Page 23 - Grapevine July-August 2015

In The Winery

best fruit he’d find on out-of-the-way properties. “I Jurassic Park because “the vines are surrounded by
wanted to make wine from vineyards I found in my oil equipment and the pumps resemble a bunch of
travels that I thought were really good but didn’t dinosaurs.”) Jurassic Park Chenin was his first Field
fit for most wineries,” Jones told the Grapevine Recording wine. Today, Chenin Blanc is gaining in
Magazine. “In 2007, I decided to go commercial.” popularity, and Jones is enjoying success with his
wines.
Jones sells his wines under the name Field
Recordings, the term used for an audio recording As a winemaker, Jones’s philosophy is basically
produced outside of a recording studio. “’Field to let the vineyards do the talking. “We don’t have
Recordings was a little movement when recording a set formula for things,” he said. “We go in the
equipment first came out where these guys trav- direction of the vineyard. If the field shows best in
eled around recording natural occurrences,” Jones a leaner style and without wood, that’s how we do
explained. “We think the grapes each year are it. If it’s a site that shows better extracted and with
the recording of that field and season.” The Field some lumber, we go that way. We want the wines
Recordings label, taken from photographs of star- to be the best representations of the vineyards and
lings in flight, embodies this philosophy, as stated growers.” Case production varies from several hun-
on their website: “an un-staged pattern that can dred to several thousand per release, depending on
never be repeated or replicated. In the same way, the wine.
each bottle of wine captures the inimitable circum-
stances of each vineyard, vintage, and friendship One of Jones’ most popular lines is his “Fiction”
that made it possible.” wines. “The 2012 Fiction is a blend of 40 percent
Zinfandel, 13 percent Tempranillo, 12 percent
Field Recording Wines come from multiple vine- Petite Sirah, 11 percent Touriga Nacional, 10 per-
yards in multiple coastal AVAs: Paso Robles, cent Mourvedre, eight percent Grenache, and six
Happy Canyon of
Santa Barbara, Edna
Valley and Santa
Ynez Valley. “I make
wines that I think
have personality,”
Jones said. “From
season to season I see
all different types of
grapes. The things
I am most known
for would be Chenin
Blanc, Cabernet
Franc, Cabernet
Sauvignon and
Tempranillo.”

While Jones says Owner: Andrew Jones in Vineyard
he doesn’t have any
personal favorites, he
holds a special place
in his heart for his
Jurassic Park Chenin
Blanc. (The vine-
yard was nicknamed

877-892-5332 The Grapevine • July - August 2015 Page 21