Jim Jenkins samples the product
About two miles outside of the little town Julian, nestled in a small valley at the foot of Volcan Mountain, sits the J. Jenkins Winery. The property includes 8 acres of old growth apple orchard. The rest is planted in wine grapes, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio, to be exact. Proprietors Jim and Jeanne Jenkins have established their tasting room in a rustic old apple shed at the entrance to their property. Behind it looms a brand new, all metal winemaking facility complete with loading dock, production area, wine lab and office. There, they produce small quantities of Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio wines from their estate grown fruit, as well as a spectacularly fragrant dry apple wine from their own apples. The Jenkins also produce a variety of other wines from grapes that they purchase from various local growers.
Jim Jenkins came to winemaking in what can certainly be deemed a circuitous way. After a bucolic childhood in southern Illinois, Jim began studies in physics at the University of Illinois. His first change of direction came when he decided to attend medical school at Duke University, then established a pediatrics practice in San Diego. During that time, his love of wine led him to take enology classes at UC Davis and to become active in the San Diego Amateur Winemaking Society. When he retired from his medical practice after 28 years, Jim decided to establish his own winery. “I wanted to become a winemaker so I could make wine that would let me hear a chorus of angels singing,” Jim explains. “So far, I have heard one little angel humming.”
Never one to do things by the book, Jim set off on his winemaking quest. He was introduced to well-established local winemaker Mike Menghini and spent time helping out around Mike’s winery, picking grapes, pruning, cleaning tanks and learning the basic workings of a small facility. During that time, when an adjacent property went up for sale, Jim and Jeanne decided to take the plunge. They bought the 10-acre parcel with the firm intention of making it into their own eponymous winery. Five years later, after interminable set backs and struggles with a variety of government agencies, the first bottle of wine from J. Jenkins Winery was sold on July 4, 2003. In 2007, the winery produced about 800 cases of wine.
At 4300 feet of altitude, the Jenkins’ winery is certainly among the higher vineyards in the world. A small number of wineries in Italy, Argentina, Idaho, Colorado and the Canary Islands are established in alpine settings. Most of them cultivate only the hardiest of grape varietals, due to the extreme climactic conditions that prevail at altitude. Why then would Jim Jenkins choose to plant delicate Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio on his property? “I wanted to experiment and explore the limits of what those grapes could do in such a challenging environment,” he says. “Remarkable things can occur when grapes are stressed and challenged. I thought the conditions could perhaps bring out some amazing qualities in the wines.”
Current research indicates that there may well be yet another benefit to high altitude grape growing. Greater UV radiation levels present at higher altitudes seem to result in greater concentrations of polyphenols in grapes, particularly red grapes, produced at altitude. There is substantial new evidence that the increased polyphenol content has a host of beneficial effects on heart health. Medicine has never tasted so good.
For more info: The tasting room at the Jenkins Winery is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 AM to 5 PM. More information about the winery is available at www.jenkinswinery.com.
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