Home  Webisodes > May 2012 Classic, Limited and Vintners Series Wine Tasting   Chardonnay, 2010. Jack Hammer

Item # L512W4 Chardonnay, 2010. Jack Hammer Vintage: 2010 Varietal: Chardonnay Vineyard/Appellation: Edna Valley, California Color: Golden Nose: Green apple and spice Palate: Full, but not overbearing Finish: Lovely spice with touches of green apple Rating: 94 Cellaring/Serving Suggestions: Drink now through 2014 Podcast Link: Online Wine Tasting with the Cellarmaster : JACK HAMMER - WHITE Retail Price $21.99      Log In for LOWEST price Price: Qty: Write your own review Printable Version

Jack Hammer is a partnership between Stephen Ross Dooley, owner and winemaker of Stephen Ross Winery, and Sandy Garber owner and founder of Garber & Co. Wine, and their families.

Following graduation, Stephen Dooley met with what he considers an extraordinary piece of good luck. He was hired to work at the Louis M. Martini Winery in the Napa Valley, one of the early pioneers of today's California wine industry. Starting out, as Dooley himself likes to put it, "at the bottom of the totem pole," he was initially employed as a "shoveler," shoveling pomace out of red wine fermentation tanks, until he eventually became the assistant winemaker.

After completing seven vintages at Edna Valley Vineyard, Steve Dooley left Edna Valley Vineyard during the summer of 1994 to form his own company, and develop his own label under his first and middle name "Stephen Ross." Dooley recalls first becoming intrigued with winemaking around 1970, while still a high school student, after reading an article in Time Magazine about the emerging U.S. wine industry.

Dooley found himself quickly adopting the "Burgundian style" of making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the years that followed, Dooley continued to make wine at Edna Valley Vineyard along the lines established by Chalone, but over the course of time, added many of his own nuances of style. A major factor in the winery's success, according to Dooley, is the extraordinary fine grapes supplied by the Edna Valley.

Dooley is "the" guy when it comes to Chardonnay from the Central Coast. He put it on the map with Edna Valley Vineyards and it's still there. Without the cost constraints he had previously, Steve can put all the points in the wine, and this beauty is one of his best. This amazing offering comes from the Santa Lucia Highlands, one of the most respected areas in California for Chardonnay. The cool climate here is what accounts for the myriad complex flavors and long finish. Great with shellfish.

May 2012 Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf)