Though James Jelks started Florèz Wines in 2017, his wines are a recent newcomer to our wine shelves, and I'm super excited about what this relative youngster has under his sleeve. A native of the Santa Cruz area, he's working with vineyards that are dry-farmed, meaning that the only irrigation he's relying on is what's coming from precipitation, a sort of gamble in farming, but one that has great payoffs in the quality and concentration of the fruit, if you can pull it off. While Jelks very much is a natural winemaker, his wines read as approachable and sensible, and not so much of the kombucha science experiments that I've grown out of. To make the Florèz Wines Pinot Noir Cave Dew Central Coast 2024, Jelks applied a spin on partial carbonic fermentation, where he deprived the fermenting tanks of oxygen by replacing it with Argon gas. That, together with including partially destemmed grape bunches, results in a juicy, low tannin, easy-going Pinot Noir that's full of bright red cranberries, hibiscus flowers with the sunniest disposition. With a roasted chicken with thyme and buttered potatoes, I'd be the happiest camper.
-Alejandra
