THE JORDAN family’s wine estate in Stellenbosch Kloof is on a high. The opening of their revamped restaurant with new chef Marthinus Ferreira at the end of 2022 crowned a great year for the family and their fans, numerous wines having received rave reviews and 2023 highly likely to be as successful. No fewer than 13 Jordan wines have the sort of good track records to qualify for the South African Wine Classification, with their Barrel Fermented and Nine Yards Chardonnay two of the country’s Top 10 wines made from this variety and ranking among the Top 100 overall.

Some of Jordan’s recent highlights on the world stage included: scores of 95 and 96 for the 2020 vintage of their Barrel Fermented and Nine Yards Chardonnays at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (UK), where their 2020 Long Fuse Cab also earned a gold medal; a score of 95 and a 5 Star rating for their red blend Cobblers Hill 2018 at the Decanter World Wine Awards (UK) and in Platter’s SA Wine Guide; as well as 97/100 for their 2021 Real McCoy Riesling at the Trophy Wine Show (SA).

The restaurant is one of the best places to experience these and other beauties by the glass or bottle. A great view across dam and vineyards to Stellenbosch Mountain, the Helderberg to the right, the Simonsberg to the left. Fine dining but not too formal. Attention to detail and everything just so, friendly staff willing to chat without being intrusive.

Chef Ferreira and his team fired up the stoves and began serving tables at Jordan too late for consideration at the 2022 Eat Out Restaurant Awards but they’re bound to be in the running for a star or two next time round. The man in charge has worked in the kitchens of food celebrities Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal and was doing his thing to much applause in Johanneburg before moving to the Cape.

Patrons can choose a three-course meal with or without wine pairings (R650pp vs R850pp). It’s a menu to suit most tastes and changes regularly. Everything’s good to very good – even the bread is special, and they make fine coffee! The winelist? Yes, there are the star attractions as expected, but the occasional surprise too – perhaps the Cab Franc or one of the other limited releases usually reserved for ‘Insiders’, or, as on the occasion that we visited, a delightful sparkler made from Colombar!