THE JC STORY

For us, it is most impressive that you manage to get plenty of enjoyment and fun out of the serious responsibility of running the entire winery. This joy sings through your branding, your website and of course, your wines. Would you say your 20+ years of experience contribute to this? Or do you have a secret you can share with us?

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.

Despite your thorough enjoyment of a winemaker’s lifestyle, surely there must have been some challenges on the way… How do you deal with situations when serious decisions need to be made? What do you do to relax? 

Tough question, I guess the ‘business’ of wine is the stressful part, it’s a cash intensive business and you are competing in a crowded sales market. So, the ‘getting food on the plate’ challenge can cause some concern. Then on reflection you realise you’ve been doing this for twenty years, through many ups and downs and always come out the other side so just roll with the punches and back yourself. I try to exercise to keep the spirits up - I’m a keen basket baller and I still play with some other old fellas for enjoyment. I also do live my boyhood dreams out on NBA2k19 on the kid's PlayStation every now and then. However a nice glass of wine and something delicious to eat with friends and family brings some perspective pretty quickly.  

Do you have any frustrations with the wine industry at all, whether it’s local or global?

I guess there is, but I try not to dwell on it. Some winemaking friends used to get frustrated with the Natural Wine movement in regard to perceived wine quality, but I figure people can spend their money on whatever they want and whinging about it isn’t going to change anything.  There would be little things here and there but nothing is really bugging me at the moment. I think I’m more frustrated with the global malaise on respecting our earth for the future, but that’s a far bigger conversation.

Is JC’s Own a whole family affair? How old are your kids? Do they show any interest in Dad’s work?

I’ve got three kids aged between 17 and 12. They help out with some packaging; my daughter is the oldest and she is meticulous with this and they all do some barrel work. The boys love the forklift so I can see some help in the future. My youngest son is a charmer so he’s definitely going into sales when he is old enough. I’m setting up this project right now for me personally, but it will morph over time into a generational business that any or all of them can get involved with. My wife Tracy is also very supportive, I go ‘missing’ during Harvest for several weeks from February to April and then I’m away for a month in September. I try to make up for it when I’m around but she’s supportive in me following my current path, which I really appreciate.

How do you find balancing work and family life?

I’m pretty hands on with the kids when I’m around home, being a basketball coach and carting them around to trainings and other family logistics. I’m also a default linesman for my son’s soccer - sorry - football team, everyone runs away when they bring out the flag and I’m the only sucker left standing around! Having your own business helps with flexibility, so apart from the busy Harvest period I’m usually around the place and that’s where the balance comes in.

As mentioned earlier, we love your branding. All JC’s Own labels are great fun - do you have a particular favourite? Who designs your labels?

The JC’s Own wines are meant to be a bit of fun, so I wanted to incorporate this with the packaging. The first wines, the Ferine and Freestyler, I engaged a friend who is a graphic designer to help make the labels based on some street art I’d seen on my travels. All the other wines I have actually started designing myself, as I wanted this to be a true expression of the vine to bottle concept and getting involved in the whole process. There’s some hits and misses but a mate once mentioned that some of the best wines around usually are not the ones where you’ve paid a production and design team a bucketload of money for branding, so I’m sticking by that.

Was there a particular moment in life that you decided to become a winemaker? Or did you gradually sink into it while growing up in the Barossa?

I grew up surrounded by the wine industry in the Barossa and enjoyed wine from an early age, (maybe too early legally) as I had some friends with families that owned great wineries so who’s to say no! In the Barossa you either like wine or get the hell out. I started a year of a Bachelor of Science at Adelaide Uni and thought, gee I can’t see a career utilising science so I’ll get a business degree and go from there. Then I eventually started teaching myself winemaking (could’ve just done Oenology from the start – duh!) but I’m glad it was a self-guided adventure, because I have learnt things on my own and from a range of other people, that was not limited to a curriculum or commercial prejudice.

Did your love for Grenache originate in the Barossa or perhaps elsewhere? How would you describe the distinctive differences between each of your own Grenache wines?

I started the Massena winery with my mate Dan and at the time we were both fans of southern Rhône. There’s a lot of beautiful old vine Grenache vineyards so we said hey let’s get some cash together, buy some grapes and see what happens. So the love of Grenache has been there from my start in the wine industry and continues to this day, pretty obvious if you look at the range of wines!

