Alcohol: 14.4%
Grape(s): 55% Cabernet Sauvignon 45% Merlot 5% Cabernet Franc
Localization: Napa Valley, California, USA
Tasting Notes: Cabernet Sauvignon provides the backbone and structure of this wine while the lush fruit of the Merlot brings body, texture and balance to the blend. This year we added just a touch of Cabernet Franc which brings aromoas of raspberry, bell pepper, cassis and violets.
Notes: The name Taureau, was the name of the Jackson family’s prized bull, legendary for his feisty, high-kicking and vibrant personality. When perfecting this wine at their blending session, the JAX team concurred that the character of their infamous bull reflected the structure and elements of this indulgent red blend…and what a perfect tribute to their family ranching legend.
Our fruit is handpicked, sorted and cold-soaked immediately after harvesting. Following fermentation, this wine is aged in 40% new French oak. Offering dark, concentrated depth and character.
Food Pairing: This wine pairs with a broad range of foods from poultry, pasta and pizza to rich red meat dishes. We recommend opening the wine 30 minutes to an hour prior to consumption to allow aromatics to open and evolve.
The Domain: Brother and sister team, Trent and Kimberly Jackson collaborated with their vintner “green thumb” father to found their first label in 1996. Over time the two identified their unique niche among next generation wine enthusiasts. Outliers from the dominating short list of old-school Napa wineries, the two saw an opportunity to buck the “en vogue” winemaking style of their day to focus on the unique terroir of their family vineyard. After all, “change comes first at a small scale driven by the smaller more nimble producers.”
Soon after, cult Winemaker Kirk Venge was recruited to create balanced wines reflecting the varietal character and a sense of place. Passionate about our vineyard site, integral to our clone and rootstalk selections, and now 15 years in, Kirk has reinforced their instinct that focus should always be on “sense of place” to understand the nuances that allow us to make great wine.
To differentiate from their small lot single vineyard Jax line, they launched “Y3” to scale and offer more “true to varietal” wines from various AVAs (spanning Napa and Sonoma). The “Y3” symbol was the cattle symbol used on their grandparents’ cattle ranch, Yarrayne. The “3” represents three generations of land tilling entrepreneurs.
In 2013, the siblings recruited a third partner, Dan Parrott, a no-nonsense individual with a laser focus on balanced wines (historically working in Italian import houses) and a true Burgundian aficionado. Dan keeps the sibling rivalry in check and runs Jax like a well-oiled machine.
