J. Brix Wines
Central Coast AVA
The Towe's motto in winemaking, "Only Love", captures their promise and dedication
Based in the northern San Diego County city of Escondido, J. Brix Wines is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Jody Brix Towe and Emily Towe. Since 2009, the couple has been crafting extremely limited production wines from vineyards throughout the Central Coast region, plus one vineyard in San Diego. The Towes’ motto in winemaking, “Only Love,” captures their promise and dedication to keeping a minimalist approach with neutral oak barrels, native-yeast fermentations, and using absolutely nothing else - allowing the true character of the fruit and the ‘voice’ of the vineyard to come through in the finished wines.
A bottle of Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir is what initially attracted Jody and Emily to the idea of making wine. They volunteered as harvest interns at the property in 2008 and absolutely fell in love with the hands-on, messy, exhausting, and exhilarating work. It was clear to them that they had to find a way to make their own wine. In 2009, Jody and Emily made their first vintage in the garage, and the rest was history. J. Brix Wines became a reality - named after Jody’s middle name ‘Brix,’ which also happens to be the measure of sugar in wine grapes and a very important measure of ripeness and picking decisions. The first commercial vintage for J. Brix Wines was made in 2010.
So far, the fruit for J. Brix comes from four vastly different vineyards (three on California’s Central Coast, where the Towes learned to make wine, and one in San Diego County, where they live). They continue to be inspired by the variety California has to offer, which means they find themselves compelled to make tiny quantities of as many different wines as possible. Each year, the couple tries to add a new grape or wine style to the J. Brix lineup.
Jody and Emily spend as much time visiting their vineyard properties as possible - which means plenty of drives between San Diego and the Central Coast. When they are away from the vineyards and winery, Jody works as a horticulturist and Emily as a writer and enrollment director at a private school. Their journey in the wine industry thus far has proven to be more thrilling and fulfilling than either could have imagined. We hope you enjoy the selection from this promising newcomer. Cheers!
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