Regarding styles, I’m very low intervention but it is amazing how a few choices I get to make change things, and from my experience Grenache is very expressive of this. The Bluebird is the bright, fruity, happy Grenache, Ferine is Carbonic in basis so a funky, lifted, savoury creature. I made the Rock:It to see how the Grenache and friends model works by fermenting them all together from the start, and the Angaston Grenache is 150 year old bush vines on a great site, so I let the vineyard and provenance do the work here.

Do you have any interest in white grape varieties? Are there any goals / challenges you still set ahead of yourself as a winemaker?

I’m restoring an old mixed planting of Chenin Blanc and Crouchen at the moment to add to my white program. It is probably more of a meditative process in this pruning work, but I’m keen on the fruit at the end of the day.  I’m a fan of more textural, broader whites, especially out of the South of France and some new age Chenins from the USA. I make a Marsanne at the moment that’s on lees for 10 months, there’s an Adelaide Hills Chardonnay in the works from 2019 and then the Chenin/ Crouchen to come. I would love to explore a bit of Grenache Blanc in the future as well, should I find the time and space to have a crack. Trying all these different varieties and now different regions is my challenge, but getting to know a vineyard and how to deal with it is a great way to pique my interest.

We know you travelled extensively before settling in the Barossa. Tell us about your experiences abroad… What is the best thing you’ve learnt?

The best part of travelling for wine is that the regions tend to be quite beautiful. I spent four months as a young wine dude travelling around Western Europe in my early twenties. As a younger lad I really enjoyed walking amongst the snow-covered Alsace Hills, so foreign to a South Australian living on the edge of a desert! I remember having a conversation in my bad High School German with an old, luckily bilingual, local couple out hiking, we heard a few gunshots, promptly hugged each other and some Wild Boar came rocketing up the vine rows just near us. We said our goodbyes and got the hell out of there. I’ve had many great experiences with wine and travel and feel privileged to have been able to do this as part of my professional life. From a business perspective, I’ve learnt that for all of the different terroirs about, there is a lot of commonality across the industry worldwide. I’ve been lucky to meet an eclectic range of wine people and everyone I have met has similar issues and it makes the industry seem quite small across the globe. So, I guess I’ve learnt not to be jealous of anyone’s perceived viticulture or winery situation. I focus on what I want to achieve in my winemaking and enjoy it.

JC (left) with Dan (right) at Massena Winery

Together with Dan Standish, you also established another winery, which our customers know very well – Massena. How far back does your friendship go? How did you come together with the idea of a collaborative winery?

Dan and I went to the same school, I was a year in front and being a small community everyone knew each other. Upon returning from a European backpacking adventure in the late 90s, I happened to be down the Tanunda pub and Dan came in. We had a beer, he mentioned he’d just quit work in Sydney and was doing a Harvest in the Clare Valley. By chance, I had organised a Harvest at the same winery, so we commuted an hour to and from Clare and that’s where we hatched the plan for Massena. As mentioned in an answer before, we loved Grenache, so we did the late shift and when we got back to the Barossa in the morning we convinced the local pizza place to open for us - we’d be drinking Châteauneuf and eating pizza at 9:30 in the morning - getting a few strange looks from the coffee crowd.

Do you have any friendly rivalry / competition going on?

The competition between Dan and I probably extends to the golf course, we only play a few times a year but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me saying that we are both as bad as each other,  and it’s a rivalry to see who is the least worst player on the day. We discuss this over lunch afterwards and after a few bottles forget the scores so we can go out again to battle it out. I did find my golf bag with cobwebs the other day so unfortunately it doesn’t happen often enough.

What is your preferred thirst quencher after a long and scorching day in the vineyard?

Barossa marketing 101 tells me I should say Coopers Pale Ale, but from my time spent in the USA I’ve discovered a joy for flavourless mid strength beer. When it’s 45 degrees and you’re working outside in it, there is no room for hoppy, full strength hipster beer, just an ice cold slightly bitter tinny. The other part I like about it is when beer aficionados see the beer in the fridge they act aghast, but they don’t complain crushing a can or two after working in the heat.

If you could drink only one grape variety for the rest of your life, what would it be?

