PlumpJack Winery reflects on settling into their Oakville estate and the most significant milestones since debuting their first wine in 1995.

It’s been 30 years since PlumpJack Winery produced its first vintage of Oakville Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, and according to General Manager John Conover, “It went by in a blink.” Though much has changed with respect to farming practices, winemaking, and technology, Conover explained that the core fundamentals of growing, making, and enjoying wine from this land haven’t changed.

One of the most significant evolutions is how streamlined PlumpJack’s portfolio has become. “We made so many varietals in the early days,” said Conover. “Over the first few years, we focused intently on narrowing our wines down to the few we believed best showcased the essence of our Oakville estate.”

After exploring their estate’s full potential, Conover discovered the wines in Oakville were more reminiscent of Burgundy than of the Bordeaux appellation regarding diversity. “From structured hillside wines to soft, luscious flavors from the valley floor, the way these vineyards differentiate themselves is remarkable,” shared Conover. Yet, one of the bestsellers is the Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon — an expressive wine that consistently showcases flavors of black and red fruit with firm tannins that are approachable upon release.

“This was apparent from the first vintage of the 1995 PlumpJack Estate and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons, but since head winemaker, Aaron Miller’s arrival in August 2012, he has done a tremendous amount of work in the vineyards to nurture out the very best our terroir has to offer.”

Another milestone in the PlumpJack timeline was its shift to screw tops — a personal undertaking of Conover’s, who explained that as not only vintners but restaurateurs, retailers and consumers, PlumpJack discovered a large number of wines, globally, were being affected by cork taint (TCA). His team began a journey to address the issue through the exploration of alternative closures and felt the screw cap closure had the most promise for eliminating TCA.

Conover admitted the change posed potential risks. He explained that screw caps were embraced by winemakers but despised by wine marketers, so they partnered with UC Davis to do an independent study on screw cap closures versus cork-finished closures beginning with the 1997 vintage—and it continues today. To mitigate the perceived stigma, PlumpJack launched a “grand experiment” with its customers. The winery offered wines in two-packs: one cork-finished bottle and one with a screw cap-finish, or six-packs with three of each.

“We leaned in even further by doing this with not our least expensive wines, but our most expensive: the PlumpJack Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon,” said Conover. The experiment worked, and as the first to take the risk, Conover feels PlumpJack is in a prime position 30 years later.

In the midst of their 30th anniversary celebration, PlumpJack encourages guests to swing by and let the wines speak for themselves; whether tasting through the winery’s current releases on their verdant patio, exploring their library selections as part of their collector’s tasting or simply dropping in — no reservations required — for a casual offering where guests can choose their own adventure with one of their bottles.

For more information www.plumpjackwinery.com