Jaine is a captivating new brand from Matthews Winery devoted exclusively to handcrafted white, sparkling and Rosé wines. The official tasting room, affectionately called Jaine Cottage, brings a breath of fresh air to the center of the Hollywood District in Woodinville, where the vibe feels more like a comfortable setting at a dear friend’s vacation house than a typical tasting room.
Versatile and food-friendly, there is a structural brilliance behind the wines, streaked with a sense of purity that keeps them crisp and refreshing on the palate. But there’s a deep sense of family pride between the founders and the resulting wines.
“Jaine was really born out of celebration, with the spirit of my grandmother, Mary Jane Powell, at the heart of it,” says proprietor Bryan Otis. “She was always one to host family and friends for dinner, and at the same time, was a cowgirl who could adventure around Friday Harbor and Othello with my grandfather Jack.”
When he was younger, Bryan worked as a sommelier on pairing wines with delicate seafoods, salads, and chicken dishes. “That really impacted how we approach the vineyards and winemaking styles of Jaine,” he explains.
“Great white wines start in the vineyard. Selecting the right site, and the right style to showcase the site, is where the great white wines of the world separate themselves,” Bryan points out. Working closely with select grower sites like Lawrence Vineyards, Conner-Lee and Boushey, he says every step of the winemaking process is carefully handled, from when the harvest picking starts, to the delicate way the grapes are handled inside the winery, to the careful fermentation inside either concrete, oak, or stainless steel.
“Almost all wineries that produce white wines also produce red wines, so sometimes the whites get a little lost. We wanted Jaine to celebrate whites year round,” Bryan concludes.
Visit the website or phone ahead to reserve a table.
Visit & Taste: Located at 14421 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE in Woodinville. Open Thur-Sun, you can contact the winery at (425) 949-2277 or visit online at www.jaine.co.
Below are three releases we recently reviewed:
Jaine 2019 Sauvignon Blanc
92 pts.
This single-vineyard white from Bacchus Vineyard is assertive, bursting with steely acidity and expressive, zingy flavors of Key lime zest, gooseberry, grapefruit and lemon thyme. Mineral notes stay on point through the succulent finish. $24
Jaine 2019 Chardonnay
90 pts.
Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, this Chablis-style white wine was made with fruit from the acclaimed Conner Lee Vineyard. Crisply balanced, flowing with vibrant expressions of lemon, white nectarine, apple blossom and limestone minerality with hints of spice. $24
Jaine 2019 Rosé
91 pts.
Sleek and graceful, with balanced acidity that showcases well-framed flavors of red berry, watermelon and dried cherry notes. Inflections of savory herbs and stony minerality carry with classic elegance through the finish. Sourced from Grenache grown in Thunderstone Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA. $24