Happy Wine Wednesday! Is this week dragging on for anyone? I don’t know why 5-day weeks feel so much longer after a 4-day week. Oh well – nothing a glass of wine can’t fix!
Today, I wanted to share our experience at Jordan Winery. A few weeks ago, we were in wine country and had signed up to do the 3-hour Jordan Estate Tour and Tasting. They only offer this tour May-October and it is $120/person. You are probably thinking, “Wow! That is really expensive for a wine tasting.” It is expensive, but from our experience, it was worth every penny.
We arrived at Jordan around 9:45 AM and we were immediately greeted with a glass of champagne. The Jordan Cuvee tasted fantastic, and I wish we could have ordered a few bottles. Unfortunately, they are only able to ship it to California. I guess we will need to visit more often so we can drink more of their bubbly!
After our champagne breakfast, we started the tour in Jordan’s Chateau where they house the wine barrels and tanks.
It is a really fascinating facility that they have and you wouldn’t believe how many barrels of wine are in their Chateau. I also thought it was neat that they have wooden tanks vs. the typical stainless steel tanks. I always love when you can find something that sets the winery apart from others.
After our indoor tour of the facility, we headed out on the excursion. Our first stop was Jordan’s farm and gardens. This was one of the most impressive things that we saw on the tour.
Jordan grows almost anything you can imagine. They have fresh figs, berries, pomegranate, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. If you can think of it, they probably grow it.
While we were in the gardens, we were able to sample any and all of the fruits and vegetables. We were literally picking strawberries and eating them right in the middle of the farm! It was unlike anything I had ever done, so I thought this experience really neat.
After spending some time in the gardens, the van took us to our first tasting location. The setting for the first tasting was fantastic. We were surrounded by olive trees and a beautiful lake with a dock. I almost had to pinch myself because it didn’t feel real! It really was one of those “too good to be true” moments.
At this location, we tasted two different chardonnay vintages. Each chardonnay had its own distinct character, and they didn’t taste the same at all! I was having a hard time deciding which one I liked more.
The chardonnay was also paired with some food samples. I don’t remember exactly what each dish had in it, but the polenta cake was incredible! Also, right before we tried the wines, we did an olive oil tasting and that was amazing as well. Jordan produces their own olive oil since they have several olive trees on the property. The olive oil was really interesting because it had a spicy bite at the end of it. It was very unique!
After the chardonnay tasting, the van drove us to a vineyard where they grow Malbec grapes. Our tour guide told us more about the growing process and harvest. We also learned how to measure Brix in the grapes. Brix is a measure of the sugar content in the grapes and it ultimately determines how much alcohol the wine will have.
I was able to use their refractometer tool to test out the Brix on some of the Malbec grapes. According to my calculations, they are looking mighty fine 🙂
After exploring the vineyards, we headed up to the highest point on Jordan’s property. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did.
The views from the top of the vista point were incredible. We were able to look out over the valley and take in the beautiful scenery. The pictures don’t really do it justice, but they do give a pretty good idea of what you would see.
After taking a million pictures of the views, we made our way into their glass-encased building to taste Cabernet. They were actually able to open the glass walls/doors during the tasting, and it was so nice to experience the wine with the incredible backdrop.
We tasted two different Cabernet vintages and of course, they were both fantastic. The Cabernet was paired with several different types of food including honey, breads, cheeses and even a small piece of beef tenderloin! I was just as impressed with the food as I was with the wine. Everything paired together quite nicely.
After our wonderful Cabernet tasting, we took a few more pictures before heading back to the Chateau.
Sadly, once we got back to the Chateau, that was the end of the tour. I could have stayed all day if they let me! We did order a few bottles of wine to be shipped home later this fall – it will be fun to reminisce about the tour over a few bottles of Cabernet.
All in all, I can’t say enough good things about this tour. I went in with high expectations, but they made the experience better than anything I could have imagined. If you are ever in the Alexander Valley area, you HAVE to give this tour a try. You will not regret it.
Until next time Jordan….
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