Jaffe Estate Wines is a family-owned winery. The estate produces rich and medium-bodied Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Customers can order online or make an appointment to have a tasting.

Today's wine tasting tour began at 1:00. Rob was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. The underground cave is a wonderful experience. There is even an underground waterfall & an underground creek! At the end of the tour you sit in a tasting room with one of the best Brie as well as Goat cheese plates and plain crackers that we have ever had. 6 glasses of 6 different wines. You get to experience the change in taste (richer/bolder/smoother) when a glass of wine sits for 10 minutes. Over all experience was excellent.

Karen and John Troisi started Jean Edwards Cellars in 2004 and released their first wine in 2006, which was spectacular. Wine Spectator Magazine named them as one of "20 new cabernet producers to watch that could be the next cult wines". Jean Edwards Cellars is in the good company of well-known producers such as Scarecrow, Kapscandy, Ghost Block, MacAuley, and Oakville East. The fruit for this wine comes from the Stagecoach Vineyard located on Pritchard Hill on the eastern side of the Napa Valley. Their vines (neighboring with Paul Hobbs) have produced a delicious full-bodied, solid and classically styled Napa Cabernet. In the glass deep garnet-purple, with lovely dark cassis, plum, cedar and earth notes, hints of tobacco and vanilla and a delicious hint of dark chocolate on the palate. Aged 24 months in French Oak, the wine is 92% cabernet sauvignon and 8% cabernet franc. Jean Edwards Cellars produces full-bodied and wines yet not at all over the top, this wine has a balance and fineness that so many of the huge framed super expensive Napa Cabs seem to lack. Drinkable now, especially with a decanter, it will continue to gain complexity with additional cellaring for 5-10 years. Production was a mere 250 cases.~

Hours:
Tuesday & Wednesday  - Closed
Thursday - Monday- 11:00 am to 5:00 pm           
 

About Jeff Runquist Wines

For the adventurous wine drinker eager to explore the diversity of the wine world, Jeff Runquist Wines offers unique varietals sourced from California’s premier appellations, inspired by the curiosity and passion of the growers and winemakers.

Winemaker Jeff Runquist produces balanced wines that can be enjoyed in their youth while also having the potential to age and develop more complexity over time. His wines feature a consistent theme of fresh fruit, reflecting the inherent varietal flavors of the grapes. Jeff sources grapes from various regions across California, with plans to crush over twenty different varieties from nine different appellations for the 2013 vintage. While most wines are produced in small, limited quantities, four principal wines are consistently available throughout the year: Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, and Petit Verdot.

Jeff selects grapes from vineyards that yield rich, full flavors without excessive astringent tannins. He has a preference for wines that are vibrant and zesty. "Once I release a new vintage, I rarely revisit the previous year's wine. My father appreciates that; it means more older wines for him," Jeff notes.

His journey in the wine industry began in 1977 when he interned with Seagrams at their Paul Masson Sherry Cellars in Madera while studying enology at UC Davis. After graduating in 1980, he worked in the cellar at Montevina in Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley, where he was promoted to winemaker in 1982. Following a three-year tenure at the Napa Valley Cooperative Winery from 1987 to 1990, Jeff became the winemaker for J. Lohr winery in San Jose. It was during his time at J. Lohr that he realized he needed to create wine under his own label.

In 1995, Jeff crushed ten tons of Zinfandel from the Massoni Ranch in Amador’s Shenandoah Valley, and on April 1, 1997, he released 700 cases of that Zinfandel under his own name. In 1996 and 1997, he produced his wines at Sycamore Creek Winery in Morgan Hill, followed by a stint at McManis Family Vineyard Winery in Ripon from 1998 through the 2010 vintage. In 2006, he returned to Amador County after purchasing a small five-acre walnut orchard on Shenandoah Road. In the spring of 2008, Jeff and Margie opened their tasting room, and production facilities followed, allowing Jeff to crush the majority of their production in Amador starting in 2011.

Photo courtesy photographer Randy Caparoso