For six weeks in September and October of every year, Jordan Vineyard & Winery celebrates the year’s harvest and the bounty of their gardens by preparing delicious Harvest Lunches. Jordan Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon accompany the buffet, which changes depending on what is fresh in their gardens.
Jordan’s Harvest Lunches are a nod to the French tradition of wineries preparing lunch for the workers that harvest their grapes. Typically, picking begins early every morning, with harvesting completed by lunchtime. By this time pickers have worked up an appetite and the winery provides lunch for the crew. The home-cooked lunches are a way to reward pickers for a job well done, and perhaps to build loyalty to the winery.
These typical harvest lunches likely do not include white tablecloths and fresh flowers on the tables, as was our experience recently when we enjoyed a Harvest Lunch at Jordan Vineyard. The Lunch, held on October 9th, was the final Lunch of the 2015 harvest and was arranged for wine and food bloggers. We were pleased to be included in the celebration.
The Chateau
This was our first visit to the Alexander Valley winery. The winding road from Alexander Valley Road to the winery takes you through hills mostly covered with shrubs and oak trees. The winery is framed with trees and large lawns. Jordan’s spectacular, tile-roofed building is described by the winery as a chateau. That description is apt. The enormous building houses not only wine production facilities, but a kitchen, dining areas and guest suites as well.
John Jordan told us that his parents fell in love with the food of France before they fell in love with the wine. Their vision for the winery, which was influenced by their travel in France, was to combine the wine and food experience at Jordan Vineyard under one roof. So, with that in mind, they began construction of the chateau in 1974 on what was 1200 acres of “wild property”, according to John.
The focus at Jordan Vineyard is on quality not quantity — quality wine production and a quality wine and food experience. Jordan Vineyard produces only Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Only two wines every vintage. As John put it, “This is the size the winery will always be.” The chateau is complete with no plans for expansion.
Our Harvest Lunch
The beautiful buffet included a variety of vegetables, salads and cheese along with roasted pork, beef and quail. Jordan’s chef Todd Knoll and his staff prepared dessert as well, which included chocolate mousse and ripe local peaches. Three Jordan Vineyard wines were poured for us to enjoy with our meal.
2013 Jordan Chardonnay — medium yellow in the glass with stony, citrusy aromas. Yellow apple, citrus and pear flavors are bright and crisp, supported by great acidity and a bit of weight in the mouth. ABV 13.7 %
2011 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — dark ruby in the glass with generous dark fruit aromas with interesting herbal notes in the background. Dark berry and plum fruit flavors are complimented by a bit of earthiness, lovely tannins and a lingering finish. ABV 13.8%
2008 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon — garnet-ruby in the glass with cedar and tobacco aromas. Cedar spice flavor combines with red and dark fruit, leather and earth. These complex flavors, developed with time in the bottle, are supported by still firm tannins. A lovely, elegant glass of Cabernet. ABV 13.5%
With the 2015 harvest, Jordan Vineyard & Winery celebrates its 40th vintage. Interestingly, winemaker Rob Davis also celebrates his 40th vintage with Jordan Vineyards with the 2015 harvest, having joined the legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff for the very first vintage at Jordan.
After lunch, Lisa Mattson, Jordan’s Director of Marketing & Communications, took us on a tour of the chateau, including the winemaking facility. Just beautiful.
Jordan offers a variety of tours and tastings, all by appointment, because the tasting experience at Jordan includes both food and wine. It is intended to be unhurried and focused on the experience and the pairings.
The Jordan Estate Rewards program, developed in lieu of a wine club, enables you at attend a variety of culinary events (including the Harvest Lunches), private tastings and overnight stays at the chateau. The best way to learn about what’s going on at Jordan is to sign up for their newsletter.
If you are looking for a wine experience removed from the crowds that sometimes accompany wine tasting, Jordan Vineyard & Winery offers you just that. And, if you are in search of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon made is a restrained and elegant style then you will not be disappointed by the wines produced by Jordan Vineyard & Winery. Your visit will require some planning, but you will be rewarded for doing so.
Thank you, Lisa, for the invitation to enjoy a Harvest Lunch at Jordan Vineyard. The afternoon was warm and sunny on the terrace in the shade of the oak trees. We enjoyed visiting with fellow bloggers and talking food and wine with them— but mostly we enjoyed the food and wine of Jordan Vineyard. It was a memorable afternoon.
Cheers!