That’d be tough as I tend to like most things, obviously if I say Grenache based on my current wines - and that could cover Grenache Blanc and Noir, so at least I’d have white, rosé and red to work with!

Finally, would you like to pass any message on to our world-wide customers?

It’s great for me that the small amount of wine I make is getting out to more people around the world. I hope that if you do jump in and get some of the wines, that you approach them with an expectation of fun and enjoyment - because that is what I do this for.

 Bluebird Grenache 2018

JC  "I always get mesmerised when I see a flock of birds floating and drifting in the wind. It brings a sense of freedom and joy to me. I knew the bluebird is the symbol of happiness so I had a concept for the label – I just needed the wine!

So with this idea floating about in my head, I set out to make a great drink that brings a true sense of delight. I found an east facing vineyard in the shallow soils of the Adelaide Hills that just gets the morning sun – no baked flavours here. I got rid of the stalks and just fermented this as whole berries. Just before coffee in the morning and after a cold beer in the afternoon I quickly give it a plunge by hand, nothing too serious or strenuous. It’s bottled early to catch the brightness I’m looking for, meaning it’s dangerously drinkable whenever you need a pick me up."

BUY NOW

Angaston Foothills Grenache 2017

JC "Old vine Barossa Grenache vineyards are a rare treat. Walking amongst the old bush wines 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.

I’ve been working with Barossa Grenache since my first vintage and whilst versatile, it can easily become overly sweet and some people can even call it lolly water. But not this site – no way jose. It gets cool air draining from the Eden Valley across the red sands, so I’ve found it leans more toward complexity and structure, which is what pushes my buttons. How do I treat such a special site – pretty simply is the answer. 100% whole bunches get a foot treading over several weeks, I press it to large oak barrels and bottle it un-fined and unfiltered. That means when I taste this wine I’m still caught up in the magic from the vineyard that has transpired for well over a century. I’ll wipe the tear from my eye as I have another glass."

BUY NOW

Ferine Grenache 2018

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."

BUY NOW

Rock: It GSM 2017

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."

BUY NOW

Greenock Shiraz 2017

JC "I cut my winemaking teeth in the heavy red soils of the North West of the Barossa, where Greenock is the jewel in the crown in my option. 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 svelt 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 word and a true connection to my beginnings in making wine."

BUY NOW

Martha's Garden

Martha has recently been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (diplegia), which means she struggles with her walking, balance and coordination. She has regular physiotherapy and must have special insoles in her shoes to help with her walking.

Earlier this year, Martha (with her sisters Elise, Hettie, Mum and Dad - Roz & Adam) moved into a new little bungalow, which required a full interior and exterior update. The bungalow has a lovely garden, but and given the magnificent age of the previous owner (she was 100), it was neglected for many years. The concrete step from the back door and patio area had moved and cracked over the many years. Unfortunately, Martha was unable to access the garden safely without being carried. Moreover, Martha was unable to manage the uneven cracked surface safely without falling and hurting herself.

Martha touched our hearts and we gladly donated the funds to ensure the garden project could start immediately and be completed in time for the summer.

We received a lovely email earlier this week from her Mother, Roz, who kindly said “I just wanted to email you to send my personal thanks for your very generous donation. I just wanted to say to you personally it wouldn’t have been possible without you, so I honestly can’t thank you enough. Here’s a photo of little Martha and how happy she is with her lovely new garden, and being able to get out there herself. For Martha to be able to get out and play in the garden freely and whenever she wants is just wonderful. Unfortunately, due to the cost, and the slope of the garden, we did have to put a small step in. But, Martha has taken this totally in her stride and actually taught herself to get down that step ON HER OWN! This is a massive achievement for a little girl that didn’t have the balance or confidence to go down any steps even holding your hand, to now just casually go up and down that little step all on her own is just the best. Her physio also advised us this was great exercise for the muscle tone in her legs, and strength and stability of her hips.”

It's been a very busy week...

We enjoyed an exceptionally busy week full of Aussie sales. We previously communicated our expectation ofan increase with international orders, particularly as we fall further against world currencies. This week, Chancellor Sajid Javid and the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney have both contributed to a further currency slide, which and for our international customers this makes for a happier shopping experience at The Vinorium.

