Tom and Sally’s son, John Jordan, became CEO in 2005.
He had previously had a life outside the winery. He rose to
the rank of Commander in naval intelligence. After receiving
a BA in economics, then a MBA and JD, he went on to estab-
lish his own career as an attorney in his own firm in Sonoma
County. At Jordan, he takes a hands-on approach to his job.
One of the greatest reasons for the enduring interest in
wine is the continuity of its production process. Tom Jordan
hired well in 1976 when he chose newly minted University
of California graduate Rob Davis to make Jordan wine, ap-
prenticing initially under the legendary Tchelistcheff. “I went
to two schools to learn about winemaking” says Davis, “the
school at Davis and the school of André Tchelistcheff”. Davis is
still there, 42 years later and long after Tchelistcheff’s passing,
having acquired industry respect in his own right. Some of
the changes over time that have stuck (in winemaking every
vintage is an experiment and a trial of one-offs): Fruit sourc-
ing became the first objective (to complement the estate
fruit). Ageing extended to two full years prior to release. A soil
mapping study to really understand the terroir and decreased
malolactic fermentation of the Chardonnay to retain vibrant
acidity.
The phylloxera louse devastated Jordan as it did many
northern California vineyards in the 1980s. The winery used
it as an opportunity to relocate its estate vineyards to the
hillsides of the estate, rather than the valley floor. The change
reflected the seachange in viticultural opinion that had taken
place since the 1960s. In the 1960s an agricultural mindset
prevailed, concerned with yields and accessibility. Grapes
were planted in widely-spaced rows for machine harvest-
ing. Vineyards were flat and located close to access roads. By
the late 1980s the price of grapes meat that growers were
dealing with a crop the price of which they had never seen
before. It was worth unique cultivation rules to maximize the
value of the final bottled product: hand harvesting with mul-
tiple passes, closer rows of vines, and well-drained hillsides
were the preferred locations. Jordan’s property had the flex-
ibility to be rejigged.
The results are clear from an hour’s walk through the
property. Paths snake through the 1200 acres land with vine-
58 ModernLifestyles.tv
“In winemaking every vintage
is an experiment and a trial
of one-offs.”