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Out of the blue, we received the loveliest email from one of our longtime customers, which and with Phil’s blessing, we share with you today… Now I have finally stopped working I have been spending time enjoying the finer things in life - lots of travel and quality time with Judy just partaking of the wonders of the world as life passes by • Vertical tasting at one of the Penfolds locations In all cases I was struck by the passion of the people we met coupled with the enjoyment of sampling many wines - of course it gave us both a taste for many different wines not sold by Tesco...so began a search back in the UK for somewhere to get the wines we liked from 
Big weekend savings... Don’t panic if we sell-out, as we plan to transfer more stocks across on Saturday morning. Check back at lunchtime… Jaysen Collins “The JC’s Own wines actually started as a bit of a professional revival for me, being in the industry for a while I found I was a bit jaded and lost a bit of verve. So I started making a few small batches of wine just for me in 2015. I then took off later that year to the US and spent Harvest with my good mate Matthew Rorick at Forlorn Hope in the Sierra foothills of California. This sort of jolted me back to enjoying the wine business more and that’s what the JC’s Own stuff reflects, a bit of fluidity, a bit of fun and also searching out some great vineyards, not limited to the Barossa. So, I go back to the US to make wine there every year and I’ve also started getting some Pinot and Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills too. I’m creating a bit of a monster with regards to logistics, but I really enjoy expanding my horizons. I love the winemaking process, so the joy comes from doing what I feel like doing, when I want to do it.” 
JC's Own Stratum Shiraz 2021 Was £26.50 per bottle Jaysen Collins “The Barossa has a love affair with hearty and rich red wines, with Shiraz being the jewel in the crown. Growers have tried other varieties over time that have similar hallmarks of sweetness, richness and ripeness, with Zinfandel being a leading candidate. So, a few decades back you’d find a few Zinfandel plantings popping up in vineyards to see if people would have a thirst for something new. It’s great to try new things, but sometimes you just have to realise tastes are not going to change – classics become classics for a reason. What to do with these Zinfandel vines then - graft them to Shiraz of course, a layer of new vines on a mature root base. The vineyard I source this from is in my favourite Barossa sub-region, Greenock, where the soils have a layering of red clays over a limestone base. The fruit from this section of the vineyard is aromatic and bright, without the cloying sweetness that some Shiraz and Zinfandels can have! So layers is a theme with this vineyard story, it would make sense to call this Layers Shiraz. Unfortunately, this was trademarked so I used the Thesaurus and Stratum was the next best thing.” Also available under bond 
JC's Own Angaston Foothills Grenache 2019 Was £31.50 per bottle Stuart McCloskey “Produced from old vine Barossa Grenache vineyards (circa 150 years of age) which is quite the story. The bouquet is a real beauty, reserved and you must work a little to unravel the complexity which is locked away. Black raspberry liqueur but not in a heavy, sweet sense – more to demonstrate the concentration and depth. There’s lots of sweet spice which provides an exotic feel, a lovely marriage against the savoury herby character. Minerals are at play (imagine how deep those roots go down) with violet and graphite too. The palate feel is graceful and the fruit flows in willowy ribbons. The tannins provide the gentlest hug and merely offer a supporting role to the fruit, which very much matches the bouquet. Perhaps more mineral-led. The sweetness of the fruit (courtesy of ancient vines and thoughtful winemaking) contrasts beautifully with the spicy lift. Wonderfully fresh and I love the long white pepper finish. Despite being unfined and unfiltered – this is polished. I love the shape and mouthfeel, everything weaves magically. Decant for 1-2 hours. Drink now to 2026 (a few more years wouldn’t hurt). Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.” Also available under bond JC's Own Angaston Foothills Grenache 2021 Was £32.50 per bottle JC: Old vine Barossa grenache vineyards are a rare treat. Walking amongst the old bush vines gives me such a wonderment of what has transpired in the years gone by to get to this moment in time. It’s like i am breathing the air of times past - it can be truly something quite moving and somewhat magical. Also available under bond 
JC's Own Ferine Grenache 2020 Was £22.95 per bottle Stuart McCloskey “Fun, super-enjoyable and pitched perfectly, would be my summary (and I believe best served on the ‘cooler’ side). The bouquet is filled with soused cherry, raspberry, cola and sweet fragrant spice. The palate is ripe and juicy, the acidity feels brisk which I love against the backdrop of sour cherry. There’s a sweet and sour, edging towards a Campari feel (and in a good way) to all the fruit along with a ‘crunch’ which intrigues. Far from heavy; bright and brisk being the best descriptive words. Very enjoyable. Drink now to 2025. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.” JC: I love Grenache, I love its versatility and its drinkability. I was mostly drawn to getting involved with the process and leaning to more textural, structured and savoury versions. Then one day I got to thinking, what about just doing nothing and let the grapes do the work. So, I chucked a few bins of hand-picked grenache grapes into a tank with a bit of co2, sealed the lid and came back several weeks later. When I lifted the lid, I was hit with a whole lot of gassy funk, but in a really good way. It was wild and feral but mostly intoxicating. So, for a few weeks after I just jumped on top of these bunches, breaking them up, in real terms to build structure, but mostly to get lost in the ferine like smells that filled the air. Also available under bond 