From our under-bond stocks, the following wines / producers have sold-out. 2005 & 2006 Hobbs Shiraz totalling 445 btls / magnums. 70 cases of Two Hands ’16 Dave’s Block Shiraz along with ’08 Anteros. Unsurprisingly, all Wild Duck ‘Reserve’ wines including the 2015 & 16 Shiraz along with all available cases of the ’12 Cabernet Sauvignon join the IB sold-out list. 

Only small quantities of duty-paid, by the bottle wines remain at our HQ

We also revealed that our trade customers were anxious to purchase of all our 99-point 2016 The Relic from the brilliant Dan Standish. The wines have docked today and will be making their way to our bonded account within the next few days. Consequently, all under-bond ’16 Relic stocks has now sold-out. However, we have set aside sixty bottles for you all which are available, duty paid and by the bottle.

Standish The Relic Shiraz Viognier 2016

99 Points - Stuart McCloskey "98% Shiraz & 2% Viognier. First question; does a mere 2% Viognier add something to the overall wine? Yes, and abundantly so. The floral aromatics soar from the glass and interplay beautifully with the blueberry compote, blackberry, liquorice, grilled meat and a smidgeon of black olive tapenade. The palate offers dark chocolate, sweet, dark fruits and musky dried herbs. Again, the floral character from the Viognier is evident. With time in the glass the wine offers smokey, peppery game notes with an obvious gunflint and mineral character. Creamy textured but nonetheless, concentrated and dense. Svelte tannins which glide seamlessly across my palate. Quite surreal given the wine’s sheer saturated density. Mind blowing, hedonistic and unquestionably one of Australia’s truly great shiraz wines .  A snip of warmth from the alcohol (16% of alcohol) and the only reason why I cannot, at this stage, award 100 points. Let’s see how the wine develops over time but let me be clear. This is an extraordinary wine that surpasses the majority of great Australian Shiraz (Including recent releases from Grange and Hill of Grace). Served in Zalto Bordeaux, decanted for three hours (needs much longer) and will drink beyond 2035."

£64.95 per bottle

From the No:1 Tasmania producer, House of Arras, stocks are now depleted with all wines either being sold-out or down to a handful of bottles. Unless Accolade Wines, owners of House of Arras change their new pricing structure, which we cannot see or, at the very least, offer the occasional special parcel, we will be delisting their wines. But we do have several Tassie sparkling wines heading over to the UK to sample which we hope will form part of our growing portfolio.

House of Arras Vintage Rose 2005

Gold Medal - 2015 National Wine Show of Australia

96 points - Stuart McCloskey "I was curious to sample the ’05 as I am not a huge fan of sparkling Rosé. A beautiful copper colour with cranberries, red stone fruits, sweet raspberry, orange peel and a little rosewater. In fact, the wine builds with endless layers and has the structure (as with the entire Arras range) of great, Grand Cru Champagne. There’s no holding back with this wine – It’s been released to be relished. There’s real depth and a density on show which takes this Rosé to the head of the class and deservedly so. I could imagine a dozen grilled, Loch Linnhe langoustines partnered with a chilled bottle of the ’05. Simply, heaven."

£26.75 per bottle

House of Arras Grand Vintage 2008

Gold Medal – 2017 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships
Trophy Best Sparkling- 2018 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 
Trophy Best Sparkling White - 2018 Sydney Royal Wine Show
96 points & James Halliday's annual Top 100 wines 2018

97 Points - Decanter "Fresh and alive! Rich and weighted with ripe pineapple, orange skin, slight brioche and shortbread characters. Creamy and textured on the palate with brisk acidity and a persistent finish."

17 Points - Julia Harding MW "Fine yeasty/biscuity nose but there’s also a mineral/stony character that comes through. Creamy texture, lemon cream and so much bight freshness with orange zest on the finish. Delicious: complex and still so fresh."

Was £36.95 per bottle
NOW £28.50 per bottle

The Watershed fire sale went according to plan with many wines now sold-out. At the time of writing there are a handful of cases remaining of the ’17 Single Block Chardonnay. As expected, the 98-point 2016 sold-out immediately however, we believe you are seriously missing a trick with the 2017. We re-sampled and awarded 97 points and were impressed with the wine's structural tension and breathtaking finesse. Tight knit for the moment but, and after five years in the cellar, will unfold into a magnificent wine.

Next week we will revert with a full list of ‘critical’ wines…