Perlises Pick Roadtripping with Antoine Favero to Jaxon Keys for BRANDY

In our previous article, we mentioned that, while tasting wine with winemaker Antoine Favero at Mazzocco Sonoma, he suggested he had something special in mind for the next afternoon.

So, the next day, after our morning visit to St. Anne’s Crossing [which will be covered in a future article], Antoine picked us up at Mazzocco’s Briar Cottage in the Wilson Artisan Wineries van. The destination: Jaxon Keys Winery & Distillery in Hopland at the southern end of Mendocino County. The agenda: to taste the full lineup of Alambic brandy.

We’d visited Antoine at Jaxon Keys back in 2018 (http://www.evewine101.com/2018/12/01/perlis-picks-jaxon-keys-winery). At that time, our focus was mainly on the wines, although we did taste some brandy as well. This time, it was all about the brandy.

When the Wilsons purchased the old Jepson winery back in 2009, they not only acquired the winery, 1,200 acres of land and the historic House on the Hill, but also a large inventory of brandy and a vintage Alambic pot still that was built in Cognac, France in the 1900s. When we got to the winery, the first thing Antoine did was show us this copper still along with the barrels and barrels of brandy.

Then we walked up the looooong flight of stairs to the old House on the Hill, now restored as the Farmhouse Tasting Room. Sitting upstairs in the private tasting room on a beautiful clear day with the windows wide open to the fresh air, we could see the old French Colombard vines that produce the grapes from which the brandy is made.

Being brandy novices, Antoine gave us some insights into the process of brandy making as well as why the tulip shaped glass is ideal for “nosing” the brandy (which is why they are used by professionals), with different smells noticeable depending whether you sniff the brandy from the rim closest to you, in the middle of the glass or the far edge. Antoine explained that the renowned Hubert Germain-Robin had been heavily involved in the brandy-making process going back to the Jepson days. Now retired, while he still provides some input, Antoine took over the production responsibilities several years ago and is now expanding the line from three to a total of six brandies.

As we tasted, Antoine told us that brandy needs to be at 40% alcohol; any more would make the brandy too hot. He also explained that French Limousin oak barrels impart color and flavor.

Our tasting notes for the brandies we tasted (Scores, awards and notes from the 2022 Los Angeles Invitational Spirits Challenge are in italics – only the three brandies indicated had been released at that time.)

Rare: 5 years; straw, white flowers notes on the nose and taste. 98 points. Best of Class, Double Gold. Vanilla, pecan, nice maturity, refreshing.

Cornerstone: 7 years; caramel in color, more aromatic and flowery.

Old Stock: 10-15 years; stronger caramel taste, whiff of vanilla, mellowing, long finish. 91 points. Earthy, burning fruit, wood.

Barrel 10:  15 years; more oak and vanilla notes, lush finish, liquid sunshine.

Private Stock:  17 years; stronger vanilla and honey notes that flows on the nose and palate, start of nuttiness – macadamia, warm finish, roundness.

Signature Reserve:  17-30 years; 50 cases produced/one barrel, almond paste/marzipan sweet notes, amber/caramel color, mellow but complex at the same time, extremely long, lingering finish. 96 points. Dried citrus peel, vibrant.

All the brandies were delicious, but as we tasted from the youngest to oldest, we savored their increasing intricacies and structure. We can’t thank Antoine enough for providing us with this magical experience.   He is the consummate host – engaging, entertaining and enlightening. And remember, if a winemaker wants to take you on a road trip, go!

Jaxon Keys

www.jaxonkeys.com

10400 South Hwy 101

Hopland, CA 95449

Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.