Fans of Sonoma’s beloved Jordan Winery have a new reason to raise their (sparkling wine) glass. The estate has partnered with renowned Damery-based Champagne House, AR Lenoble, to add a special, non-vintage brut Champagne bottling to their lineup. The wine, which debuted in France last October, is finally available for purchase directly from the winery in California this month.
Jordan previously crafted sparkling wines in their native California years back, though second-generation winemaker and owner of Jordan Vineyards, John Jordan, explains on the winery’s site that “the best sparkling wines in the world come from Champagne. It makes more sense for us to collaborate with a French partner who shares our values rather than to get back into the Sonoma sparkling wine business.”
Like Jordan, AR Lenoble is also family-owned and has consistently been so throughout the history of the business. The Champagne house was first created in 1920, when Armand-Raphael Graser transferred to Damery from his native Alsace during the first World War. The winery began operating under the oversights of Graser’s two great grandchildren, siblings Anne and Antoine Malassagne, in 1993, and continues to be run by the duo today.
Fruit for the new Jordan Cuvée comes from the family’s own 18 hectares of vines, covering the grand cru village of Chouilly, premier cru village of Bisseuil, and the winery’s home base of Damery. The assemblage is 30% grand cru Chardonnay from Chouilly, 35% premier cru Pinot Noir from Bisseuil, and 35% Pinot Meunier, aged four years on lees. According to Jordan’s site, the new cuvée is a “special selection of the AR Lenoble Brut Intense that was packaged exclusively for Jordan.”
Winemaker and co-owner Antoine Malassagne states that “We [at AR Lenoble] believe small, independent businesses like ours are stronger if we stick together in an increasingly globalized world. An ocean might separate us, but both Jordan and AR Lenoble are united by our commitment to remaining independent and focused on crafting wines of elegance without compromise.” Jordan Cuvée is the first joint venture for AR Lenoble in its (almost) century of business.
Two family-owned businesses with a shared mentality on small-business support, collaborating on Champagne? We’ll most definitely drink to that.
