The Chateau at Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Sonoma County, CA.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Sonoma, California is famous for its Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander Valley wineries. Wines from Chalk Hill, Foley Sonoma, Francis Ford Coppola, J Vineyards & Winery, Jordan, Kendall Jackson, La Crema, Rodney Strong and many others are known across the U.S.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery is a well-known winery tucked into the hills of the Alexander Valley, outside the wine-tasting hotbed of Healdsburg, CA. Jordan produces 100,000 cases a year, approximately 75% cabernet and 25% chardonnay. “Chardonnay, cabernet and hospitality!” is what CEO John Jordan says the winery offers today.
As per its CEO’s dictum, Jordan offers an extraordinary experience, different from the typical winetasting. A typical tasting experience at a winery often begins in the vineyard, looking at the grapes. After a walk around the machinery and the presses, the tour might end in a barrel room. While your guide pours samples, the wine tourists can gape at the endless barrels.
The Jordan Estate tour is quite different. We drove past the gate and were greeted by a herd of deer, with flocks of honking geese overhead. At the iconic Jordan chateau, our expert guide, Christine Larsen, introduced herself with a round of bubbly and some delightful baked goods. She discussed the family history behind Jordan (its 90-something founders still live on property, while son John Jordan runs the company) then packed us up in a luxury van for a tour of the vast 1200-acre property.
The tour took us to the farm, which provides fruit, vegetables and herbs like oregano and thyme for Executive Chef Jesse Mallgren. We sampled the peppers, pulled up some carrots, and picked figs and apples off the tree. We also saw the olive trees, which Jordan harvests for its cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.
Jordan’s On-Site Farm and Garden at the Jordan Vineyard & Winery in Sonoma, California. The … [+] executive chef uses fruits and vegetables from the garden in his cooking for tour and other guests.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
The apples were not for us, but for the donkeys. The carrots were for the goats who pushed their noses through the fence. But Ajax, a ram half their size, wanted his share. He rammed his cohorts with his horns, hitting them just hard enough to get their attention.
The tour took us through rolling hills and picturesque vistas. Our guide told us that the grapes are picked in the middle of the night when it is cooler, so the sugar levels in the grapes are stable and the acid levels are better.
We paused by a scenic pond in the midst of the vineyards. Under a tree nearby, elegantly arrayed snacks and wineglasses awaited us. Our hostess poured and we toasted, before heading back into the van.
Our journey past the orderly rows of grape vines eventually took us to an airy building full of windows, atop the highest hill on the property. Discussing the wine snob factor memorably satirized in Sideways, Larsen joked, “We do get some ABC visitors here—Anything But Chardonnay—and we convert them!”
An elegant table was set for the final wine tasting, accompanied by gourmet food made by chef Mallgren. At the seated food and wine pairing, the 2021 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon was a particular favorite. At the end of the tour, we returned to the chateau, without seeing a barrel or press.
An outdoor wine tasting at Jordan Vineyards in Sonoma, CA.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
The estate tours run from the spring to the fall wine tasting season. Our Estate Tour was the last of the season. However, the Library Tasting and Winery Tour & Tasting are offered year-round, and a Holiday Tasting is offered in December. All tastings are seated, featuring seasonal tastes from the Jordan chef to pair with vintages of Jordan Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The tours are open to the public (someone on our tour from Alabama said she found it highly recommended online) and can also be part of Jordan Estate Rewards. When you buy wine, merchandise or a tour from Jordan, their Estate Rewards loyalty program offers members perks like discounts on shipping wine, private tables, seasonal lunches, culinary events, tours and tastings, even overnight stays.
Our experience at Jordan included a Halloween party at the “Haunted Chateau,” fully tricked out for Halloween. It wasn’t quite A Cask of Amontillado, but it was a spooky and memorable experience.
The winery and its vats and barrels were decorated like a haunted castle, with dry ice steaming and luscious potions and foods. The chateau was dark and ghostly, with classic hits like “Monster Mash” resounding through the Red Room, the Oak Barrel room and other scary chambers.
There was dancing on the floor of the winery, under the snake lights hanging from above. Creatures in creative costumes, like a team of skeletons, Scooby-Doo and brother Skippy-Doo, Marie Antoinette, and “Elton John” stalked the night. I was a 1930’s gangster, my wife a flapper.
Jordan is a special winery, but Healdsburg and the surrounding area are also worth a visit. Healdsburg has a town square that’s full of upscale shops, restaurants and tasting rooms. Five old wine barrels on a corner advertise the Healdsburg Bar and Grill. Little Saint, a 100% plant-based restaurant, coffee bar, wine lounge, cocktail bar and events venue serves intriguing drinks and dishes like smoked carrot dip with roasted garlic and cream cheese, or the delicious vegan bruschetta with tomatoes.
Halloween at the haunted chateau: the 2023 Halloween party at the Jordan Winery in Sonoma, CA.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery
Healdsburg is looking to grow holiday travel, so the town is launching the A Season to Sparkle promotions with fun items like breakfast with Santa and holiday high tea. There are a number of boutique hotels in town, and larger properties like the Hotel Trio closer to the vineyards. We even enjoyed an unexpected wine tasting from Merriam in the lounge of the Hotel Trio. The Trio, a Marriot Bonvoy property, has a pool and offers bicycles and van service to Healdsburg.
The area also is home to a surprisingly large craft beer brewing operation, Russian River Brewing Company, where brands like Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger are brewed. You can tour the brewery and enjoy its restaurant and bar. We encountered a group of fifteen from Pennsylvania sitting around a fire pit at the Trio, passing a “growler” of Pliny. As their passion for Pliny persuaded them to visit the brewery, they convinced us to do so as well.
The area is a half hour’s drive to Bodega Bay via Highway 1 along the beautiful rock-strewn seacoast. Bodega Bay is where Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic THE BIRDS was filmed. Fans will recognize the iconic church, St. Teresa of Avila.
The Pacific sea breezes around Sonoma are not only good for wines, but for redwoods as well. We visited a stand of the majestic trees in Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve. Easy trails let you look up at giant trees like “Colonel Armstrong,” 308 feet high, with a diameter of 14.6 feet and an approximate age of 1400 years.
From experiential wineries like Jordan to the redwoods and the chilly Pacific coast, Sonoma is a relaxing alternative to hectic ‘wine towns.’ There’s lots to see and do—even if you don’t bother with a barrel tour.
Waves crashing ashore among exposed cliffs on a sunny day at Bodega Bay, Sonoma County, California,. … [+] The area was famously the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
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