I recently looked up “delicious,” “stylish” and “elegant” in the dictionary and I was shocked to discover that none of these words begins with the letter “J”. Now I know that technically they don’t begin with the letter “J,” but I just thought that since all of the wines that I have sampled from J Vineyards were delicious, stylish and elegant, the winery must be named for one of these adjectives. But, obviously, I was wrong.
It turns out that J Vineyards & Winery was started in 1986 by Judy Jordan — note, both her first and last names begin with the elusive letter — in the cool-climate Russian River Valley, located just outside of Healdsburg, Calif. Judy, founder and president, is a second-generation vintner whose family is involved with the Jordan Winery. She knew from a very young age that she wanted to strike out on her own and develop her own style by starting her own winery. But it would take a little time to get there.
