Nights like these make me love my happy place even more......
On September 24, the Evil Red Genius and I were fortunate enough to attend a special IYI Event for a 10-Year Vertical of Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon!!
For those of you who don't understand how magical this is, let me explain. Jordan Winery in California is known for their Cabernet Sauvignon.
We were able to try 10 YEARS of their Cabs side by side!!!
The fact that Arthur was able to pull an event like this off was magical in itself!
The fact that I was able to attend was even better and it was in my birthday month, so it was obviously a great birthday present from my happy place!
We were able to try 10 YEARS of their Cabs side by side!!!
The fact that Arthur was able to pull an event like this off was magical in itself!
The fact that I was able to attend was even better and it was in my birthday month, so it was obviously a great birthday present from my happy place!
I knew from the start this was going to be a fantastic night when I found out that the Jordan family's love of food is what inspired them to plant their first vineyard! They believe wine is meant to be enjoyed around a table with great food and great company!
In 1972, Tom and Sally Jordan, a young couple from Colorado who shared a passion for French food and wine, followed their hearts to California wine country. Their dream was to create a singular Cab defined by elegance and balance like the first growths in Bordeaux. They also wanted to honor the marriage of wine and food with an unparalleled winery designed for entertaining guests.
Four decades later, their winery remains the standard for food-friendly wines and intimate hospitality experiences under their son, John.
(Cool factoid - they signed the deed to the vineyard on the day John was born! What an awesome birthday present!)
Four decades later, their winery remains the standard for food-friendly wines and intimate hospitality experiences under their son, John.
(Cool factoid - they signed the deed to the vineyard on the day John was born! What an awesome birthday present!)
While this was a night of Jordan Cabs, we started with a Jordan Chardonnay. The Jordan family is committed to producing a singular Chardonnay and a singular Cab - each a collection of the best lots of grapes thoughtfully blended to honor the subtleties of Old World wine traditions in France.
This 2012 Russian River Valley Chardonnay has aromas of pear, lemon, vanilla and baking spice.
It has a tart taste and is very acidic; more like a Sav Blanc to me than a Chard.
I definitely needed cheese in order to drink this one! I was not fond of its acidic and salty aftertaste.
It spent quite a bit of time in French oak but it sure didn't have any flavors of oak to me which was disappointing!
It has a tart taste and is very acidic; more like a Sav Blanc to me than a Chard.
I definitely needed cheese in order to drink this one! I was not fond of its acidic and salty aftertaste.
It spent quite a bit of time in French oak but it sure didn't have any flavors of oak to me which was disappointing!
It made me want to swat a mosquito.
2001
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Mendocino and Sonoma
$119.99
Medicinal smell
Made me think of my grandfather who used to have gout in his knees and would use Ben Gay.
No doubt, we started this night off right because this proved that my grandfather's spirit was indeed there with us.
Tasted of chocolate covered cherries and raisins; a little tart on the end
Cherry cobbler in liquid form
A table mate complained that there was sediment in her glass.
Seriously? It's 13 years old! Get over yourself! What do you expect?
2002
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$99.99
Aromas - cedar wood shavings
Flavor - smoother than the 2001 but nothing exciting; no "wow" factor for me
You'll never find 100% Cab in a Jordan Cab (this one has Petit Verdot in it) because the Jordans want the attributes of the blends.
2003
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$86.99
This vintage has the most Cab of all at 81%.
This vintage shows that the Jordans are getting more aggressive with American oak - it's boisterous and loud - just like me and the Evil Red Genius.
A combination of the 2001 and 2002
with blueberry, earth, cigar tobacco and cedar
Tuscan-like
2004
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$174.99 (Magnum)
We tasted this vintage in a Magnum size which ages in half the speed of the 750ml typical bottle.
It will taste the same five years after it is released!
While the aromas were a fruity smoke smell and not very exciting, the flavor was the best we'd tasted so far! Enticing black cherry fruit with earth, smoke and violets; but not tart at all.
