What’s Up, Jake Busching?

Or, the best rainy Friday hanging out with a winemaker and hundreds of barrels and tanks.

Matt (who gets credit for the photo of Jake) and I had been kicking around this idea of catching up with Jake and hearing about his next ventures now the he has largely separated from Hark. While the Hark lineup is still wine that was made by Jake (with new head winemaker AJ certainly supporting the winemaking during that time), future releases, 2023 forward, won’t have Jake’s stamp on them. They also have some of Jake’s JBW wines for sale (and in my last club pack). Hark announced Jake’s departure first, and then Jake shared with his mailing list that he would be continuing to make his private line and consulting. Not long after, news came out that Jake would be making wine at Eastwood while continuing his own line. So this meet-up was the perfect opportunity to hear from him about the 2023 growing season, what he is working on now and what comes next.

We met up at Common Wealth Crush, where Jake’s wine is being made now. I hadn’t been there before to experience the tasting room that has opened there featuring Midland Construction, Star Party and Lightwell Survey – it actually looks really fun. It probably is worth a trip back one afternoon soon to see what its about and get a better sense of the other wines being made at the facility. Their lineup is a bit more cutting edge and experimental than what I am used to – mixing red and white as a blend to see what happens… I’ve had a little of that, and it’s interesting, but not typically my thing. At least not yet. I’m always up for a little more experimentation.

I honestly didn’t know what format this afternoon would take, maybe we’d sit at a table and talk. As I parked I realized I hadn’t brainstormed a ton of questions to pepper him with to show him how intelligent and thoughtful I am about wine and really probe his brain. My faithful reader knows I don’t have a well-developed palate and don’t describe wines by the various obscure fruit flavors, but rather by power and depth and how clean or how oakey they come across. So while I was having all my inadequacy anxiety, I swallowed my pride, grabbed my notebook and headed in.

Jake is an overall good human, though. He really likes talking about his wine and his practice, and the Virginia wine industry as a whole. He set us at ease right away (he’s met Matt a few times, so of course they’re chatting up right away). Ben Jordan, one of the main forces behind Common Wealth Crush, was heading out as we got there, and Jake even introduced me as a wineblogger and mentioned the blog (as if anyone even knows what it is except you, loyal reader). Jake told us he wanted to taste through some 2023’s that were now in tank and barrel and then compare them to some 2022’s that were finishing up in barrel and some getting ready to bottle. When you tell me that this is my afternoon plan, I am all in.

A note about the facility – there is wine being made for 11 different brands here right now – Ben and Tim Jordan have their individual and family lines here (served at the tasting bar), and several other wineries are using the custom crush or winemaking services right now. Stinson, Ankida Ridge, Dover Hall/7 Lady and others are also using the services of CWC. Jake, and now Eastwood are using the facility too for their wine. Jake described it as an experience where he comes in and checks on the wine, leaves orders for the interns on what to do next with it, and then comes back to see how it’s doing. It’s the perfect model if you don’t own a facility and cannot make the investment in space and equipment to do this work. The site in Waynesboro is actually in a fantastic location given proximity to both Charlottesville area vineyards and Shenandoah Valley vineyards. It offers space and opportunity for collaboration, and has a tasting room space where some of what is produced can be bought and consumed. It’s a brilliant concept, and symbolic of the type of collaboration that makes Virginia wine amazing.

Jake took us to various tanks and barrels and shared his thoughts on the 2023 vintage. He likens it to 2009, which in his mind is one of the very best in Virginia’s wine history. The growing season was very dry and hot, but not too hot, with cooler nights in August that kept acidity in the grapes high and prevented fungus and other grape problems. Even though there was a hurricane remnant that passed though, it brought mostly rain and cooler temps, and they were able to pick and move forward on nearly all sites. While some sites had worse droughts, most fared well and produced fruit that many are calling incredible. And now I got to taste some of that output.

Jake acknowledged that since fermentation was just ending and the wines were settling to begin aging, that they were largely in strange, in-between spots in their development. Regardless of that, most were incredibly interesting and indicative of some amazing wine coming to us in the next few months to years.

We started, of course, with Chenin Blanc. While Matt was hoping for Albariño, sadly we won’t see a JBW branded one for a while. But this Chenin was incredible – some of the crisp Chenin quality was clearly coming through, and as it settles and develops, it’s only going to get more interesting. Jake isn’t sure if this will be bottled as a single varietal, blended, or what may happen. His focus is on seeing how the wine develops in order to determine what the right thing for it will be.

We moved to the 2023 Roussanne. I love that he is working with this grape – I’m starting to see more of it in Virginia, and sometimes it turns out to be my white wine of choice from a winemaker or vineyard. Even at this stage of development, that exciting roundness and distinctive honey sense were evident – this wine may be used for blending with other white wines or potentially bottled on its own, depending on how it develops.

Next up was the 2023 Chardonnay – it was still settling itself down – this one I didn’t get as strong a sense of Chardonnay or of fruit flavors – I suspect it’s simply figuring itself out right now post-fermentation and coming to grips with what it wants to be. This was one of the wines in a fiberglass tank – and we had an interesting discussion about the set of fiberglass tanks the facility purchased from Italy. These tanks allow no oxygen transfer and are significantly less expensive than other types of tanks. I was a bit shocked to see them here and I’m curious to see if they develop any differences in the styles of wine produced. Jake told us that he is enjoying figuring them out, but he thought they were a bit odd at first.

