J Maki Winery

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

Couldnt agree more with all these comments! My husband and I live nearby and stopped there several years ago - the woman was in there and we had an "okay" experience. Perhaps this was under the previous owners, now that I have read Bodine49s comment, because it could have well been 4 years ago. Anyway, at the time, she was at least friendly to us, albeit pompous. This past weekend we were on our way back from Pittsburgh and figured we would stop in since it was on our way back home. The view is amazing, but as you pull in, and like Daniel said below, the first sign of rudeness is the sign that says "Private Property: Wine Buyers Only." Like Daniels wife, I got a bad vibe. We shouldve left then!!!! Now when we visited several years ago we remembered they had had a dog in the tasting room. We had our dog in the car with us. Considering we had just drove in from Pittsburgh and considering we had seen a dog IN the tasting room before, and considering we were about to spend money, we figured a little explanation would at least allow us to stand inside with our dog long enough to taste some overpriced wine and decide which one we were going to waste our money on. WRONG! I waited outside with the dog and sent my husband in to try to talk to the owner and see what we were allowed to do. The man was there this time, and he wouldnt even look up at or acknowledge my husband when he walked in because his pompous self was too busy talking to other clients - so I waited out in the car with the dog since it was literally 90 degrees. I left my dog outside and went in for a second to use the restroom - again, I had just spent 5 hours in the car - and the owner literally glared at me the whole time. By the time he finally acknowledged my husband he said no we were absolutely not allowed in the winery with the dog. Dont know if hes just pompous or has social anxiety disorder. He then tells my husband that their dog is only allowed in their because hes their "worker dog" and he chases all the deer away. Okaaaay - so a "worker dog" means it magically doesnt shed in the tasting room??? WTH does that have to do with anything? And let me tell you - I sat outside and pet that dog when it slowly meandered/limped outside and then plopped down on the sidewalk and didnt move . . . that dog is a sweetheart alright, but I cant imagine that dog chasing deer away with any more efficiency than a snail! So they dont tell you the prices of any of the wines that you are tasting, but they DO tell you you have to pay for the tasting if you dont buy anything. Well their wines are so gross Im SURE no one would buy their wines if they didnt have this dumb rule! So my husband tastes some wines, has to CALL ME on my cell phone as Im standing outside because remember Im not allowed back inside now, decides to buy 2 wines hes barely tasted just to get the heck out of that awkward and uncomfortable situation, only to find out at check out that its 80-freaking-dollars. DO NOT GO HERE!!!! We get home that night and he gives me the white to try - I literally almost spit it out it was so gross. We spent the rest of the night drinking a $4.99 bottle of wine that was imported ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN from Australia and was exponentially better than the wine from J. Maki.

CO

Colleen Mills-Finnerty

It probably has to do with the fact that I live in the NYC area where "disgruntled" is a synonym for "charming" but I enjoyed my visit to the winery. Yes, the charge for a tasting is $30 or the purchase of a bottle, the cheapest of which is you guessed it $30. This is pretty much the most expensive Ive seen for a tasting at any of the 20+ vineyards Ive been to, but they do state the policy clearly up front, and you can take it or leave it. I suggest you leave it unless you are really into wine and like people who are what my mother would call "characters." I do, so I stayed. Jim was the one doing the tasting and he struck me as someone who is, yes, a bit of an eccentric control freak about his wine, but also hard working (he said he and his wife have one staffer but otherwise do everything themselves, from the landscaping to the winemaking ,bottle labeling, etc.). He definitely believes in making dry wine that is going to appeal to the type of wine drinker who pairs their wine carefully with food - not as much a casual drinker who wants a simple, fresh, affordable wine. Once we got talking about food pairings (i.e., wine 302) all of a sudden the tasting menu went from like 8 wines to 10 to 12 and the pours kept coming - modest yes but he clearly wanted us to experience and appreciate his product. A few minutes in we were laughing and trading stories of his time living and working in NYC and it was overall a pleasant visit. An expensive pleasant visit but definitely an adventure. It is a shame they dont attempt to make their winery more accessible to those other than the seasoned wine drinker willing to look past the initial gruffness, but it strikes me that they love wine and what they do, but feel that most people dont appreciate or respect it quite to the level they do and take our their frustrations unfairly on their visitors. Its a shame because they seem like passionate people who love their craft but dont have the patience or personality for the hospitality/customer service aspect of the business.

A

A Private User

My 2 friends and I decided to brave this winery despite the poor reviews Id read. For us, it was not an altogether unpleasant experience, but certainly was not the best value for the money. The vineyard itself and the buildings are incredibly beautiful and well maintained. It was disappointing when we inquired and found that we were not allowed to tour or explore anything past the parking lot and shop; the rest of the beautiful grounds are off limits, which is a shame. A wine tasting of 7 wines is free for each person who commits to buying a bottle at the end of it. The cheapest bottles are about $35. One of my friends didnt want to buy a bottle, so he didnt get to taste and waited outside. As it turned out, we got to try more than seven wines. I asked about the merlot, not on the tasting list, and was promptly provided a sample of that. We also got a bonus sample of the rouge champagne. The size of each taste, however, was quite disappointing, just a tiny drizzle in the bottom of the glass. It wasnt really even enough to properly smell or taste the wine to evaluate it. Also, the glass wasnt rinsed between each taste so who knows how that affected the flavors (especially for such a tiny amount of new wine added). Throughout the tasting we conversed with the owner, who commented that nearly every one of their wines was a big deal, or that they were the only winery that made it, or that it had won a big award at some point. Not an unpleasant conversation, and nothing you wouldnt expect from someone trying to promote and sell their product, but certainly a bit on the pompous side. Normally a red-wine drinker, I thought that the whites they offered were more tasty. I found the ice wines in particular to be delicious, and settled on a $45 bottle. In the end, I give 2 stars because the tastes were laughably small, the prices high, and we were not shown any of the rest of the vineyard or given any kind of tour even though we were the only 3 people there.

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