Jordan Wine Country Table - Vol. 18, 2023 - 10

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START
A field tasting of grapes leads to the
discovery of promising new stars for Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon's master blend
BY LISA M. MATTSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENDALL BUSBY
I
t's just before sunrise on a cold, foggy morning, and Maggie
Kruse is walking through a vineyard in near darkness,
tasting grapes as her chilled breath escapes between bites.
Harvest is in full swing, but this isn't a typical fall morning for
the young winemaker. It's her first vintage leading winemaking
at Jordan Winery, and her colleague, Brent Young, Jordan's
director of agricultural operations, has convinced her to sneak
away from the crush pad to visit a respected plant nursery's
grape clone vineyard, four hours east of Jordan Winery.
" I told her, 'I have a wild idea', " Young says. " 'I'm going to pick
you up during harvest at 3 a.m., and we're going to drive to the
Sierra Foothills and do a cabernet sauvignon clonal tasting trial.
We can taste different clones when they are ripe, and we will be
back at the winery by noon. No one will know we were even gone.' "
It was September 2019 and a defining moment in Jordan
history. The winery was amid a massive replant of the estate's
vineyards, which began in 2016 (See Volume 13, " A Fresh Start " ).
This was the first opportunity Young had to work with Kruse on
vineyard replant decisions that would shape the future of Jordan
10 THE LAND ISSUE
Cabernet Sauvignon for the next 40 years. The two walked
through each row of the vineyard-one row of each of the
25 clones of cabernet sauvignon grapes offered for sale by
the nursery-plucking grapes straight off the vines and popping
them into their mouths.
Harvest season is the worst time for a winemaker to take
a field trip, but it's the best time to taste grapes-especially ones
both the grower and winemaker have never worked with.
" I vividly remember that morning, " Kruse says. " My fingers
were sticky and freezing, but the thrill was far more powerful
than the cold. What was really surprising was how many of the
25 clones were not right for the Jordan house style. Some were
too tannic, and others had green tannins and leathery skins that
wouldn't elevate our silky mouthfeel. Several had more red fruit
flavors than the black fruits we want. "
The exercise allowed them to validate the appeal of several
classic clones of cabernet sauvignon, such as Clone 7, 8 and 337,
but explore other possibilities that could help achieve the goal
of making every vintage of Jordan better than the last.
Jordan Wine Country Table - Vol. 18, 2023

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