Chardonnay Reigns at JL Wood Wine

JL Wood Wine—the newest label to come out of Arroyo Seco—is named for a rancher whose family roots date back to 1905, when the family began running cattle on a huge ranch west of Greenfield. Wood himself saw the promise in vines, and appreciated that grapes could be more sustainable than other crops.

JL oversaw the transition of the property to vines, and would be proud to see what his daughter Carol and her husband Paul Morrison have done in his honor. They have taken over management of the 125-acre vineyard JL Wood Ranch in Arroyo Seco—which spans the hillsides and the river bottom by the green bridge near Thorne Road—and have created a wine brand that seeks to bring high quality Arroyo Seco Chardonnay to those who appreciate the varietal’s purity. With neighbors like Griva, Chesebro, Concho Y Toro and Hahn, they are in good company. 

Paul and Carol Morrison were born and raised in Salinas, became high school sweethearts, and followed their love of art and agriculture through college. They both graduated from Hartnell and launched into their careers. They began managing the JL Wood Ranch in the 1990s, when the region became popular with investors who sought vineyards as an asset. 

“People were making more rational decisions about what grape varieties to plant,” says Paul Morrison.

Fortunately, the investor group leasing their land at the time planted Chardonnay in 1997 and 1998, using 90% Clone 4 on Freedom rootstock and 10% Robert Young clone. 

“This is the perfect spot to grow Chardonnay,” he adds. “We have early morning fog and shade in the afternoon, as the hills to the west cut short the intense sunlight. We are also balanced in vigor by the sandy and rocky soil. We have plenty of Arroyo Seco potatoes!” 

He notes that these rocks help the soil retain warmth at night, and they get enough sun and heat, as it gets into the low 90s by mid-September to early October, which is their harvest window. 

While much of the fruit from the vineyard is sold to private interests, the Morrisons wanted to showcase their unique terroir with JL Wood wines. So they hired 40-year veteran winemaker Ed Filice out of retirement, at the recommendation of the Paso Robles based vineyard management company that tends the vineyard and oversees harvest. 

When ready, the grapes are field-sorted and machine-harvested and loaded onto a truck at 2:30am for their ride to Oakville in Napa where the wine is made. “The field sorting equipment is so efficient, there is very little material other than grapes that needs removing during the pre-fermentation sorting pass,” says Morrison, who studied enology at UC Davis.

Each block of the vineyard offers something unique. Filice and the Morrisons decided that four styles of wine should be made to suit different palates and preferences.

 All the JL Wood wines are done with absolutely no malolactic fermentation (ML), and with no added sugar or acid, and they never add grape concentrate or any other funny stuff.  Morrison feels that the lemony fresh natural acidity of Arroyo Seco is a selling point and he wants that to shine through.

The first wine in the lineup is the No Oak Chardonnay. “What you see is what you get,” says Morrison. “Vintage 2021 was a year of perfection, great weather with no fires. One block in particular was nice and clean and the chemistry matched our targets. Making a no oak wine is actually hard to do, as you cannot mask any issues. “

The Nouveau Chardonnay is made from a block that exhibits a very potent tropical presence in the foreground while maintaining lemon drop in the background. Paul says this one is very fruit driven. 

Because there are customers who really like oak in their Chardonnays, JL Wood produces a version called Premier, which delivers all those delightful Chardonnay flavors along with barrel spice notes. “Again, we do no ML. We want to preserve the balance and the freshness off the vine.”  

The wines are garnering acclaim. The 2021 No Oak Chardonnay recently won Gold and 90pts at the 2023 Monterey International Wine Competition, as well as Gold and 92 points at the 2023 Winemakers Challenge. The Premier won Gold and 93 points at the same competition.

Recognizing that there are consumers who are consciously trying to cut down on alcohol and calories, they harnessed spinning cone technology to remove some of the alcohol to create a wine called Hoo Knew, which is 80 calories per serving. 

In 2021, the Morrisons decided to go for a modern take on a traditional label. “We were interested in something that reflected a connection to the land we farm. There’s an owl for Nouveau, a fox on the No Oak, and a wild boar on the Premier. All these animals are prevalent on the ranch. We have many owl boxes for rodent control and a red fox family has been living on the cliff above the vineyard for generations. We always have wild boars coming from the surrounding mountains looking for water.” 

The chief premise of JL Wood is to offer high quality wine that showcases the purity and intensity of the fruit at a reasonable price point. The Nouveau and No Oak are priced at $32, while the Premier is $36 and the Hoo Knew is $26. The Morrisons have no tasting room and are not planning to open one. However, it’s not completely out of the question, were the right partnership to come along. For now, they are selling the wine through the website and at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa, but are looking to build this channel out.

Morrison recognizes that people who make their wine purchases online tend not to be looking for domestic Chardonnay. They are mostly buying white imports. But, if you find something you like, and it’s convenient to have it shipped to you, why not?  There is a minimum 4-bottle purchase from the website: JLWoodWine

“We want to keep the price south of $40,” says Morrison. “Our goal is to provide modern affordable luxury Chardonnay, with bold, clean flavors.”  

Take a sip and see for yourself.