Last year, the impressive Maggie Kruse became the second head winemaker at Jordan Winery. She had honed her senses for the Jordan style for 13 years alongside the winery's iconic Rob Davis, Jordan's winemaker since the inaugural 1976 vintage. Moreover, she had onboarded just after John Jordan received the reins from his father after the 2005 harvest. 

While the transition has clearly been carefully orchestrated, Maggie said in a recent Zoom conversation that she has seen a great amount of change in her time at Jordan. So, she is not afraid to make more changes. What is clear is that while the more things may change, the more at least one thing will stay the same. That will be Jordan's - and Maggie's - commitment to quality. 

One of her first changes was to hire a vineyard grower liason, Dana Grande. After all, the only Jordan-grown fruit that goes into the Cabernet Sauvignon blend today is the Petit Verdot and Malbec. (More on this in the Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting below.) Also, during their time together, Rob was in the vineyards every day while Maggie was in the cellars. Rob was very close to the growers and didn't travel as much. As I learned more about Jordan's fruit sourcing, her decision seemed to make perfect sense.

The fruit sources began changing with John at the helm. John wanted the Jordan Cabernet to be even better. This was particularly important to him because Jordan makes only two wines in Sonoma. There is no reserve, no second label, no special club wine. If the cellar team doesn't want to use some juice on hand, they bulk it out. So, Rob began looking more closely at new fruit sources; after all, he had been looking at Alexander Valley Cabernet since the phylloxera sourge of the 1990s. The sources of the Chardonnay changed as well. Today it is 100% Russian River Valley, hailing primarily from Riverside and West Side Roads. She's keen to look more into Green Valley - around Graton - but she is still looking for fruit produced under the right growing practices.

Earlier Vintages Maggie Likes Today
We tasted four wines during our Zoom, including two older wines. Naturally, I couldn't resist asking Maggie what other Jordan wines are showing well now. In Chardonnay, she likes the 2013, mentioning that it has been tasty all along the way. She also mentioned that 2009 is still holding up very nicely. In the Cabernet sector, 1998 and 2008 are ready to drink now, and 2007, 2002 and 1980 are looking good, too. If you happen to have some 1979 - especially in magnum, you are in for a special treat! By the way, all four vintages below are available for purchase on the Jordan website.

Chardonnay Tasting
Maggie quipped that she has a reputation for being an "acid head", so she backs off a bit on the Jordan wines. She attributes this taste preference to her time spent at J Vineyards, famous for its traditional method sparkling wines, before arriving at Jordan. 

She also mentioned that she has noticed that challenging years tend to produce wines with a higher percentage of malolactic fermentation (MLF), which changes tart malic acid into milder lactic acid. Fascinatingly, vintages deemed challenging could be hot or cool. By example, she mentioned 2017 as a hot year with a high MLF percentage. The Jordan Chardonnays see between 12-35% MLF, depending on the vintage. However, it's all spontaneous, and unsurprisingly, it usually starts with the higher pressing lots. 

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Jordan 2011 Chardonnay Russian River Valley 13.5% $37
Picked at 22 Brix, the 2011 Chardonnay came from a small harvest of about 4.5-5 tons per acre due to shatter at flowering. Jordan had the Chardonnay picked before the October 3rd downpour that that unleashed a torrent of mold in the vineyards. This wine saw 30% MLF; this despite the fact that its pH was already higher due to some mold already present in the vineyard. Nonetheless, this was lighter in style on release compared to the 2018 that follows.

Showing a deep yellow color, verging on gold, this fully mature Chardonnay tastes of toasted brioche drizzled with honey. Its complexity on the nose moves into a more diverse profile on the palate with aromas of earth, dried mushrooms and baked apple. Showing its maximum now, at least in this bottle, this seems ready to enjoyed. The finish is a bit clipped and the palate turns dry on the medium finish, despite the light glycerol and mid-palate splash of creaminess.

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Jordan 2018 Chardonnay Russian River Valley 13.7% $35
Maggie tagged this as a more traditional vintage after the drought years. The acids were generous while the pH was around 3.4. Brix were in the range of 23-23.5. There was only 12% MLF. The fruit was hand-harvested at night starting in late September and crossing into October. The fairly generous yields of 7 tons per acre would be crushed around 2 or 3 am! All juice was fermented in stainless steel then finished 50-50 in 100% new French oak (for 6 months) and stainless steel. Maggie noted the "return of the Fuji apple", which she explained she finds in higher quality vintages.

Bright, light and dancing across the palate, this is a very elegant Russian River Chardonnay. As I have written before, this is not the usual Russian River prototype, which heaves with alcohol, glycerol and new French oak. Rather, this sophisticated bottling starts with floral and citrus tones accented by nuttiness before moving into apple-y bass notes on the palate that show an impressive harmony from start to lingering finish. There is very good concentration with a light glycerol pop in the mid-palate that leads to an unctuously textured finish, both of which are nicely contrasted by a lifting pop of refreshment.

Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting
There are 120 acres of estate vineyards when Jordan is fully planted. Almost 75% is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% is Petit Verdot with the rest going to Merlot and Malbec. I was surprised by how much Petit Verdot they grow, and Maggie confirmed that it has been a big focus over the last ten years. The fruit is consistently beautiful.

The oldest estate vines currently are 24 years old, but the entire estate is being replanted between 2018 and 2021 to knock out red blotch grapevine virus. Still, the winery began working with soil scientists in 2006, so this has long been in the making.

Much of the new Jordan Cabernet will be from cleaned up, historical California clones while the Merlot mostly comes from ENTAV. Maggie specifically wants blackberry and black currant flavors, and she wants more feminine tannins than those you would get in a Napa Cabernet. Because while maceration is a big factor - they only leave their Cab on its skins for 10-14 days, the base material is still very important.

Merlot has been a challenge to source because growers can make more on Cabernet Sauvignon - up to 20-30% more per ton! That's understandably concerning as Merlot generally makes up about 20% of their blend. Jordan doesn't want just any Merlot either. The winemaking team's favorite clone is 181. 

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Jordan 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 13.5% $85
Extravagantly aromatic, this full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon is a dramataic showcase of cedar, boxwood and tobacco leaf. It's an intriguing tug between youthfulness and maturity that is very compelling. The rounded and ample mid-palate attests to its hearty portion of Merlot. Its slyly rugged tannins hint at its Malbec and Petit Verdot, but the overall smart management of the mouthfeel has resulted in a sensual and divinely well-structured wine, even if the acidity feels a bit mild. This follows the pre-2015 barrel aging regimen of 1/3 new, 1/3 once-filled and 1/3 twice-filled American oak barrels.
Drink: 2020-24 

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Jordan 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 13.8% $58
This is the second vintage of using 100% French oak for 13 months. (Also, with the French oak, the winery is only doing two fills per barrel.) While the drought was over in 2016, temperatures still reached record highs as early as late February. The season got off to an early start that finished on October 7th.

Clean and lively with whiffs of evergreen and oodles of crunchy, juicy black currants and blackberries on the palate, this polished wine is easy to appreciate. The combination of incredibly integrated tannins and mouthwatering acidity make this an easy sipper. Still there is engaging complexity in the earthy tones on the medium finish.  
Drink: 2020-24