J. Wilkes Pinot Blanc Santa Maria Valley 2014
$18.99 at Crush Wine & Spirits in Bryant, Arkansas (AR)
Ripe apple, citrus, orange blossom, and melon on the nose. Pear and hint of minerality on palate. Medium body.
Jeff Wilkes was a grape grower and grape salesman at Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards in Santa Maria Valley as well as French Hill vineyard in Paso Robles Highland for 20 years (1981-2001). In 2001, he launched the J. Wilkes label focusing on Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay. He made his last wine in 2010 before his untimely death that year. Shortly after his death, the Miller family who own these vineyards relaunched the label as a tribute to him. His promotions and demand for quality made Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills, and Santa Maria Valley the core of Santa Barbara County grape growing and these vineyards provided grapes to some of the greatest winemakers in California.
The 2014 Pinot Blanc was made by the winemaker at the time, Vidal Perez. A graduate of California State University at Fresno in Viticulture and Enology, he was a winemaker at Central Coast Wine Services, also owned by the Miller family.
Vidal Perez
In 2015, the Miller family hired Wes Hagen as their winemaker for J. Wilkes. Hagen has an extensive career as a winemaker and brand ambassador for wine in Santa Maria Valley. In 2013, Michael Cervin, a writer for the Wall Street Journal and Decanter wine magazine, rated Hagen as one of the 100 most influential winemakers in the U.S.
Hagen worked as vineyard manager and winemaker at Clos Pepe Vineyards & Estate Wines in the Sta. Rita Hills for 21 years and is considered an industry leader in Santa Barbara wine, having served for more than 10 years on the Board of Directors for both the Santa Barbara County Vintners and Sta. Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance.
Wes Hagen
Hagen is an accomplished wine writer, researcher, and lecturer. He has written for several publications and has been featured and quoted numerous times in Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, and Wine Enthusiast. One of the most significant contributions he has made to Santa Barbara County was researching, writing, and getting approval for the region’s last three AVAs: Sta. Rita Hills, Happy Canyon, and Ballard Canyon.
Finally, in the academic world, Hagen taught the Food & Wine Pairing program at Allan Hancock College for four years and lectured on the History of Wine and Santa Barbara wine at Cornell University, Caltech, and many other institutions.
