During the first vintages of Jordan Chardonnay, we employed 100% barrel
fermentation, all French oak
ranging from brand new to three years old. Our current cooperage program is 40 percent French oak since 2014 —all new barrels with no carry-over from previous vintages. The resulting fruit is cleaner, more robust with just a suggestion of creaminess from the new barrel. Our first Chardonnay in 1979 incorporated 100% malolactic fermentation. Our latest release, the 2015, is only 19%. The buttery note is more subtle, and the natural acidity is vivid. Our focus is to intensify the fruit and also give beautiful balance on the palate. Too much brass and percussion in the wine, and you can’t hear its violins and woodwinds.
The technology of winemaking is ever changing. The improvements to our bottling line in 2013 illustrate the commitment that John Jordan has made to ensure that every bottle of Jordan wine is the best it can be. Every machine on the line is equipped with a camera that catches any imperfection in the bottling process. Most notable is the patented design of our filler that limits the pickup of oxygen in the filling process to almost zero. This has virtually eliminated bottle shock, and has the same effect as aging six months in bottle.
Winemaking is a combination of art and science. One never stops growing and never stops learning. André Tchelistcheff, at age 92, shared his observation, “My dear sir, I learn something every day!” I always love being at the crush pad at harvest. When the fruit goes into the hopper, for me it’s a celebration of the year’s bounty shared by Mother Nature. The aromas that are released when the fruit touches the hopper is an experience like nothing else in the world.
IN THE WINERY
Chardonnay is a thin-skinned grape that is easy to manipulate once it is pressed. If making a big, buttery style of Chardonnay, the flaws of unbalanced grapes can be hidden by oak, malolactic fermentation and other techniques. But when making a Chardonnay of elegance, the balance of the vine and purity of fruit flavors are critical. What we love about the Chardonnay produced by our vintner friends in Burgundy is the delicious balance and delicate weight of the wines. The fruit is such a wonderful expression of lush green apple and pear with a mineral finish that lingers on the palate. This style of wine can only be made from pristine clusters. The moment the fruit is in, our winemaking team focuses on fruit expression and texture. In particular, we are very sensitive to astringent components that are squeezed from pressing. Press cuts are specifically made with the emphasis to avoid the extraction of bitter and astringent flavors. Press yields can vary greatly because of this; we sacrifice gallons of juice left in the grape to be discarded rather than bring down the intensity of pure fruit.
15
Jordan has been blessed with such wonderful harvests in the past five years. The 2015 Jordan Chardonnay turned out to be simply superb—a crisp, delicious wine with a lingering finish that tastes more French than Californian. We tasted the wine for the first time last November, after six months in bottle. For a moment, I was transported back to 1979, the first time I’d tasted a vibrant, flinty Chablis—the first time I’d traveled to change my ideas about Chardonnay.
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