Meet the New Jordans

When we visited Jordan Vineyards & Winery back in the Spring the newest releases were still over a month away and we settled on the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Chardonnay instead.  We were not disappointed, of course.  Since we did not have the opportunity to taste the new vintage releases during our visit, Lisa Mattson was gracious enough to send some samples [disclaimer!] for us to review once they were available on May 1st. 

As a reminder, here are my tasting notes from the visit that are contained in the hyperlinked story above along with some vintage highlights:

2007 Chardonnay– Apples, pears and hint of vanilla.  Chardonnay was aged on the yeast lees in French Oak, but the oak level is acceptable and adds just a bit of the vanilla and some texture in the mouth.  The wine is well-balanced, somewhat crisp and minerally on the end and paired well with the hamachi tuna provided by Chef Todd.  Bud break was early in 2007 leading to inconsistent berry set.  However, resulting smaller berries mean higher concentration meaning higher color and quality.

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon– Dark, garnet hue.  Cigar box, blackberries and black cherries on the nose, with black fruits and cassis on the palate.  A lingering finish.  Breakdown: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.  Fruit yields reached record levels in 2005, which allowed vineyard managers to drop as much unwanted fruit as necessary during the long and cool growing season which resulted in a very high quality vintage.

Here are my thoughts on the new releases:

2008 Chardonnay- Light straw hue, clean and bright.  Citrus, lemons and granny smith apples on the nose.  The palate presents apples pears and nice acid to make a well-balanced wine.  I was surprised at the crispness of this wine after hearing it was aged in French oak following 2 months aging on the lees.  However, only 55% oak was used and only 28% completed malo-lactic fermentation (MLF).  Both oak treatment and MLF lend buttery (from diacetyl) attributes to wine while sur-lie aging can also bring in some additional texture to the mouthfeel, yet the process applied here kept those sometimes overbearing characteristics in check.  2008 was similar to 2007 in that berries were smaller leading to more concentration of color, flavor and phenolics.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon- This is a Bordeaux blend, of course, and this one really had an old-world feel boasting black and red fruits with cassis and a highly mineral finish.  The mouthfeel was silky and supple.  The main difference in comparing my notes is the level of minerality I experienced and the lack of noticeable cedar.  Nothing to be worried about, but I wonder how that will change with more time in the bottle.  The 2006 growing season was more normal though yields were slightly less than average.  Red wine varieties were down 16% compared to 2005.  Higher temperatures later in season accelerated harvest but optimal ripeness levels were achieved and many are claiming this a quality vintage as well, but maybe a tad behind 2005.

John Jordan, Lisa Mattson and the rest of the crew are doing a fantastic job and I am glad I have re-discovered the Jordan experience and the wine.  Have you enjoyed Jordan wines or visited their winery?  If so, please tell me what you think in the comments below.