Winemaking
At Jordan, our wines develop their unique style and personality through the cultivation of varietal character from grapes perfectly matched to the site they like best.
Every winemaking decision, from harvest to aging, enhances this distinctive expression.
During harvest, the vineyard crews hand pick in the coolness of the night while grape skins are firm. Just a few hours later, the grapes are gently removed from their stems in the crusher/de-stemmer. The discarded stems are used as compost in our vineyards.
CHARDONNAY
After a maximum of one hour of skin contact, pneumatic presses extract the juice from the grapes. Cool fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks further enhances the natural Chardonnay aromas and flavors. Following primary fermentation, the Chardonnay undergoes a partial malolactic fermentation in oak casks to soften the natural acidity and enrich the wine.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Grapes for Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot), harvested primarily from vineyards in the Alexander Valley (including our own Estate vineyards), ferment slowly in stainless steel holding tanks before pressing, acquiring the necessary extracts, colors and tannins from the skins. After malolactic fermentation in oak casks, the Cabernet Sauvignon blend is finalized. The wine resides for three months in our 6,000 gallon oak tanks, originally constructed in 1976, followed by an additional 12 months of aging in oak barrels. Reassembled as a blend, the wines are “fined” with egg whites and allowed to settle for 30 days in our oak tanks, then racked in preparation for bottling. To ensure optimal enjoyment upon release, Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon is aged and released a year later than most California Cabernets.
Current trends in winemaking focus less on varietal intensity and more on texture due to higher degrees of tannin, alcohol and oak. As much as we may be tempted to increase the sheer power and muscularity of our Cabernet, we believe more strongly in the timeless qualities of balance, elegance and finesse. Our wines are defined by intense fruit aromas, complex bouquets and soft backbones of refined tannins that provide a long, lingering finish.
