Like a little caviar or truffle with your vodka? Or perhaps a touch of wine with your gin? Then eccentric vintner and ultra-luxury lover Jean-Charles Boisset has an elixir just for you: JCB Spirits.
Boisset’s recently launched line of spirits comprises three vodkas and a gin, all distilled from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes from the Côte d’Or in Burgundy. The new spirits collection includes not only a classic vodka and botanical gin, but also two uber-fancy vodkas: one infused with French caviar, and another with – wait for it – black Périgord truffles.
“JCB Spirits is the culmination of my dream of many years to create the ultimate elixir,” says Boisset, who has worked with master distillers in Burgundy for 15 years to develop the vodkas and gin.
Boisset is the owner of several luxury wine brands, including three local wineries – Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, DeLoach Vineyards in Santa Rosa, and Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena – as well as the eccentric JCB Lounge in Yountville, which pours still and sparkling French wines from Boisset’s signature JCB brand.
Handpicked, sustainably grown pinot noir and chardonnay grapes are barrel fermented and aged for six months, then distilled five times, in order to create JCB Spirits. The JCB Gin is infused with 44 herbs, spices and biodynamically grown plants, alongside the classic ingredients of juniper, rose, and coriander.
The infused vodkas are meant to be “elegant, but not overpowering.” The truffle vodka has a unique, earthy umami flavor, while the caviar flavor is delicate with a touch of brine. Both aren’t for the faint at heart, everyday happy hour sipper: they retail at $150 a pop (the non-infused vodkas and gin start at $125).
The bottles, in usual Boisset style, are works of art – or over the top. Inspired by Boisset’s collection of antique decanters, they feature diamond cut adornments and look more like glamorous perfume bottles than your regular Tanqueray or Smirnoff. Learn more at jcbcollection.com.