JC's Own Greenock Shiraz 2020 Was £41.95 per bottle JC: I cut my winemaking teeth in the heavy red soils of the north west of the Barossa, where Greenock is the jewel of the crown in my opinion. My winery is here, the pub does a good burger and by chance there’s some pretty good shiraz vineyards knocking about. A few vintages ago I came across a vineyard just on the north of the Greenock township that hides behind some big gum trees. It runs down a small hill facing east, with lean soils, cooler afternoons, tiny yields, small berries - how asleep had I been to drive past this vineyard for several years? But I’m definitely alert now! I like shiraz that is big on fruit intensity but is more supple and svelte on the palate, powerful yet velvety, structured but sensual - I could go on but I think I’ve conveyed my point. So, this is a rare single site treat from my part of the world and a true connection to my beginnings in making wine. Also available under bond 
JC's Own Rock: It GSM 2019 Was £30.50 per bottle Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet is a tad reductive and needs time to develop. Once sufficiently aerated, wild strawberry, raspberry and wild hedgerow fruits mingle with spice, cinnamon, a whiff of cardamom, liquorice and dried herbs. The palate is fresh and medium-bodied. The fruits feels ripe, fresh and juicy (I love the anise quality, but you know that’s my thing) nothing is overworked. It feels modern and respectful. I prefer this to many Torbreck GSM releases. Everything feels cool and natural, the long kick of spicy dried mint is great – green olive after a few minutes. Perfectly balanced, as you would expect. Excellent, in a word. Drink now to 2028 and decant for an hour or two. Served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware.” Also available under bond JC's Own Rock: It GSM 2020 Was £32.50 per bottle JC: I grew up across the road from a famous old school winemaker who was known to be one of the best blenders of his generation. So, for years I followed this ideal in the wines I was making. For a hands-off winemaker, you actually feel like you are doing something! One day pondering life, the universe and everything I thought about why I hadn’t challenged this notion. Grenache and friends work well together - I’ll just pick them within a few days of each other, chuck it all in one fermenter and let the ferment rock it in its own way. So, my theory is that the different varieties bring something complimentary, but they also bring something individual - so equal but opposite reactions in the ferment. I then remembered my high school physics and worked out it’s actually the same way a rocket works. Go figure. Also available under bond 
JC's Own Morialta Chardonnay 2020 Was £27.95 per bottle Stuart McCloskey “The bouquet is glorious and flows to a rich and moreish tune of stonefruit, spiced, poached apple & pear, honey, pineapple, oatmeal, almond, confit lemon and lime leaf. Glimmers of flint / minerals along with the faintest whiff of struck match. The palate opens to ripe citrus and cooling stone fruits. Minerality and freshness aplenty along with textural grip from chalk and flint. There’s a briny edge which I really like. Wonderfully mouth filling, unctuous, whilst cleansing at the same time. Superb wine, incredibly controlled, tremendously complex, but and very much like the man behind the wine, in a quiet way. A brilliant, top drawer release. Drinking now (decant for 30 mins) to 2030. Served using Zalto Burgundy glassware.” Also available under bond 
JC's Own Morialta Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020 £26.95 per bottle Only 6 bottles remain Stuart McCloskey - Tasted 21 June 2024 "Our final 6-bottles which is sad as it’s been immensely satisfying over the years. A good, autumnal friend and I have also found favour with a little dip into iced water for those hotter days, which is exactly what I plan to do today. Soused cherries and dense raspberry on the nose along with telltale blood orange. Cinnamon, dried rose, sweet spice, white toast – savoury too. The palate is dripping with succulent, ripe fruits. Texturally, this is spot on – luxurious, caressing, fine lacy tannins with a tang of blood orange acidity to bring everything together. The flavours are long, broad and they keep flowing – there’s no end in sight. Spiced and soused fruits (cherry, plum, cranberry along with raspberry). There’s sweet spice, rosehip, along with an adult hit of Campari and orange zest bitters which adds wonderful freshness. Memorable and always deeply enjoyable. Drink now to 2030. Wherever you choose to serve her – she will never fail to impress." 
Zalto in stock now for immediate delivery Save 10% on all stems and decanters Including the brand new Balance glass |
