‘You step into the sacred Colo River and you step into the Dreamtime’
Dr Haydn Washington, Sacred Wollemi, Australian Geographic April 2014
Friends of JoJo’s Jetty
This year is the 50th anniversary of our Ferris family’s riverfront property purchase in the exquisite Colo River Valley. In recent years our low yield and high quality boutique wines have established a distinctive signature and success ….. our 2016 vintage Semillon gained first position in the Australian National Small Winemakers awards. This wine carries its bright citrus flavours into the classic long palate of a great Semillon. Try it, you will not be disappointed.
The Terroir and Signature of our Colo River Valley Wines
The JoJo’s Jetty vineyards enjoy a northerly aspect in the Colo Valley with bountiful day long sunshine. The alluvial deposited loamy soils provide a unique balance between fertility and moisture holding potential, to produce abundant grape growing conditions. Bud burst usually occurs in the first week of September, six months prior to the harvest season of February and March. During the warmest and driest part of the growing season we use supplementary irrigation, sourced from the fresh waters of the Colo Valley River, to ensure that we can always maintain the strength of the vines, no matter what El Nino may from time to time throw at the viticulture.
Our Heritage
The 60 acre freehold property has been in the Ferris Family for 54 years. The estate vineyards, nestled on the banks of the pristine Colo River, grow Merlot, Shiraz and Semillon grapes.
We are a boutique operation, in a good year bottling up to 8,000 bottles. All of our JoJo’s Jetty wines benefit from an overarching discipline, that only the very best and healthiest grapes are picked – all carefully hand-picked by the owner’s family and friends. If we have a disappointing vintage year we don’t make wine. Our commitment is to only bottle what we ourselves enjoy and what we can be proud to make available to others.
Life is too short to bother with less!
Our Style
The style of our reds is not that of the traditional big and chewy, long cellaring Aussie Shiraz. Our style is driven by the particular river valley terroir of the Colo and the surrounding environment. It is an elegant and medium bodied style, exhibiting the red fruits of Springtime.
Our Merlot grapes are normally ready for harvest after the Semillon and before the Shiraz. Again, our style is quietly elegant and focused on emphasising the special fruit characteristics of our vineyard.
The signature fresh citrus of the Colo Semillon leads with a soft and full entry to the palate. We also access some of the finest Sauvignon Blanc from the high altitude and cool climate region of NSW. This enables us to offer our special JoJo’s Jetty SemSauvBlanc blend, retaining the fresh citrus of the Colo Semillon, complemented by abundant melon and pear characters unique to Sauvignon Blanc.
P-J Charteris, Consultant Winemaker
In 30 years involvement with the wine industry, one would think most questions would have been answered, but with grape-growing and winemaking there is always another challenge.
And most importantly there is always the quest for that special piece of dirt that yields something unique that speaks of place.
This search has led P-J across many of New Zealand and Australia’s finest grape-growing regions and around the planet. From California and Oregon, to the Rhone Valley of France, from Burgundy to Barolo and lots in between.
P-J now splits his time between the Hunter Valley in Australia and Central Otago in New Zealand where he makes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling under his own label, Charteris Wines.
When not immersed in wine and vineyards, P-J spends time judging wine shows across Australia and is currently the Chairman of Judges at capital city, state and regional level for several wine shows.
In 2010, we were delighted to welcome P-J as the consultant winemaker for JoJo’s Jetty. P-J continues to bring his passion and skills, his art and his science, to create our wonderful wines from the Colo Valley.
Shiraz |
Bright, dense, purple colour. Plum and ripe blackberry fruit dominate the aroma with leafy spice and liquorice complexity and depth. The wine displays a soft and silky, medium bodied palate with gentle tannins and soft acidity. Floral and berry fruit characters drive flavour, length, and persistence. Recommend 3 to 5 years cellaring. Food – Why not enjoy with lamb cutlets, sumac and yoghurt, lots of them. |
Rosé |
As vibrant yet relaxing as any great Rose should be……just chill!” |
Merlot |
Intense dark berry and plummy fruit aromas with leafy, herbal notes adding depth to the nose. Juicy, dark cherry and blackberry flavours fill the mouth. Bright acidity and intense primary fruit characters dominate the entry and mid palate. Light and breezy finish. Food – Tapas a great companion. |
Sem/Savblanc |
Bright, pale green with a yellow hue, this is a blend of Semillon from the Colo River Valley and Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Orange, NSW. Subtle ripe apple fruit aromatics with a hint of tropical fruit lift. Some underlying green melons and herbaceous characters carry from the nose to the palate. Gentle tropical fruit glides across the mouth with mid-palate texture giving weight and structure. Food – Tempura prawns. |
Semillon |
Delicate lemon and granny-smith apple aromas fill the nose. Subtle melon and citrus blossom characters with underlying floral hints add aromatic dimension. Crunchy green and red apple flavours dominate the entry with lemony, citrus characters across the mid palate. Fine acid length and supple texture give this wine length and persistence with a clean and lively finish. Food – Grilled fresh Whiting fillets with Aoli and heaps of lemon. |
Where to Enjoy JoJo’s Jetty
When dining out, you can enjoy JoJo’s Jetty at:
Jojo’s Jetty vineyard is situated on the beautiful fresh water Colo River in the Hawkesbury region, north west of Sydney.