Absolutely yummy!
2005
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$85.99
This vintage had a borderline funky smell and definitely the strongest so far.
No bite in flavor and a very nice taste of dark berries and a hint of vanilla.
"When you have thick skin, you have to age longer!"
In essence, I have the thickest skin there is so I definitely will take a while to age.
While this wine is beautiful, it can easily age gracefully for at least 10 more years.
2006
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$80.99
A growing season without extremes, 2006 provided the opportunity for a classic vintage.
The mouthfeel was absolutely luscious with full round tannins and flavors of black fruit with a hint of vanilla, coconut and cedar shavings.
Perfectly balanced
This vintage was my favorite and I bought a bottle to save for a special occasion.
The best thing about this wine? The moment I smelled it I instantly was reminded of my grandmother's cedar chest with a sachet of vanilla inside. My grandmother had this cedar chest since she was nine years old and it now is a decorative and special piece in my home.
2007
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$78.99
This vintage had even temperatures and the winemaker said he loved it but hated it because it just goes into the tank, into the barrel and there's nothing to blend or worry about - a perfect batch of grapes.
Aromas of baking spices - cinnamon and nutmeg
It instantly reminded me of snickerdoodle cookies baking in a kitchen with a grandmother in an apron. It definitely smelled better than it tasted. It went down easy but has a big anise aftertaste.
This was a "pizza Cab".
2008
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$139.99 (Magnum)
The Jordan representative commented that it would be tough to rival the 2007 vintage but the Evil Red Genius and I disagreed. We sucked down the 2007 like a $15 grocery store wine.
This one was much better! It was the only Cab this evening that had an earthy smell and was a bit smoky. I figured it was stinky because it was the year I got divorced! (It's all about me!)
With a silky smooth mouthfeel, red and black fruits burst with a hint of spice on the end.
Delicious wine!
Of course at this point, we were getting a tad bit punchy (or is winey the more appropriate term?)
and started to sing:
"4,5,6,8 Who do we appreciate?
Jordan! Jordan!"
2009
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$69.99
2009 was a dream vintage for the winemaker with a warm spring and cool summer and fall resulting in greater depth, more fruit flavor, elegant tannins, low sugar levels and high acidity.
This vintage had the nicest aroma of blackberry, black cherry and cassis with flavors of baking spice, vanilla and oak with a silky, never-ending finish. The taste was even better than the smell!
2010
Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
$61.99
At this point in the night, we were starting to fade and had already decided which wines we liked and were craving chocolate. Only downfall of the night - no chocolate!
Who provides 10 Cabs and doesn't provide chocolate? I'm not complaining; just sayin'!
We did get a box from Jordan which we hoped was chocolate but it was a special salt seasoning instead. Hmmmmm... Can we trade it in for chocolate? Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.
Who provides 10 Cabs and doesn't provide chocolate? I'm not complaining; just sayin'!
We did get a box from Jordan which we hoped was chocolate but it was a special salt seasoning instead. Hmmmmm... Can we trade it in for chocolate? Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.
We sure did some damage at this event!! Good thing my dad dropped us off and the Evil Red Genius' hubby picked us up!
After we did our tasting, we got to retry any of the wines that we had tasted and let me tell ya we sure did take advantage of that!
In fact, I started mixing vintages and creating my own blend! Pretty fantastic, if you ask me!
An untapped creative side that I should probably exercise.
Blending the 2001 and the 2003 was absolutely divine and of course I was making everyone try it!
An untapped creative side that I should probably exercise.
Blending the 2001 and the 2003 was absolutely divine and of course I was making everyone try it!
Jordan's biggest key to winemaking is balance - too much of everything is bad; a little bit of everything is good!
This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event and I am so fortunate to have been a part of the fun!
Quote of the night: A good bottle of wine is the one you finished and didn't know you finished!
No comments:
Post a Comment