they can absorb, but surely American consumers will pay more for their favorite French wines.

There was a report in the Guardian that some French producers are considering a lighter style of red wine in hopes of appealing to more consumers. This is a retreat to ancient times when the Bordelais shipped wines to England that were lighter in style and ready to drink. Over time, producers made their wines with more body and alcohol so that they could age gracefully in the cellars of well-heeled customers.

This lighter style of wine, known as clairet, is something between a dark rosé and a light-colored red wine. The style is fruity and bright with little or no tannin, which allows it to be chilled. The producer saves money because the maceration time is shorter and the wine spends little, if any, time in expensive oak barrels.

We can’t imagine this appealing to what remains of France’s customer base, but it could be a shift that more consumers will find appealing. The wine will be easy to drink, ready to drink, less expensive, and less snobbish.

As for us, we’re watching prices and hoping to see a break.

Wine picks

Evesham Wood Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2023 ($27). This reasonably priced pinot noir has bright aromatics and youthful black cherry flavors.

Early Mountain Eluvium Virginia 2021 ($90). This producer is making stunning wines, albeit at a dear price. Reflecting the terroir, it has a distinctive Virginian profile with juicy plum and black cherry flavors and hints of herbs.

Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2022 ($20). A good value, this Chardonnay has luscious apple notes with a dash of vanilla.