Treat yourself to a unique and unforgettable experience at Jordan Winery in the Alexander Valley Region of The Beautiful California Wine Country!
Reservations are now being taken for:
JORDAN’S ESTATE TOUR AND TASTING WILL BE OFFERED BY APPOINTMENT THURSDAYS THROUGH MONDAYS NOW AND UNTIL MID-NOVEMBER. TOURS WILL RESUME REGULAR HOURS MID-APRI 2014.
THE PRICE IS $120 per person (21yr+)
Tours and Tastings: www.jordanwinery.com
Tour begins at 10am sharp and ends at 1pm. (3 hours)
My Adventure Begins!
Recently, my never-ending sense of adventure and passion for amazing food and wine led me to Jordan Winery in Sonoma County for one of the most amazing experiences of my life! The breathtaking views of the vineyards, majestic mountains, rows of gorgeous vines bourgeoning with healthy grapes ready for harvest were more beautiful that I ever expected. Lisa Mattson, Communications Director for Jordan Vineyard &Winery, invited me to experience the Farm-To-Table Visitors Tour and have a wine and culinary adventure like I have never had before.
“Jordan Winery is one of the few properties in Northern California wine country with over 1,000 acres of contiguous land that can be navigated by vehicle. More that 3/4th’s of the estate is dedicated to natural habitat with beautiful lakes that attract wild life and rolling hills that define Sonoma County’s southern Alexander Valley.”
Allow me to give you a glimpse of the tour as seen through my eyes and palate.
I want to share with you what it means to embrace The Wine Country and nature’s gifts of elegance and beauty that it has to offer and hope that you will enjoy my adventure through my eyes and palate of what I saw and tasted!
Our Tour!
My friend and sister-in-law Olivia traveled with me to share in this amazing experience. I want to also thank her for her photography contributions and thoughts about our adventure to this post. Photos in this post are a combination of my photos, Olivia’s and Jordan Winery.
On Wednesday afternoon as Olivia and I drove up to Jordan Estate. The first thing we saw was the breathtaking and majestic Jordan Estate modeled after a traditional French Chateau. (On another post, I will share our experience about staying in a room at the Chateau. Just to let you know, it was amazing!)
Around 10am, it was about time to meet up in the courtyard for the tour. We were greeted with fresh fruit from the Chef’s garden and beverages while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.
Check out this custom luxury van! It was designed for Jordan and we enjoyed the comfortable air-conditioned ride to all of the stops!
Our 1st stop: The Jordan Farm and Chef Todd Knoll’s working garden
Lisa Mattson told me about the The Jordan cattle program. “It part of a long-term strategy to create Jordan Estate beef for our chef. Their dream is to we may sell the beef to local restaurants in our area, but they don’t have enough cattle to serve Jordan beef regularly, but our goal is to start serving Jordan beef on the estate tour in 2014.
“We have a couple different crossbreeds have cows going in the herd right now, which are ranch manager and our chef are experimenting with. We have Texas Longhorn Mexican Corriente Longhorn cross. We have that Longhorn crossed with black Angus, and we have pure black Angus. Next, our chef wants to breed our Longhorn cross with a Waygu. ”
I was excited to hear about their plans and look forward to see how they will be growing in the near future. Currently, the farm and gardens provide eggs from the chickens, bees for honey and flowers for floral arrangements as well as a bounty of fruits and vegetables.
When I lived in Austin, we had a couple of donkeys in our backyard and I miss them. It was nice to meet Maverick and Goose – the estate rescued donkeys. I wish I had a couple of carrots to give to them!
Across from the farm was Chef Knoll’s garden filled with beautiful flowers
We were lucky to have Chef Todd Knoll himself take us on a tour through his garden. He takes pride in his bounty of fruits and vegetables that provide the ingredients for the Chef’s menu that pairs with Jordan wines!
We enjoyed the honey-sweet figs fresh from the garden earlier that morning.
Chef Knoll grows several varieties of herbs such as basil as well as many vegetables to maintain the highest quality and freshness for the pairings.
Pomegranate Trees!
2nd Stop: Jordan Chardonnay and Jordan Estate Olive Pairing
We arrived at the olive grove at Seven Oaks by the lake and were treated to a Jordan Estate Olive Oil tasting with bento boxes filled with Chef Knoll’s culinary treats from the garden.
Two different vintages of Jordan Chardonnay were poured and we enjoyed pairing them with the olive oil and gourmet bites.
Our Menu of Jordan Estate Tour & Tasting:
Seven Oaks: Olive Oil Tasting
Spiced garden escabeche with Gravenstein apple vinaigrette & wild fennel
Nigiri of seasonal fruit with Jordan Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sonoma Honey & citrus
2010 & 2011 Jordan Chardonnay Russian River Valley
The Jordan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is fruity and buttery with a peppery finish. Limited quantities are produced so I bought TWO bottles to bring back home to enjoy with my homemade bread. It reminds me of my Sonoma experience at Jordan!
2010 and 2011 Vintages of Jordan Chardonnay were poured for all of us to pair and enjoy. Choosing my favorite was difficult!
Both are elegant chardonnays with aromas of apples, zesty acidity and minerality with delicate oak flavors. 2010 was slightly more acidic and that is aways a good wine to pair with olive oil.
3rd Stop: The Vineyard Experience
Our Tour Guide, Claire, explained the differences in grape varietals as we listened and even tasted the Petit Verdot still on the vine. Our guides for both days were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We were encouraged to ask questions and they always had the answer.
Each guide made you feel as if you were part of the Jordan family and couldn’t help but pull you into the winery experience. It did not matter whether you were a wine novice or a wine aficionado, you felt at ease listening to the wealth of information about the Jordan Winery and Vineyard.
4th Stop: The Glass Pavilon VISTA POINT nestled on top of a knoll that is at a 650-foot elevation with a mind-blowing 360 degree view of the North Coast Ranges’ Mayacamas and Vaca Mountains.
This elegant yet rustic glass building was built to host the Wine and Food Pairing Experience in comfort and style about a mile away from the kitchen. Occasionally,the winds can be powerful so the enclosure is sometimes necessary!
Jordan Estate Tour & Tasting
Vista Point
Miso-glazed Sonoma beef with Maitake mushrooms & braised endive
Selection of Sonoma County & European artisanal cheeses
2009 & 2010 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
2002 and 2009 vintages of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon: Both were a perfect balance between beautiful fruit, silky tannins and a lingering finish. The 2002 vintage is a silky-smoothLeft Bank Bordeaux style wine with tannins and layers of complex cherry and cassis fruit.
The 2009 Vintage has aromas of blackberry, black cherry and cassis are supported by subtle hints of baking spice and vanilla from oak aging with lively acidity, tannin structure and oak.
The fusion of wine, food and rustic elegance is what the The Jordan Visitors Tour Experience is all about. Each drop of Jordan wine and bite of perfectly paired food from Chef Knoll’s garden represents the gifts that the Sonoma terroir gives to us and I want to thank each and every member of the Jordan Family Vineyard and Winery for giving us the opportunity in sharing this amazing experience.
Lisa Mattson Communications Director for Jordan Winery & Vineyard
Girl, you ROCK! You have an amazing job and do it well! Lucky Lady!
Claire, thank you for loving what you do and sharing it with us! Birgitt (Biggie) Thank you for helping us find the perfect accommodations! It was so nice to meet both of you!
Birgitt Vaughan
Public Relations Manager
Sonoma County Tourism
CHEERS!!!!!!!
I tweeted this out. It looks amazing!
Thank you! Great to meet you and so glad you are a NFB!