Jordan Wine Country Table - Vol. 17, 2022 - 5

FROM THE WINEMAKER
Raise a glass to
Mother Nature.
During the 2021 harvest, John
Jordan joined me at the hopper
while we were crushing a gondola
of some of my favorite cabernet
sauvignon grapes. It was a cool, but
sunny September morning, and the
air smelled like fresh blackberries.
He glanced over at me and said,
" You look like you're having fun. "
I laughed and replied, " You're right. I am. " I realized that
it was the first harvest where my job was simply to taste fruit
and pick it when ready. Since I became head winemaker,
my previous two vintages were rather stressful, thanks to
the Kincade Fire in 2019, and two fires that bookended
the pandemic harvest of 2020. It's much easier to enjoy
the work when I get to focus my energy entirely on deciding
when to pick the grapes, which tank we should fill first and
when to stop the presses.
Though I just finished my 16th
harvest at Jordan and my
third as head winemaker, I can honestly say that 2021 was
the first vintage since 2018 where I felt like the main focus
was harvesting beautifully ripened grapes and not worrying
about wildfires. While 2021 was light on size, it's big on
flavor. The entire growing season and harvest were largely
stress-free, as described in my Harvest Report on page 16.
I'm also incredibly excited that John Jordan gave us the
green light to embark on a multi-year chardonnay quality
enhancement program in 2021, similar to the one we did for
Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon beginning in 2005. This year,
we experimented with new vineyards, new clones and even
new fermentation tanks. Learn all about our latest " Super
Blend " on page 8.
With the 50th
anniversary of the winery upon us,
I am thrilled to share three new releases that are perfect for
parties of every shape and size, whether it be a quiet dinner
party at home or a big bottle blowout for a special birthday.
The 2020 Chardonnay is packed with delicious aromas and
flavors. The Fuji apple aromas are always the mark
of a good vintage, but the way it is interlaced with Asian
pear, lemon, persimmon and white flower is what sets this
vintage apart-along with its mouth-watering acidity and
French oak backbone. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is
a showstopper vintage-on par with 2013 in terms of dark
fruit flavor. Its blackberry, boysenberry and black fig aromas
jump out of the glass, and the wine's smooth, rich tannins
go on forever, making this a vintage that will age gracefully.
I couldn't be happier that the release of the 2016 Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon in magnum-our 40th
vintage-coincides with the winery's 50th
anniversary
birthday. The
structure and concentrated dark cherry flavors in this wine,
coupled with its silky tannins, make it an ideal big bottle
to uncork in 2022.
I hope to raise a glass with you at one of our many
golden anniversary events around the country and at the
winery this year.
Cheers,
Maggie Kruse
WINEMAKER
WINECOUNTRYTABLE.COM 5
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Jordan Wine Country Table - Vol. 17, 2022

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