Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 6, 2011 - 3

I was 32 years old at the time and had yet to pause and think about my role
in the future of Jordan Vineyard & Winery. The wine industry had already begun
its transformation. I decided it was time for me to embrace those changes and
lead the winery into its next phase. And so, I accepted my father’s challenge.
While I remained fully committed to preserving the legacy my parents and
Winemaker Rob Davis have created—crafting elegant wines that complement
the table—I accepted the fact that wine lovers have a lot more choices now
than they did back in the 1980s. Adapting to the global marketplace through
innovations in winemaking quality and culinary expertise was essential to
continuing my parents’ vision in a new era.
I’ve spent the last five years renewing Jordan’s commitment to making wines
of the highest quality, and to ensuring the facilities are more environmentally
responsible, the vineyards more sustainable, the farming more precise, sales
management more strategic, the visitor experience more intimate and the
storytelling more engaging. My philosophy is that I work for my employees
—and I give them the tools they need to excel at their respective crafts.
We pursue perfection, but we have a lot fun in the process.
In this issue of Estate Tales, you’ll learn more about the exciting projects our
staff has undertaken in the last few years that are finally coming to fruition.
Jordan Winemaker Rob Davis is a remarkable man who has shown incredible
integrity in his role here for 35 years. In this issue, he reflects on those 35 years
and how he’s managed to continually strive for greater wine quality while
satisfying his insatiable desire to learn and pass on that knowledge.
Executive Chef Todd Knoll discusses his journey to understand the art of
wood-fired cooking, thanks to the installation of our latest culinary showpiece,
a Mugnaini oven. He includes a recipe for one of his favorite foods to cook in
the oven.
Jordan Estate Rewards is about to enter its third year, and we’re humbled by
the warm reception the program has received. Be sure to check out our new
reward redemptions highlighted in this issue.
Our viticulture team shares new discoveries from our precision farming
program, launched in 2008. You’ll also find news about our weekly video
blog, produced in-house by our communications team. With it we have the
opportunity to share aspects of our daily work that might be useful to you at
home, from composting to decanting.
Our Facilities Director, Tim Spence, offers a five-year perspective of Jordan’s
sustainable efforts. In doing so he reveals the results from our industry-leading
efforts in energy efficiency and shares some exciting news about what’s next.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Estate Tales. Next time, we’ll
ask Bismarck, our friendly Miniature Pinscher-Labrador Retriever,
to give you a glance at life here from the ground up. As you may recall,
Bismarck was rescued from a dog-fighting ring in late 2008 and came to
live with me late that year. Like me, he has truly embraced winery life.
I hope you’ll stop in soon to see us both.
Cheers,

John Jordan
Chief Executive Officer
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 6, 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 6, 2011
