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About

Our story starts in the vineyard—evolving from a dream, hard work and dedication. Here is a timeline of our adventure and click here to watch a short video.

Past

John Anthony Truchard is a second-generation grapegrower with a next-generation approach. John grew up in the vine rows of his parents’ property Truchard Vineyards–now one of the largest vineyard estates in the Carneros region.

John’s education in the vines st arted with his father Tony Truchard and renowned wine pioneers Dan Duckhorn, Mike Grgich, Joe Heitz, Larry Hyde, Herb Lamb, Andre Tchelistcheff, Larry Turley and John Williams.

John loved the teaching and advice from his father and community of renowned Napa Valley pioneers. However, he knew early on that he wanted to chart his own course into the future of the wine business.

While at UC Davis in the 90’s, John decided to devote his life to wine. He knew this would take time and
money and, at 23 years old, John had a lot of time, but no money. Employing the skills he’d learned, John started a vineyard management business. With funds earned from growing grapes for others, he eventually began planting his own vineyards. Instead of investing in land and winery infrastructure the way his parents had, John devoted himself to a new paradigm—leveraging vineyard management relationships to develop long-term leases.

 

Present

FARM Napa Valley wines express John’s philosophy that “great wines are grown in the farmer ’s shadow”, a viewpoint reflected even on the label.

John’s experience tending some of wine country’s most prestigious vineyards allowed him to select prime locations to grow Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhône grape varieties best suited to the terroir. John’s meticulously-tended vineyard sites provide the fruit for John Anthony Vineyards — elegant, place-driven wines that celebrate the unique character of each grape and location.

The collection includes John Anthony Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines for distribution, as well as ultra small-batch Sauvignon Blanc from Church Vineyard in Carneros, Syrah and Cabernet from the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, Merlot from Crane Vineyard, and a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Building on the accolades for John Anthony Vineyards, John then began making classic Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from some of his farming clients’ best vineyard blocks. He called the new label FARM Napa Valley. These modestly-priced, Napa Valley wines are a testament to the farmer’s unsung role in crafting great wines.

Future

JaM Cellars is short for John and Michele. These easy-to-love, everyday wines live up to their names , and over-deliver in both quality and value.

In 2008, amid the downturn, John started working with Napa Valley Winemaker Rob Lloyd, resolving to find a way to make great wines accessible to more people. The result was a luscious, fruit-forward California Cabernet named JaM. The rich quality and price point of JaM Cabernet prompted John’s creation of a creamy Chardonnay called Butter, with Toast Brut Sparkling following quickly thereafter.

Today, Butter Chardonnay is one of the fastest-growing Chardonnays in the United States. Consumer demand has doubled every year and key markets show triple-digit growth in ACV, which places Butter as the nation’s #2 selling Chardonnay in the $15-$20 price segment. More than 800,000 cases are planned for the 2016 vintage.

 

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