Le Clos Jordanne: 2005s

Overall I was slightly less impressed with the 2005 vintage than I was the 2004, but found that the same high quality remained. I’m sure that with some cellaring these will come together nicely. I thought that there was a bit of sourness in the nose coming from elevated volatile acidity, but far from the point of being a flaw. Maybe this sourness was what David Lawrason was referring to in his Toronto Life blog, “…they’re youthfully nervy, bordering on sour and tannic”. I will refer to Lawrason’s scores throughout as DL score: abbreviated tasting notes. I read his notes after I had assigned my scores so it’s interesting to see where we agree or differ.

Village Reserve Chardonnay
Creamy oak, tropical fruit (pineapple), biscuit, butterscotch, hazelnut, good green apple acidity and mineral linger on the finish. With some air I smell faint lanolin. Pretty good value by Niagara standards. DL 90: very good value, pineapple, lemon, butterscotch, lemony acidity and hazelnut cream on the finish. Our notes are surprisingly close other than the green apple acidity I got that he noted as lemon. $25 89

Village Reserve Pinot Noir
A bit mushroomy at first, candied cherry, mild oak spice, watery mid-palate and finish. I noticed some red apple skin, almost like the apple cider note which I get frequently in Bourgogne. The finish is slightly short. For me the 2004 was better (I scored it 89). DL 88: black cherry-currant nose, cedar, chocolate, touch of mint, grippy, dry and sourish, very good length. Our notes couldn’t be more different (especially the length), but we scored the wine similarly. $25 87

La Petite Pinot Noir
I noticed a funky, almost cheesy, aroma that blew off with some vigorous swirling. I found it slightly floral with sweet perfumy strawberry, rhubarb, and sour cherry. As expected it was the most delicate (some might say feminine) of the lot. There are light vanilla tones which give way to a floral spiciness, somewhat like Grains of Paradise. Nice finish with lingering fruit. The 2004 was better. I think the growing conditions in 2005 did not bring out the best aspects of this vineyard. DL 88: “Nose is lifted, very spicy and savoury with ripe sour cherry (not big black cherry) and a touch of earthy beetroot character”. $35 89

Claystone Terrace Pinot Noir
Immediately I sense more depth and black fruit than the previous wines. There is a subdued gamey note, plum and black cherry, and beetroot, with a mineral core that underpins the fruit. To me it’s not particularly complex at this point but still good. Gordon Stimmell writes in the Toronto Star “This Niagara winery's pinots rival Burgundy's best. The nose shows classic beetroot, vanilla wafer and big black cherry. The vanilla-laced flavours unfold with black cherry and earthy wood smoke. Overall, rich, suffusive and delicious. 92” DL 90: cherry-raisin, plum, gentle spice, nougat, leather, chocolate, fairly tannic and blunt. Looks like my score falls right in between. $35 91

Grand Clos Pinot Noir
For me it has a silky texture and depth that clearly separates it from the other wines. I would say it’s the best of the lot. It is rounder and fuller in the mouth and as I’ve noticed before great length. Not as dark as the Claystone; the fruit is a balance of red and black. Sweet cherry, red apple/cider, savoury notes, perhaps a bit sour at the moment. The sweet perfume lingers on and saturates my senses when I exhale through my nose. Some minerality to round things up too. I noticed some barnyard while sniffing the dregs of the glass. It has the power of the Claystone with some of the sweet perfume of La Petite. DL 92: black cherry, currant, cedar, meat, mint, some chocolate, dense and elegant, outstanding length. Again our ratings are within 1 point of each other. $60 93

There was has been some debate between tasters as to whether the 2005 Claystone or the Grand Clos is better, but personally I think the Grand Clos had more depth, better texture, and the finish lasted much longer. The Grand Clos is better now and it will be even better with some time in the cellar. However, considering that the Claystone is almost half the price of the Grand Clos the quality to price ratio makes the Claystone the better buy of two.

I can’t wait to taste the 2006s from the bottle!