The Jordan family permanently moved from Colorado to California in 1979 to live on the winery estate. John attended grade school in Healdsburg and spent many nights and weekends fishing at the winery’s lake. An interest in airplanes arrived during preparatory school, and John earned his Private Pilot Certificate in Sonoma County at age 17. Before leaving home for college, John attained his Commercial Pilot Certificate with Instrument and Multi-Engine Ratings, and type ratings in Gulfstream and Citation aircraft.
John studied economics in college, then attended law school. He is a 1995 graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles and a 2002 graduate of Empire College School of Law in Santa Rosa, Calif. During college, he continued to feed his passion for flying and received his Airline Transport Pilot License at age 23 (minimum age requirement). While studying law, John also attended graduate school and received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of San Francisco in 2002. He also served in the military reserves in his twenties and thirties.
After passing the California Bar Examination in December 2002, John joined the Santa Rosa-based law firm where he’d worked as a clerk in college, then opened his own private firm in Sonoma County in 2004. In 2005, John stepped away from his thriving law practice to oversee day-to-day operations of the family winery. John moved back to the property in 2006, then built a home overlooking the lake where he grew up fishing.
With a commitment to preserving the foundation on which his parents successfully built the Jordan brand–elegant, balanced wines and exceptional hospitality—John has utilized his business acumen and philosophy to reenergize the winery. He has built upon Jordan’s brand equity by fostering a culture of excellence where passionate, knowledgeable people are encouraged to perfect their respective crafts every day. From energy-efficient roofs, solar arrays and water recycling to fruit sourcing, extended bottle aging, soil-mapping studies, iPad integration and the overall hospitality experience, John has elevated the winery’s relentless commitment to quality in every aspect of the business.
In 2010, John co-founded a technology company that specializes in digital wine list solutions for restaurants. He also created the John Jordan Foundation in 2012—a private, charitable foundation focused on income stability and educational attainment, which funds projects in elementary schools for literacy and technology, as well as micro-loan programs for low-income families to launch small businesses.
When not running the winery or traveling the country to champion Jordan wines, John enjoys flying his Piper Cub and fishing for bass on Jordan lake. He also serves as a professor at the Empire College School of Law, and speaks German and Russian. He shares his hillside home with Labradors he adopted from a local shelter.
WWW.JORDANWINERY.COM
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