Justin Neufeld, 43, has had his hands in many award-winning wine projects over the last decade and a half as the head winemaker for Gilbert Cellars. Since 2007, Justin has produced innumerable cases of wine for Gilbert Cellars and custom-label wines for various wineries throughout the region.
After 16 years of making their own wine on the side, Justin and his wife, Brooke, decided it was time to focus exclusively on their own brand, JB Neufeld. The Neufelds have slowly built an amazing brand as a husband-wife team, starting back in 2010 when Brooke was on maternity leave. She and her mom would load baby Max into the car along with cases of the newly released wine and drive it to Seattle. They visited small restaurants and wine shops to introduce this new label to the Seattle wine trade. The wine quality created an instant demand and Brooke’s effervescent and kind personality created lifelong friends.
The wines at that time were all cabernet sauvignon. Justin had chosen to focus exclusively on cabernet sauvignon specifically from the Yakima Valley. He knew that all vineyards were not created equal and that he was lucky enough to work with some of the best cabernet sauvignon growing sites in the state.
“Fruit sources are everything. All our cabernet fruit comes from the Yakima Valley AVA, with each site being completely unique,” says Justin.
Production has increased from 250 cases in 2008 to 3,500 in 2022, and Brooke is still instrumental in selling, promoting and branding JB Neufeld. Today, the Neufelds are producing seven different wines: four cabernet sauvignons, one syrah, a cabernet-merlot blend and one sauvignon blanc.
If you haven’t tried the wine, you should. Each JB Neufeld cab was recently awarded 90+ points by a prestigious national wine critic. The Two Blondes Cabernet Sauvignon was given 91 points, the Cabernet Sauvignon Yakima Valley earned 92 points, and the 2019 JB Neufeld Ciel Du Cheval Cabernet and the 2018 Red Willow Old Goat earned 93 points each.
One of JB Neufeld’s wine distributors referenced positive wine scores as is an indicator that the wine is not a “risk” for the customer to try for the first time. It also indicates that the wine is balanced and very well made, at the bare minimum. That pretty much sums up Justin’s wines.
With so much focus on single-vineyard wines, Justin’s entire wine program revolves around terroir — a vital aspect to building world-class wine.
“People say, ‘Why Yakima?’ The reality is, this is such a special place with so many of options for a winemaker. Microclimates ranging from colder-than-Champagne to warmer-than-Bordeaux, and lots of different soils. The Yakima Valley is sophisticated and authentic with excellent vineyard sites showcasing specific characteristics,” says Justin.
All along, Justin has held on to his belief that with the right vineyard, diverse farming and precise techniques will always extract the deepest expression of a wine. Neufeld believed that if he opened a winery to reflect everything he’d learned about Yakima Valley winemaking, it would be good. And it is most definitely good.
It goes without saying that the growth in the brand has been constant. To meet the demand, Justin and Brooke recently moved into their own space at 2980 Gilbert Road in Zillah, directly across the parking lot from Dineen Vineyards. Guests are welcome for tasting by appointment only. For more information on scheduling a tasting or making a purchase, visit jbneufeld.com.
• Barbara Glover is executive director of Wine Yakima Valley, an industry group representing member wineries. Her column runs every other week in Friday’s Explore.
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October 07, 2022 at 05:00PM
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Wine Scene: One of Yakima Valley’s hottest winemakers has landed a place of his own - Yakima Herald-Republic
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