Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 15

(Clockwise from top left):The flowing Russian River with Alexander
Valley prune trees blooming in the distance; historic downtown
Geyserville; Bosworth & Son general store in downtown Geyserville
today; Catelli's family restaurant remains popular; and Alexander
Valley region welcome sign near the Jordan Estate entrance.

That process included a bit of an education.
"When we heard of the Alexander Valley, we had to locate
it on a map," Mrs. Jordan said. "We knew Napa. It was
beautiful with excellent soil, but also already developed and
growing rapidly. Alexander Valley, in contrast, was picturesque,
agriculturally rural and so charmingly approachable. The
surrounding mountains looked as if they were hugging the small
valley. Its golden hills were dotted with oak trees, which from
afar, looked like broccoli."
The Jordans fell in love with the area immediately. They dined
at Catelli's. They toured the Healdsburg town square. The
more they saw, the more they liked. And after a few visits to the
area, the Jordans found the parcels they wanted: a patchwork
of prune orchards and fields along the west side of the mighty
Russian River on the Alexander Valley floor. Once papers were
signed, replanting quickly began.
While their baby grapevines were taking root and their son,
John, was just two years old, the Jordans contemplated their
next step in the wine business.
"We decided we didn't just want to grow grapes," Mrs. Jordan
said. "We wanted to have a winery." In 1974, the young couple
stood in the middle of their fledgling vineyard and looked
around them. "We spotted this magnificent hill where Jordan
Winery sits today."
At the time, this 1,200-acre property belonged to a family from
San Francisco who used it as their private fishing ranch. The
Jordans tracked down the owners and convinced them to swap
the land for an even bigger private fishing ranch in Oregon.
Then they let the other "residents" guide them.
"French tradition was to put the chateau on the highest spot,
but we didn't necessarily want to do that," Mrs. Jordan
reminisced. "We spent weeks walking the land, following game
trails here and there. We found a large knoll surrounded by
clusters of oak trees that still shelter the winery today. The
grasses were matted down under one towering oak where the
deer rested on their journey to the highest hills. That's where we
set out to build, leaving the higher ground for the wildlife."

The Jordans themselves never had any intention of planting
vines on the property where the winery was built; for more
than 20 years, they actually kept Jordan Estate wild and only
cultivated grapes on the valley floor. Then, in 1996, after the
phylloxera root louse infected most of the vines, the Jordans
were forced to rethink their focus on valley floor fruit, and
planted the first parcels of grapes in the hills behind Jordan
Winery.
Today, only 112 acres on the estate are planted to grapes.
Except for 18 acres of olive trees, a small parcel for cattle
grazing and the chef's garden, the bulk of the vast Jordan Estate
remains nearly as wild as it was when Tom and Sally Jordan first
laid eyes on it.
"Even after 40 years, I still never take this beautiful land for
granted," Mrs. Jordan said.
15



Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014

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

Contents
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 1
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 2
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - Contents
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 4
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 5
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 6
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 7
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 8
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 9
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 10
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 11
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 12
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 13
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 14
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 15
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 16
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 17
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 18
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 19
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 20
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 21
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 22
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 23
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 24
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 25
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 26
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 27
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 28
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 29
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 30
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 31
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 32
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 33
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 34
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 35
Jordan Estate Tales - Volume 9, 2014 - 36
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