Jordan Wine Country Table - Vol. 18, 2023 - 12

clones and are credited with helping to establish the state as
a prime region for cabernet sauvignon. However, it is Clone 2
that has spurred excitement among the Jordan winemaking team.
" For the last 15 years, we focused so much on finding the right
vineyard to eliminate the green characters, not on the clone, "
Kruse says. " The most eye-opening part of the field tasting was
that grape clones can have more of an impact on the finished wine
than we were taught, especially its tannin profile. We realized
that we needed to conduct the same clonal tasting for all varieties
at Jordan-not just cabernet. "
At the time, the replanting of all Jordan Estate grapevines,
17 blocks totaling 125 acres, had been underway for five years.
Because newly planted vineyards take an average of three
to five years to bear quality fruit, the planting process must be
staggered over several years. Otherwise, the winery will not have
enough grapes to make its wines. The first few blocks of new
grapevines, cabernet sauvignon planted from 2016 to 2018,
are now producing fruit for the winemaker, so other blocks can
be removed and the soils prepared for new plants. By 2020,
the viticulture and winemaking teams were ready to turn their
attention to replanting the core blending grapes for Jordan
Cabernet Sauvignon: merlot, petit verdot and malbec.
That summer, Jordan focused first on replanting 19.4
vineyard acres to Clone 2 and 7.2 vineyard acres to Clone 8
of cabernet sauvignon. This allowed the team to wait to make
merlot, petit verdot and malbec clone decisions based on a 2020
harvest field tasting.
When the Jordan team traveled back to the clonal nursery
during the 2020 harvest season, tasting clones of other Bordeaux
varieties was just as exciting as cabernet. The findings from
the clonal tasting fit perfectly into their master plan to increase
the percentage of Bordeaux blending varieties grown at
Jordan-which are vital to Jordan's silky-smooth style yet
increasingly difficult to source from grape growers due to their
fickle personalities and less-commanding prices compared
to cabernet sauvignon.
" I'm really excited about the Clone 8 merlot, " Kruse says,
remembering her first taste. " It has the smooth tannins and velvety
texture I need to fill out the broad shoulders of the cabernet
"
The most eye-opening part of the field tasting was that
grape clones can have more of an impact on the finished
wine than we were taught, especially its tannin profile.
We realized that we needed to conduct the same clonal
tasting for all varieties at Jordan-not just cabernet.
MAGGIE KRUSE * WINEMAKER
profile. Its tannins also add a very silky length to the finish
without being too overpowering. "
Clone 8 of merlot was chosen as the exclusive clone for
the replant of Jordan's River Block in 2021, a 10.8-acre parcel
originally planted to cabernet sauvignon.
The tasting also confirmed that Clones 181 and 314 of
merlot are still a great fit for Jordan's house style; they bring
a soft silkiness and cherry characters and lose their green
flavors earlier in the harvest season. Jordan planted 13
vineyard acres of Clone 8 merlot in 2022. Long-time grape
grower, Garden Creek Vineyards, provides Clone 314 merlot
to the Jordan master blend, and Munselle Vineyards, another
multi-generation grower in Alexander Valley who has worked
with Jordan for many years, delivers Inglenook Clone 3 merlot
grapes-both integral to Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon.
The petit verdot clones exercise also validated their beliefs that
planting FPS Clone 400 for the first time rather than replanting
Clone 2 would further enhance the Jordan blend. In 2023, Jordan
will plant 7.5 acres of Clone 400 in its three vineyard blocks,
which have been dedicated to growing petit verdot since 2005.
In anticipation of the Jordan Estate replant, Bret Munselle of
Munselle Vineyards planted Clone 400 of petit verdot for Jordan,
and those grapes were harvested for the first time in 2021.
" The 400 has big, beautiful, pretty fruit, " Kruse says. " The
tannins are very balanced for petit, making it ideal for our
silky-smooth style of wine. "
12 THE LAND ISSUE
Jordan Wine Country Table - Vol. 18, 2023

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