2018 New Releases
The latest vintages of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Jordan Winery.
2016 Jordan Chardonnay
A rare expression of California Chardonnay that excites the senses with its bright aromas and flavors.
Like an elegant Chablis, the 2016 Jordan Chardonnay is vibrant and precise. The beguiling aroma of citrus blossoms leads to succulent flavors of Meyer lemon, Asian pear and kumquat with a beautiful weight and roundness—all supported by a crisp backbone of acidity. Its lingering, citrus-laced finish invites you to take another sip.
2016 enjoyed a rare but pleasant departure from the usual Mediterranean climate. Spring was simply an extension of winter’s moderate weather patterns. Bud break and bloom occurred under normal conditions in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, and though grape cluster sizes were slightly lower than most years, berry counts were nearly perfect. Cool, foggy mornings throughout summer kept air moisture levels high, so detailed work was needed to protect the growing fruit before the heat arrived, bringing an early harvest. Like its predecessor, the 2016 Jordan Chardonnay will be remembered as very Chablis-like upon release.
Chardonnay bud break was uniform in 2016 with most of the grapevine leaves bursting at the same time.
Spring frost was not a factor in 2016, which ensured all of the buds had an opportunity to flower and become grapes.
Despite some rainy days and a little wind, Chardonnay grapevines pollinated well during the flowering phase, yielding an average-sized crop.
Chardonnay grapes were thinned during the unseasonably cool, foggy summer to bring the grapevines into balance in anticipation of harvest.
Heat spikes in the end of August and early September pushed the delicate-skinned grapes toward full ripeness.
All Chardonnay grapes were hand-picked in the coldest hours of the night to retain their natural acidity and pure fruit flavors and aromas.
The wine was fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel tanks and new French oak barrels.
Sur-lie aging and bâtonnage were limited to six weeks to add creaminess to the mid-palate and while still preserving the fresh fruit so classic of cool-climate vintages like 2016.
Jordan sources only the top 0.3% quality wine corks from Portugal, the world’s leading producer of wine corks. The winery and its supplier hand-sort and select only the best 20% of quality corks from the original sample, declassifying those corks that may have imperfections.
A state-of-the-art bottling line ensures that each bottle of Jordan Chardonnay will be full of life with bright, primary fruit character in its youth and will age gracefully.
2014 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon
The third in a string of simply incredible vintages, 2014 is opulent yet elegant—a true reflection of our decision to use more French oak, which beautifully refines and lengthens the finish of the wine.
The 2014 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon exudes layers of stunning blackberry, black cherry and cassis fruit. The palate has a velvety richness that coats the mouth with concentrated blackberries and cassis, laced with fine tannins from aging in new French oak barrels. Hints of chocolate, violets and dark fruits linger in the long finish.
In what seems to have become a trend in the past few years, 2014 was defined by another early growing season. After a moderate winter, the buds burst early and grew rapidly in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley. Relatively warm, dry days prevailed in spring with only one cold spell, allowing the vineyards to bloom perfectly and set a beautiful, balanced crop. Extremely dry weather with very few heat spikes allowed the grapes to develop intense, dark fruit aromas and flavors. A vintage of great promise for collectors.
The third in a string of drought years, 2014 enjoyed moderate winter temperatures, which led to an early bud break in mid-March. The warm weather continued through spring, so young buds were never threatened by frost.
A warm, relatively dry spring through April and May meant swift flowering, hindered by only a few days of wet weather and a cold snap. Fortunately, the sunny days returned quickly and to what Winemaker Rob Davis called, “the most even flowering and fruit set I’ve seen in my career.”
Warm days followed during veraison in July as the red wine grapes began to change color. Veraison was uniform and little thinning was required.
Extremely dry weather without many heat spikes continued throughout July and August, allowing the even, well-balanced crop to develop intense fruit flavors and aromas.
Due to the warm summer, Merlot grapes were ready to be harvested by early September. It was the first time in 10 years that red grapes were picked before white at Jordan.
The weeks that followed were fast and furious for the 2014 harvest, as our cellar team juggled the challenge of limited tank space and grapes that were ready to be picked. Vineyard blocks were kept separate during primary fermentation with more than two weeks of extended skin contact.
Malolactic fermentation occurred in our upright oak tanks before a barrel blend was created and transferred to small oak barrels.
The 2014 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for a year in 94% French oak barrels—the highest percentage in Jordan Winery history. Nearly 50% of those barrels were new French oak. The inaugural vintage of 1976 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 50% French and 50% American oak.
Jordan sources only the top 0.3% quality wine corks from Portugal, the world’s leading producer of wine corks made from cork tree bark. A single Jordan wine cork costs an average of $1.10—three times the industry average of about 35 cents.
A state-of-the-art bottling line ensures that each bottle of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon will fully express its dark fruit flavors and aromas in its youth, and will age gracefully in bottle, developing more complexity over the decades.
2012 Jordan Cabernet 1.5L
A special vintage that lends itself to the long, graceful aging that only a large-format bottle can provide.
Experience the ultimate Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon in magnum format, our winemaker’s favorite size of wine bottle. The 2012 Jordan’s silky palate is plush yet poised, boasting a beautiful balance of black fruits and fine tannin structure, with a seductive texture and depth of flavor far beyond the 750mL bottle. Its finish is lively, lingering and laced with a sweetness of black cherry and blackberry.
Winemaker Rob Davis wanted to bottle the entire 2012 vintage in magnum. It was truly a phenomenal growing season—every winemaker’s dream. Spring temperatures in Alexander Valley were cool but not too cold with minimal rain and no frost during bud break. After a long, gorgeous summer, the harvest was fast and furious, with white and red grapes ripening at the same time. The biggest surprise was how stunning this bountiful crop tasted in the tanks—an elegant, yet concentrated wine that has the potential to age for decades.
Spring temperatures were cool but not too cold with minimal rain and no frost during bud break.
A two-week run of warm weather occurred in May during bloom, leading to near-perfect fertilization and thus a copious crop.
Summer temperatures were ideal: very moderate with sunny days and few heat spikes.
The copious quantity of clusters on the grapevines was concerning at first, but the fruit tasted balanced and concentrated, so we allowed the plants to continue their natural course.
After a long, gorgeous summer, the harvest was fast and furious, with white and red grapes ripening at the same time.
The biggest surprise was how absolutely stunning this bountiful crop tasted in the tanks; it was our highest-quality, highest-yielding vintage to date.
After malolactic fermentation in upright oak tanks, vineyard lots were retasted to create a barrel blend, and the wines were so good that no declassification of lots was required in 2012.
The wine was aged in a combination of new and used French and American oak barrels for one year with French oak comprising 73% of the new oak.
Using a two-part quality assurance procedure, the winemaking team manually tested and analyzed laboratory samples of wine corks before bottling to ensure one of the lowest probabilities of cork taint in the California wine industry.
The 2012 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon magnums were filled in 2014 using the latest bottling technology and aged for four years, allowing the wine to gain remarkable depth and complexity of aromas and flavors before release.