J Wilkes Pinot Blanc 2016
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Pure and focused with tangerine flesh, peach skin, subtle white flowers / citrus blossom, saline, chalk and granite. Focused and nervey from the oldest Pinot Blanc vines (and a few Melon de Bourgogne) in California, with a touch more structure / acid / verve than previous vintages. Bright and dry with wonderful stone-fruit persistence, mouth-cleansing freshness. Fantastic either as a cocktail wine, Summer Sipper, wine for the lake or the ocean (boating), or with all the food listed below! I can’t neglect to mention cold water oysters, and for Pinot Blanc I think of Hog Island Sweetwaters, Morro Bays, or anything from good Northwestern or Northeastern oceans. Also fantastic with beets and goat cheese, salami & cheese plates, Kansas City or St Louis style BBQ. Also makes an amazing popsicle to cleanse palates between courses.
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Wine Enthusiast
Quite a solid wine for under $20, this bottling shows rounded pear flesh, ripe nectarine, yellow-grapefruit pith and a chalky touch to the nose. Crisp lemony acidity defines the sip, where broader apple-flesh flavors also emerge over time.
Other Vintages
2021-
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Tasting
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Wilfred
Wong
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Robert
Parker
After a long and rewarding career as a salesman, grape grower and ambassador for Santa Maria and Paso Robles wine, Jeff Wilkes decided to try his hand at winemaking.
He went to his long-time employer and friend, Steve Miller, with a proposal to create wines that focused on California’s Central Coast, through the lens of two of its sub-AVA’s, Santa Maria and Paso Robles Highlands.
Jeff launched his namesake label in 2001 and immediately received critical acclaim. He continued on that path until his untimely passing in 2010. Inspired by Jeff’s vision and moved by their friendship, the Miller family decided to continue the J. Wilkes label as a tribute to Jeff’s passion.