California-trained South African husband and wife winemaking team producing winning wines at Jordan Winery

Wednesday, 10 January, 2007
BSA PR & Marketing
Vinnovative Imports, importers of a broad spectrum of fine boutique wines from the Republic of South Africa, are the US representatives for an award-winning husband and wife winemaking team at Jordan Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Jordan’s wines, which are marketed under the Jardin label in the US in deference to a similarly named winery in California, is owned and run by the husband and wife team of Gary and Kathy Jordan.

This duo studied viticulture at the University of California at Davis, and then worked internationally for two years at cellars including Iron Horse Winery, refining their high-energy instincts with practical experience. They returned home to build a cellar in 1992 and established a beautiful series of vineyards at the southern most tip of Africa in the appellation area of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

The following year, the vines were judged ready for making wines that would carry their name. Continued success has enlarged their team with the focus on producing fiercely individual wines that combine the fruity accessibility of the New World with Classic Elegance.

Jordan wines - a team effort, distinctly individual in character, have a simple philosophy: success begins in the vineyards. These exceptional wines are made possible by careful management of the farm's extensive natural resources through innovative canopy management and selecting varieties and clones specifically suited to the various soils and slopes of the area.

From the Jordan hillsides one has the spectacular views of Table Mountain, False Bay and Stellenbosch. The surrounding hillsides have been restored to Fynbos*.

Unique by Nature's Design, the Jordan slopes face North, South, East, and West, with vineyards lying at differing altitudes from 525 ft to 1,345 ft (160 to 410 m) above sea level. The vineyards benefit from coastal fog and cool breezes. A mild Mediterranean climate with a maritime influence minimizes the risk of frost damage.

The soils at Jordan have evolved from 600 million year old Cape Granite, and range from deep, well-drained clay-loam to gravelly and sandy duplex soils situated on clay. Currently working now at full capacity, winemakers Gary and Kathy Jordan, say that now they will, "just have to do what we do better!"  They are a living testimony to the 350 year old South African wine industry, which the ‘New World’ is now discovering. The Jordan’s are currently producing 65,000 cases per vintage, with all grapes grown, crushed, fermented, barrel-aged, bottled and labeled on the property.

This motto of doing what we do better, has paid off handsomely with two recent Gold Medal awards for their international vintages of 2003 Jordan Cobblers Hill and 2004 Jordan Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay at the 2006 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), as well as silver medals for 2004 Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay and 2003 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon. Now in its 37th year, the London-based IWSC is one of the best-supported competitions internationally and is regarded as the premium show of its type in the world. Nearly 6,000 entries were received from 73 countries.

"This is the second year in a row that the Cobblers Hill has won a gold medal at this highly prestigious competition," said an elated Kathy Jordan. Judges at the IWSC described the 2003 Cobblers Hill as, "Deep dark purple with a bright rim. Overpowering nose jam-packed with ripe black cherry, blackberry, mulberry, hints of mint, toasty oak, cigar box, lead pencil and vanilla."

"Super-charged mouth, with enormous range of ripe berry-fruit flavors and all that the nose promised, with added complexity of dark chocolate and hints of sweet tobacco. Great balance and structure, with fine-grained tannins. Still relatively youthful with loads of potential still to develop."

"We planted this exceptional, west-facing, single vineyard site with three Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc," says Gary Jordan. "The 2003 Cobblers Hill is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The wine spent a total of 24 months in 59 gallon (225 litre) French Oak barrels. A strict selection process, as always, was followed, and only the best barrels were used in the blend. This flagship wine honors my great grandfather, Alfred Jordan, who came to the Cape from the UK as a cobbler in the 1800’s, pioneering the South African shoe industry," said winemaker Gary Jordan.

The 2004 Jordan Chardonnay follows in the same footsteps as numerous previous Jordan Chardonnays that have won gold medals at various international competitions. Judges at the IWSC described the 2004 Jordan Chardonnay as, "Medium gold with green highlights. Flavours of lees, lime, citrus peel and vanilla, with just a hint of butterscotch and toasty oak. Beautifully smooth mouth gives great platform for all the fruit flavours to perform, and that they do with great splendor!"

The Jordan Chardonnay spends 9 months in 60 gallon (228 litre) traditional Burgundian oak barrel," explains Kathy. Adds Gary, "Rather than the traditional method of battonage (lees stirring) we roll our barrels once a week to suspend the yeast lees, which adds a creamy complexity to the wine. We call this the ‘James Bond’ method of winemaking – shaken, not stirred!" 

Our Chardonnay vineyards are among the highest and coolest in Stellenbosch, extending to 1,312 ft (400 m) above sea level. This ensures that the vineyards are naturally cooled in summer by winds blowing off both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Vinnovative Imports currently has the following Jordan wines available, marketed in the US under the Jardin label: 2003 Jardin Cobblers Hill; 2005 Jardin Nine Yards Chardonnay; 2006 Jardin Sauvignon Blanc; 2005 Jardin Chardonnay; 2003 Jardin Merlot; and 2004 Jardin Cabernet Sauvignon. Additionally, they represent the Jordan’s value range, Bradgate, which includes 2 blends: Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Shiraz, and one single varietal, Syrah.

Vinnovative Imports’ byline – old world finesse meets new world flavour –encapsulates the premier wineries they represent. In addition to Jordan Winery (marketed as Jardin in the US) other wineries in their portfolio include: Cederberg, Culraithin, Fairvalley, Paul Cluver, The Winery of Good Hope, Topaz and Veenwouden. These brands are available throughout a 35-state distribution network.

*Fynbos, (pron. Fayne-boss)  is Afrikaans for ‘fine bush’, the natural shrub land vegetation occurring in a small belt of the Western Cape of South Africa with a Mediterranean climate. Of the world's six floral kingdoms, this is the smallest and richest per area unit. This vegetation has a profound effect on the vineyards of the area though environmental cross-pollination.