Food Pairing with Champagne A.R. LeNoble

Established in 1972 and inspired by their love for France, California’s Jordan Vineyard & Winery has had a thirty year history with sparkling wine. J by Jordan was started by winery founder Tom Jordan in 1987 and until 1993 was produced at Jordan Winery. At this point, J by Jordan was moved to its own facility in the Russian River Valley. Although Jordan and J worked independent of each other for about twenty years Jordan would serve J sparkling at dinners and receptions. That was until J Vineyards and Winery was sold in 2015.

At this point John Jordan, now Proprietor of Jordan Winery, realized sparkling wine still needed to be part of their experience. Jordan decided to take the next step and partnered with Champagne house A.R. LeNoble and created the first Jordan Cuvée Champagne. This special non vintage brut bottling was produced 100 percent in Champagne by the A.R. LeNoble family celebrating the common values of both small, independent, family owned wineries creating elegant wines. The Jordan Cuvée Champagne’s assemblage is comprised of 30% Chardonnay from Chouilly, 35% Pinot Noir from Bisseuil and 35% from Pinot Meunier from Damery. The dosage is 5 g/l.

A.R. LeNoble was established in 1920 by Armand-Raphaël Graser who moved from Alsace to the village of Damery in Champagne during WW1. Armand decided to not include his last name in the creation of his Champagne house and instead went with LeNoble following his initials as he believed Champagne was the most noble wine in France. The family currently owns 18 hectares in villages Grand Cru Chouilly and Premier Cru Bisseuil and Damery. Much like Jordan, A.R LeNoble is in the rare category of being family owned wineries from the very beginning.

When Jordan’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Lisa Mattson, recently visited A.R. LeNoble she spent time with Anne and Antoine Malassagne, the great grandchildren of Armand. One of the highlighted Jordan Cuvée pairings they shared with her was an appetizer featuring shrimp with ginger and she also mentioned that the Champagne could stand up to a more savory dish such as pork tenderloin.

In California, at Jordan, elevated, locally sourced food pairings are also integral to the tasting experience. For a fantastic cheese pairing with the Jordan Cuvée Lisa recommends Locarno, a creamy Brie from Nicasio Cheese Company just west of Petaluma in California. She also shared exciting news that the winery is now offering Jordan’s Chef’s Reserve Caviar by Tsar Nicoulai and it is a decadently delicious pairing with the Jordan Cuvée that they will serve together at select events, formal dinners, a Champagne & Caviar Tasting offering for the Jordan Estate Rewards Members.

Written by Bridget Cheslock