JORDAN DEBUTS FIRST JORDAN CUVÉE BY CHAMPAGNE AR LENOBLE Bottling celebrates the shared values of both wineries, jointly committed to independent ownership and quality without compromise
Jordan Vineyard & Winery announces the official launch of its first Jordan Cuvée, 100 percent produced by Champagne AR Lenoble, owned and operated by the Malassagne family in the Champagne region of France. The Jordan Cuvée by Champagne AR Lenoble ($49) is a special bottling of non-vintage brut that celebrates the shared business values and common winemaking philosophies of both families.
With a history in sparkling wine dating back three decades, Jordan was the birthplace of J by Jordan sparkling wine, which was established by winery founder Tom Jordan and his daughter, Judy, in 1987. Until 1993, J sparkling was produced at Jordan Winery in Alexander Valley, a relationship that exposed Rob Davis, Jordan's winemaker since 1976, to chardonnay's much greater Burgundian likeness when grown in the Russian River Valley appellation. After moving J by Jordan sparkling to a permanent facility in Russian River Valley, Judy took over full ownership and grew J Vineyards & Winery into a successful producer of not only sparkling but also still wines. Jordan and J operated independently for almost two decades, but Jordan continued to serve J sparkling at winery receptions and winemaker dinners until a few years ago. Judy sold J Vineyards & Winery in 2015.
The AR Lenoble-Jordan partnership started with an introduction by a mutual acquaintance. During a vacation in February 2016, Davis visited his long-time friend, Tim Johnston, the founder of Juveniles Wine Bar in Paris, and told him about Jordan's dream of finding a family in Champagne with which to collaborate on a special cuvée. Johnston, who interned at Jordan in 1980, said he knew just the person to call. Davis took a train to Champagne the next day and immediately felt a bond with the Malassagnes, learning of common values and philosophies, from independent ownership and focus on intensity of fruit and balance in the wines to extended bottle aging, adaptive farming practices and using reserve-quality wine in flagship bottlings. This is the first time AR Lenoble has ever produced a bottling for another company during its nearly 100 years in the wine business. The partnership is purely based on values-no financial investments or plans to make wines or buy vineyards together.
One of the rare producers in Champagne that has been consistently family owned throughout its entire history, AR Lenoble was established in 1920 by Armand-Raphael Graser, who had moved from Alsace to the village of Damery in Champagne during World War I. Today, AR Lenoble is owned and operated by siblings Anne and Antoine Malassagne, the great grandchildren of Graser. The family owns 18 hectares in some of the best parts of Champagne, including 10 hectares of chardonnay in the grand cru village of Chouilly on the Côte des Blancs and six hectares of pinot noir in the premier cru village of Bisseuil between Mareuil-sur-Ay and Tours-sur-Marne.
The Jordan Cuvée by Champagne AR Lenoble will make its official debut to the public at the Belle Époque Spring at Jordan on May 13, a themed event celebrating Jordan's new releases, including the first-ever Jordan Chef's Reserve Caviar by Tsar Nicoulai. (Tickets are available online for $95 per
person.) The Jordan Cuvée will also be served at select wine dinners, all Jordan Winery culinary events and many Jordan Estate Rewards member experiences, including the new Champagne & Caviar Tasting.
The Jordan Cuvée by Champagne AR Lenoble is comprised of 30% grand cru chardonnay from Chouilly, 35% premier cru pinot noir from Bisseuil and 35% pinot meunier from Damery, with reserve wines comprising 35 percent of the blend. This Champagne spent four years aging on the lees before debut, and its base wine vintage is 2012. The packaging includes both wineries' brands on the front label and capsule-a non-traditional approach to a private label-and also describes the partnership on the back label. Uncommon in Champagne packaging, a cabouchon with the Jordan wordmark, which was assembled and attached by hand by the Malassagne family and their staff, graces each muselet. The Jordan Cuvée is a special selection of the house's non-vintage brut produced in its cellars with grapes from AR Lenoble's vineyards and long-term growers.
The Jordan Cuvée retails for $49 and will only be sold direct to guests who visit the winery in Healdsburg. Only 500 nine-liter cases were imported.
WWW.JORDANWINERY.COM
WWW.CHAMPAGNE-ARLENOBLE.COM
NICOLE FELICIANO - SUMMER HACKS FOR BUSY MOMS
Summer schedules for most slow down and people can enjoy and relax in the summer sun! However, Moms schedules never cease to be absolute chaos. From summer camps, to sports to carting kids to and from friends’ houses, a moms’ job is never done, even over summer vacation!
The challenges of modern day mother hood can be overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re looking for innovative solutions to enjoying even the most hectic of summers, Founder and CEO of Momtrends Nicole Feliciano has all the answers!
Nicole Feliciano, is Founder and CEO of Momtrends. After graduating from Vanderbilt with a degree in English Literature, Nicole ventured into the (sometimes) glamorous world of advertising. In 1997, she switched gears and went to work for Ralph Lauren–combining her business acumen with her love of fashion. In her seven year career with the luxury brand, Nicole managed retail stores and eventually landed a coveted position at the corporate headquarters in NYC. Soon after that Nicole became a freelance writer and began contributing to Babble.com, Time Out New York Kids, and many more online and paper publications. Momtrends launched in 2007 and continues to provide the latest news on things trendy and cool for moms. Momtrends is packed with fashion tips and trend reports aimed to help busy, style-starved women keep in touch with what’s hip and cool. When she’s not scoping out fads and fashions, you can find Nicole in NYC with her two young daughters and extremely patient husband.
ADVANCED SOMMELIER BRIAN PHILLIPS – PERFECT PAIRINGS FOR SUMMERTIME MEALS
According to Nielsen, 120 million Americans drink wine and continue to prefer wine over beer with the five most popular varietals being chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, red blends, pinot grigio, and pinot noir. But figuring out which wine to pair with your meal can be confusing even for the biggest wine enthusiast.DID YOU KNOW?
- In 2016, revenues for U.S. wine sales increased 5% from 2015 to an estimated $39.8 billion according to Wines & Vines.
- 399 million total cases of wine were shipped last year, up 3% in 2015, according to GFAWine.
- California, Washington and Oregon are the states with the largest number of wineries.
- Millennials and Baby Boomers are the largest wine consuming generations (Wine Market Council).
- There are four distinct categories when calculating points for a wine rating – appearance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel. A wine’s aroma can earn it up to 10 points on the ratings scale.
- Wines rated 90-93 are described as Excellent and are highly recommended.
Brian Phillips will talk more about the wine industry, reveal recent trends, and teach viewers how to choose the perfect pairings for their summertime meals. He’ll also talk more about The Generous Pour event happening at Capital Grille and how they are bringing exclusive access to wines from California and Oregon that have been highly acclaimed for characteristics such as overall quality, taste profile, body and aroma.
WWW.THECAPITALGRILLE.COM