The 2023 Petit Manseng was next – this wine has just finished fermenting – I felt it had a hoppy quality to it – it simply wasn’t ready to show itself to us at all. We had an interesting discussion about this varietal in terms of how popular it is in Virginia and that it’s often a sweeter wine though a few are making a dry varietal. Jake shared that he is interested in it for blending potential and has ideas for a white blend. I mentioned Walsh’s Paeonia and he knew quite a bit about it – he and Nate have been discussing white blends for a while. I will be curious to see what Jake does with blending this one.

We moved into 2023 reds for a little bit, checking out the Cabernet Franc and Tannat. The 2023 Merlot was a rock star, and I foresee this wine developing into something incredible and gorgeous. We had an interesting conversation about single-varietal merlot in Virginia. Jake thinks California has ruined Merlot, and people just won’t want it as a single varietal (I beg to differ – Russ Mountain and this one would own my heart and could become my primary reds) (ok who am I kidding, I have a ton of primary reds). While he will blend this as a great backbone for a Bordeaux blend, I’m hopeful for a small bottling of this by itself. I think this really showcased the power of 2023. This was a nice bold fruity red, and it will develop incredibly well.

We moved then to some 2022 vintages sitting in barrel. Some of these will go to bottle soon. We had the ’22 Chenin aged in barrels that once held Cognac. Jake was quick to point out that these barrels had previously been used for Petit Manseng, and as such, they are not going to impart much, if any, Cognac flavor into the Chenin. And this Chenin was stunning. I’m still holding out hope for some single varietal bottling, because this would make for an amazing summer wine. Whatever the time in barrel did, it made it a fuller wine, with plenty of what I know and love in Virginia Chenin, and I think this will settle into bottle and be fantastic. Fingers crossed.

We went to the 2022 reds and enjoyed some very nice Merlot. It was bursting with flavor – we tasted from a new oak barrel, and while oak isn’t my thing, the fruit in here was great – Jake will blend it with a bunch of neutral barrels to tame the oak and I’m betting it’s going to be stunning. We also tasted some 2022 Cabernet Franc, and then got a sneak peak of a 2021 Red Blend that is going to go into bottle in the next 2 months or so. This blend of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc was off the hook. Jake’s other red blend, still hanging in my top 5 favorite red wines of all time, “F8,” was a stunning knockout punch of Petit Verdot and Tannat. While this doesn’t pack the tannic punch F8 has, it is this incredible Bordeaux blend that will be fantastic on it’s own by the fire or with dinner whether it’s red meat or chicken or pork. Having it from the barrel, before it’s had time to lay in bottle and develop, it’s an incredible wine. I expect this one to become a big favorite as it ages. Watch for this one coming soon.

I’m probably leaving some of the tasting out, but I think it’s safe to say that while the 2022’s are developing into lovely wine, the 2023’s have all the signs of being a powerhouse vintage.

And that vintage is just on time. We talked for a while over the course of sampling about the Monticello AVA getting Wine Enthusiast’s Wine Region of the Year award. While it’s great to see Virginia getting recognition, and the region is producing some great wine, what will this mean?

Jake pointed out that right now, all that’s happening is winemakers and people into wine are sharing this recognition on social media (totally true, I think I shared it too and sent happy texts to some people). Hopefully the designation will lead to some enhanced programming and support for wine tourism. While I don’t want crowds blocking me out of favorite places and places I haven’t even gotten to yet, I do want our wines to get more attention and respect. I’d hate to see a massive influx of wine conglomerates coming in and building massive venues and growing more of the same old stuff and making more grocery store wine, just raising the prices on it. None of that would add to what makes Virginia Wine special. But greater support from the state in terms of infrastructure for wineries to produce and sell inside and outside the state, as well as additional investment in research and promotion could really support further development of the industry. Combine the amazing 2023 vintage with the recognition the Monticello AVA has received, and we’re primed for elevating our overall reputation and drawing many more visitors. Whatever happens, it is exciting.

So Jake will be making wine at Eastwood and has been helping them build an incubation space on site there for winemakers who don’t have a production space to produce their wine. This is really exciting because it’s become expensive to set up a winery and buy the land, build a tasting room and production and storage space, and buy all the equipment to de-stem, crush, ferment, and age your wine. It sounds like there is already interest in moving in there, and plans are to start making Eastwood’s wine there as soon as next year. I’m excited about a shift for Eastwood since they’re in a good location for a strong winery, and Jake will certainly elevate their wines. Plus, Eastwood also purchased a bunch of barrels of Maggie Malick as it closed down, and those grapes will add some good inventory for them.

Jake’s story is a really interesting one – having worked at multiple vineyards as they got started on the scene, and helping them really establish themselves, including Keswick, Pollak, Grace Estate, and Hark. This has given him a strong sense of what we can grow in this region, and connections across sites. He’s earned respect statewide for his knowledge in the vineyard and the cellar, and he consistently makes really good wine. This new venture, supporting other winemakers, will just continue to build his stature and add to what makes our wine industry exciting.

I have some advice for you. Get on his mailing list (on his site) now. He will start a club as one way to acquire his wines, and you will want to get notice of that and get the best stuff when he releases it. Given the punch some of those reds I tasted are packing, they will sell fast – Jake already has a good following that is ready for the next big red from him.

All in all, today I really got to dive into the 2023 vintage and I’m here to tell you that the hype is all true. These are some grapes that will make wine that will rock us. The signs are all pointing to wine that matches and exceeds the incredible wines of 2017. I really love getting the chance to talk to growers and makers that want to walk you through their thinking and decision-making and vision. Jake has quite a story to tell about Virginia Wine grown and made in the Monticello AVA, and I can’t wait to see the next chapter!