Eric K. James Vineyards

Jim Walker, a UC Davis trained viticulturist, and Eric K. Glunt, partner and academic, decided to use their divergent experience to grow the finest premium grapes in a limited quantity and make a great wine–the Eric K. James wine.

In 2004, Eric and Jim (with the help of their winemaker friend, Chris Demetre) created their own wine label: “Eric K. James Vineyards”. These limited production wines are the result of the best viticultural practices--it is the grapes that make our wine great just as much as the winemaker’s craft .

The home vineyard is located 7 miles south of the Sonoma town square just off of SH 121. Our vineyard is in both the Carneros and Sonoma Valley appellations (as well as Sonoma County and the North Coast). We own and farm 3 acres of Chardonnay, 4 acres of Syrah, and 13 acres of Pinot Noir. We both sell our fruit to other wineries and make our own wines.

The location of our vineyards is perfect for growing premium grapes. We have cold mornings with fog in the summer. It allows us to keep a very good acidity and at the same time to have a great phenolic maturity. Our hillside exposure lets our vines get sunlight all day.

Our key difference is to be in a great “terroir” and to focus on the viticulture. This means that we do not hesitate to drop a lot of grapes in order to have the best quality.

Our current releases include:

2005 Fieldsa Sonoma Valley Syrah
2006 EKJ North Coast Pinot Noir
2006 EKJ “Cabi Vineyard” Syrah
2006 EKJ “Frank Vineyard” Syrah
2007 EKJ Carneros Pinot Noir
2008 Fieldsa Dessert Syrah (375ml)
2009 EKJ Carneros Chardonnay
2009 EKJ Syrah Rose’
2009 Fieldsa Syrah Rose’

Library Selections

-2004 EKJ Syrah
2004 EKJ Bordeaux Blend 
2004 Fieldsa Syrah
-2005 EKJ Syrah
2005 EKJ “Daniela Block” Pinot Noir