Nestled just a few miles from our tasting room in Forestville, the Starscape Vineyard offers expansive views and gorgeous fruit from the hillside block from which we source our fruit for this wine.

If Joseph Jewell Wines has a “home” vineyard, it would be the incredibly diverse and beautiful Starscape Vineyard, which is just down the road from our tasting room in Forestville. Located in the Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley AVA, Starscape enjoys the close company of legendary vineyards such as Kistler and Ritchie. From Starscape, we source both chardonnay and pinot noir, which both thrive in this vineyard that rests in a crook where the Russian River turns west towards the Pacific Ocean. This special topography creates a perfect pathway for the coastal fog to funnel into the vineyard, providing cooler evening and early morning temperatures that shape the vibrant acidity of the wines from Starscape.

With 13 different clones of Pinot Noir and 5 clones of Chardonnay, Starscape provides us with all the tools we need to craft singular wines of place. While we have worked with the grapes of Starscape since 2008 (when it was known as Floodgate), it was in 2014 when we started crafting our Old Girls Martini Clone Pinot Noir from a block of vines that were among the first pinot noir planted in the Russian River Valley (1971).

The deep, muscular ruby core serves notice of the power this wine brings. With a nose marked by black cherries, wild plums and violets, the Starscape follows with a rich, fleshy mouthfeel. The blue fruits on the mid-palate are accompanied by a medley of clove and vanilla, and a rich concentration of flavor that drives the impressive finish.