J. BRIX

Altitude + Soil | Varies according to the vineyards they work with, see individual wines for details

Approach | Natural, unfiltered, native yeast, no or low added sulphites

Husband and wife Emily Towe and Jody Brix Towe began their journey into professional winemaking almost by accident. It was 2009 and they had come to the end of volunteering in vineyards and cellars in Santa Barbara and they thought it might be fun to put their newly acquired skills to the test. Three barrels in their residential garage later, and they were hooked. Flash forward to 2021 and it’s still just the two of them (with a bit help from their kids) but their little garage is now a warehouse (that they share with other ‘garagiste’ winemakers) and their label J. Brix has grown from 75 cases into over 3,000 cases across more than 14 different wines.

Pet-nats, skin-contact whites, a San Diego rose, light and chillable reds, carbonic reds, heavy and snuggable reds – there’s not a whole lot that Emily and Jody won’t try their hands at, guided always first and foremost by the vines, where they come from and what they feel they want to say. “From the site to the soil to the growing season, our wines, if we're doing our work correctly, will speak in their own voices,” say Emily and Jody. “We adore the variety California has to offer, which means we find ourselves compelled to make tiny quantities of as many different wines as we can and, we try to add a new grape or style each harvest. Our fruit comes from a number of vastly different, soul-stirring vineyards all over the state. We use neutral vessels, native-yeast fermentation, and absolutely nothing else, with the exception of sulfur dioxide as necessary. In keeping with this minimalist approach, we choose not to fine, filter or cold-stabilise our wines. Our motto, in winemaking and life: ONLY LOVE.”

Their combined backgrounds in horticulture (Jody) and creative writing (Emily) make for the perfect winemaking duo: not just in producing delicious juice but communicating the story of each wine, too. They currently work with 16 grape varieties from vineyards spread throughout the Central Coast (where they learned to make wine); San Diego County (where they live); and the Sierra Foothills (owned and farmed by their dear friend and mentor).

Over the years, they’ve won the hearts of sommeliers, journalists and consumers across the USA for their fun, fresh, stripped back take on classic Californian varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as their more unusual wines like a San Diego Counoise and a Riesling Pet-Nat that was ranked No. 1 by The New York Times. Known for their unpretentious, curious, adventurous energy – captured in every one of their bottles – Emily and Jody’s respect for the land they belong to is inspiring and their vision for the future of winemaking in California (particularly in San Diego, an emerging region) is tremendously exciting.