Falling in Love with Jordan Wines

by Josh Isaacs

American writer Richard Bach once stated that “true love stories never have endings”. Should this statement be correct – and we’re hopeless romantics - we thoroughly look forward to an endless future of enjoying a concept lovingly grown to fruition by Gary & Kathy Jordan, owners of one of Stellenbosch’s pre-eminent wine producers, Jordan Wines.

According to the ancient Egyptians, upon one’s death, Ma’at, the goddess who personified the concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice, (she also regulated the stars, seasons, and the actions of mortals and the deities who had brought order from chaos at the moment of creation), but I digress – was said to weigh your heart, the totality of your existence, against a feather. Should you be of little virtue, this would not end well for you. It’s a concept I find encapsulates Jordan’s approach to not just winemaking, but the entirety of their project. A wine estate is not judged on the value of its best wine, but on the entirety of what makes that estate so special. It is the wines, the beauty, the approach to protecting natural biomes. It is the sincerity in how one presents wines on a tour; the care put into every meal you eat there. There are few producers of wine, olive oil, and restaurants that are so impressively able to virtuously weigh their entirety against the hospitality or farming feather. 

Jordan was purchased by Ted Jordan, Gary’s father in 1982. Gary and Kathy Jordan joined the estate in 1985, then went on to study at UC Davis in California. Returning in the early 90s with their first vintage being 1993. But this estate, like most things in historic Stellenbosch, has a history at least three hundred years older! Gary, a geologist, was able to take this estate’s incredible terroir,

Terroir noun

ter-roir

  1. the combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives wine grapes their distinctive character

and use geological analysis of the soil types to ensure the perfect vines were planted to bring out the best of the estate. The uniqueness of the site – with North, South, East & West – facing slopes - meant an opportunity to create wines from an incredibly wide range of cultivars. This gift of nature along with a mantra of creating ‘synergy between soul and soil’ has allowed Jordan to create award-winning wines from the lightest white, to the most robust red.

 

Everyone in the industry always says they’re award-winning no matter the quality or volume of their awards, so with Jordan, it’s important to recognize just how good they are. In 2020 alone they received (to name a few):

 Grand Cru National Championships

  • Best in Class | The Real McCoy Riesling 2019
  • Top 100 & Double Platinum Awards
    • Chameleon Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot
    • The Real McCoy Riesling
    • The Outlier Sauvignon Blanc
    • The Prospector Syrah
    • The Long Fuse Cabernet Sauvignon
    • Barrel Fermented Chardonnay
  • Double Gold Awards
    • Black Magic Merlot
    • Chardonnay Exclusive to Checkers
    • Nine Yards Chardonnay
    • Inspector Peringuey Chenin Blanc

 Platter’s Wine Guide 2020

  • Reserve Range
    • Cobbler’s Hill – 4 ½ Stars
    • Sophia – 4 ½ Stars
    • Nine Yards Chardonnay – 4 ½ Stars
    • Methode Cap Classique – 4 Stars
    • Mellifera Natural Sweet – 4 ½ Stars
  • Estate Range
    • Long Fuse Cabernet Sauv – 4 ½ Stars
    • Black Magic Merlot – 4 Stars
    • The Prospector Syrah – 4 ½ Stars
    • Barrel Fermented Chardonnay – 4 ½ Stars
    • Unoaked Chardonnay – 4 Stars
    • Inspector Peringuey Chenin Blanc – 4 ½ Stars
    • Real McCoy Riesling – 4 Stars
    • The Outlier Sauvignon Blanc – 4 ½ Stars
    • The Cold Fact Sauvignon Blanc – 4 Stars

 

So next time you’re choosing where to visit in Stellenbosch, remember that Jordan has both fine dining The Jordan Restaurant, lovingly tended to by highly acclaimed Chef George Jardine, as well as al-fresco, casual eatery The Bakery. Should you ever be in London, be sure to visit High Timber, Gary and Kathy’s Stellenbosch-wine-focused fine dining restaurant with business partner Neleen Strauss.

Until we can all travel again, remember that we proudly represent Jordan on our online store; by reading this you get an exclusive, valid for one week only, discount of 10% off all Jordan Wines in-store, just use the discount code SOUL&SOIL and the journey of exploration of these wines can start today, with just the click of a button.

This button: 
https://zm.togetherstore.co/collections/vendors?q=jordan

Love,

The Together Store, Zambia
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