JC's Own Barossa Valley, South Australia.
Established: 2015
Appellations: GI Barossa Valley, SA
GI Adelaide Hills, SA
AVA Sierra Foothills, USA
Proprietor: Jaysen Collins
Winemaker: Jaysen Collins
Wine Making Overview: hand harvest, minimal intervention
Vineyard Area: no estate vineyards
Viticulture: Minimal Intervention
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Vineyards: mostly western ranges of Barossa
Vine Density: 3000 / ha
Average Production: 900 dozen
“‘The JC’s Own’ is Jaysen Collins’ ‘project wines’ that stem from his very good work at the bloody good Massena winery in the Barossa Valley. I guess here, JC’s Own allows him some additional flexibility in winemaking style. Satisfying his own interests, so to speak. The aesthetic of the labelling and broad, round-shouldered bottle already suggest something about eclectic style, edginess.”
2021 Freestyler white blend
Made from multiple sites and multiple varieties. Old Vine Chenin Blanc and Crouchen, Angaston; Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills; Chardonnay, Krondorf; Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills. Hand harvested, foot treaded and left on stalks and skins for 24 hours. Pressed to aged barriques for spontaneous fermentation. Aged on lees for 10 months. Bottled un-fined and unfiltered.
So just like a freestyler, no form, no script - I thought I might let the grapes sit in the bin for a bit, maybe sleep on it for a day or two to see how it goes. I applied the same theory after ferment, let it freestyle on lees until it’s bottled. To build texture I just occasionally drove the barrels around my bumpy winery yard to mix up the light lees.
2021 Lobethal Chardonnay
Made from a vineyard located at Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills at 480 metres altitude on a north facing slope. Hand harvested and whole bunch pressed with pressings kept separate. Barrel fermented in new and used French oak puncheons and barriques and aged on fine lees for 15 months. Lively acidity works in with subtle lees aged characters giving great length and dimension to this bright and fresh Chardonnay. Just 1467 bottles produced.
2022 Bluebird Grenache
From 150 year-old bush vines in the Angaston foothills in Barossa. The soils are red sand over broken sandstones and yellow clays. The fruit is 100 % destemmed but uncrushed, with the whole berries wild-yeast fermented in an open fermenter over 12 days and plunged lightly twice a day. The wine is then racked with heavy lees to seasoned 500 litre puncheons to finish ferment, encouraging some slightly reductive notes. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Pure joy.
2021 Ferine Grenache
100% Grenache from two vineyards in the Angaston Foothills of Barossa Valley at 350m elevation and also from Barmera in the Riverland. 100% whole bunch put in a tank with dry ice and sealed to spontaneously ferment for 3 weeks. Gentle foot treading releases the remaining juice and re-kicks the ferment once transferred to large old 500L French oak puncheons. Minimal S02 and bottled without fining and filtration.
2020 Angaston Foothills Grenache
From 150 yo bush vines Grenache planted in red sands over red and yellow clays in the Angaston Foothills. Hand harvested and 100% whole-bunch with gentle foot-treading over several weeks then pressed into large oak barrels and bottled un-fined and unfiltered after 15 months of elevage giving a naturally stable wine of great finesse and depth. Barossa’s answer to Pinot - all perfume and finesse. An outstanding rendition of old vine Grenache from Australia’s original home to Grenache. Super limited as always.
2021 Stratum Shiraz
From a red clay over limestone and schist vineyard in Greenock in the Barossa Valley. 100% destemmed and wild-fermented in cement tanks. Pressed and aged in cement tank on lees for 15 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bright, juicy and succulent, this is a fresh and vibrant Shiraz ideal for everyday consumption.
2021 Rock:it
Grenache based blend co-fermented with Cinsault, Shiraz and Mataro. Bright perfumed whole bunch goodness lifting the aromas and giving freshness and lift to the palate also. A classic southern Rhone blend with tremendous perfume, finesse and complexity and so gulpable. Generous and full flavoured yet not heavy. This has all the finesse to challenge some of the best from the south of France where these varieties and blends originated from.
2021 Greenock Shiraz
100% Shiraz from a single vineyard located in Greenock on an east facing slope on the outskirts of town in the Barossa western ridge. Heavy red clays restricting yield and berry size, under-vine mulching for water conservation. De-stemmed directly into an open fermenter and plunged daily for 2-3 weeks. Once drained through the basket press the initial drainings and pressings were transferred to low-toast seasoned French oak for fermentation and ageing in barrel for 18 months on gross lees giving a creamy and textural mouth-feel. Fresher and finer than previous releases and shows Barossa generosity with marked restraint. A winner.