Jordan Winery and AR Lenoble to release first Jordan Cuvée

A special bottling reflecting the AR Lenoble-Jordan partnership, the Jordan Cuvée is the first Champagne that AR Lenoble has produced for another company.

Set to retail for US$49, the Jordan Cuvée will be sold directly from the Jordan winery in Healdsburg, California from 13 May. The non-vintage brut Champagne ‘celebrates the shared values of Jordan in California and Champagne AR Lenoble in France, jointly committed to independent ownership, wines of balance and quality without compromise.’

The partnership was formed in 2016 when Jordan winemaker, Rob Davis, was put in touch with the Malassagne family, at AR Lenoble, by Tim Johnston, founder of Juveniles Wine Bar in Paris.

Commenting on the relationship, Davis said: “When Antoine [Melassagne] and I met and started talking about our winemaking philosophies, we found so many more similarities than differences.”

“We are trying to achieve the same thing: a wine that expresses a great purity and intensity of fruit, a liveliness and a freshness; a wine that lets the vineyard speak for itself.”

The Jordan Cuvée is made from fruit selected from AR Lenoble’s three grand cru Chardonnay parcels in Chouilly, a premier cru Pinot Noir vineyard in Bisseuil and Pinot Meunier from Damery. It is a blend of 30% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir and 35% Pinot Meunier with a dosage of 5g/l.

Rob Davis of Jordan and Antoine Malassagne of AR Lenoble.

It uses 35% reserve wines and spends 4 years on its lees, with 18% aged in oak barrels, and aged in bottle for a total of almost 5 years.

With aromas of apple, pear and brioche, the Jordan Cuvée has ‘a creamy texture balanced by lively acidity, crisp apple and citrus flavours and an attractive steely character,’ according to winemaker Antoine Malassagne

The new wine will be served at Jordan winery events and tastings while there are also plans to serve Jordan wines to guests at AR Lenoble in the future.