Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 19

(Clockwise from top left):The Colbert barrel crest; a row of Colbert barrels in
the Jordan barrel room; and 2011 vintage lot samples from different Cabernet
Sauvignon and Merlot grower vineyards before blending.

Since the 2006 vintage, when our first fruit-sourcing
enhancements occurred, the fruit expression and
concentration in our wines has increased. Once those wines
made their way into the blind tasting exercises for barrel
selection, the winemaking team began choosing French oak
barrels increasingly as our preference for Jordan élevage.
Why? The fruit demands it. French oak is superior in its
ability to frame and better showcase the higher fruit quality.
Over time, Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley has
gradually gone from a 50-50 combination of American and
French oak aging to nearly 85% French oak with the 2013
vintage. We also continue to fine-tune which barrel makers,
or coopers, are performing to our standards and which
toast levels and grains help us achieve our house style. The
aroma and structural contributions that a wine may take on
during oak aging are numerous. Which contributions the
barrel imparts to the wine largely depend on a multitude of
factors, such as the source of the oak trees, species, tightness
of grain, age of the tree, length of seasoning period, toasting
level during barrel production, and whether the barrel is
being used for the first, second or third time. Tempering
the amount of new oak-usually less than 50% total-also
remains key to harnessing the balance between fruit and oak
in both Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Elevating our barrel program isn't simply about using more
French oak. It's about which French oak forests our barrels
come from as well. Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon barrels
are now primarily sourced from a coveted section of the
Tronçais forest in central France where the oak trees are
renowned for their extremely tight grain and understated
aromatics. Named after Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a minister
of Louis XIV responsible for the forest's original plantings,
these barrels command the highest price and are prized by
winemakers around the globe for their unparalleled ability
to seamlessly add depth to a wine without interfering with
the fruit expression. Colbert barrels frequently rank highest
in our blind tasting sessions; they possess great consistency
from year to year and their flavors integrate well with our
fruit. Oddly enough, the most expensive wine barrels impart
the least amount flavor. The charm is in their subtleties.

Beyond the barrel
Each growing season, I'm faced with the challenge of preserving
the original vision of balanced, food-friendly wines, while letting
the thumbprint of each vintage shine through in the wine. It is a
task much easier said than done, and it is a delicate dance between
artistic freedom and necessity of restraint. With every vintage
expressing a unique personality, like children, the élevage of each
must be specifically tailored in order for its potential greatness to be
fully achieved. It is the subtle supporting contributions from barrel
aging in the sleepy depths of the winery's cellar that are responsible
for this intensely supervised upbringing of our young wines.
Although the differences are vast, from a winemaker's perspective,
the most important thing is that the barrels of a specific type from
a single producer remain consistent from year to year. With the
unique grape chemistry of each vintage due to varying climatic
conditions during the growing season, the barrels are one thing we
winemakers expect to bring some control and consistency to the
resulting wine.
As the 2014 growing season begins, I am reminded of John Jordan's
desire to continue getting better each vintage. That challenge
is exactly what inspires our winemaking team. We are already
working on the next one.

19
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014
