Le Clos Jordanne Intro: 2004s
Up until I tried the wines from Clos Jordanne I was consistently unimpressed with the quality of the Pinot Noir coming from Niagara. I always thought that there was a lot of unrealized potential and couldn’t understand why so many watery, boring wines were being produced; after all, the climate and soil seem well suited to Pinot and the latitude is close that of Burgundy. I was hoping at some point someone would get serious and raise the bar, but I wasn’t expecting it anytime soon.
For me, as for most people who tried the first released vintage (2004), tasting the wines of Clos Jordanne for the first time marked a new era for Niagara wine. I was excited that someone was finally making Pinot Noir here that I actually liked, and better yet the wines had distinct terroir. From what I’ve read I think most wine critics would agree that Le Clos Jordanne has set the benchmark for the varietal in Niagara.
My favourite press quote from the first release:
“The room was buzzing—Bachelder’s rich baritone couldn’t corral us. That wine was unlike any the province had ever produced. I knew at that moment that a page in Ontario’s wine history had just turned.” The Grape’s Progress, Toronto Life, David Lawrason.
You can find the rest of the article here.
For more rave reviews.
The wine maker, Thomas Bachelder, is an enthusiastic proponent of terroir so I think it’s appropriate to start with my general impressions of the distinguishing characteristics I have noticed between the different vineyards.
The Pinot Noir Vineyards
Talon Ridge: The grapes from this vineyard comprise a majority of the Village Reserve. Not the most refined of the vineyards, but by no means poor in any way. I frequently get cherry cola, a faint floral perfume, and an underlying earthy minerality.
The Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs
La Petite Vineyard: This vineyard is a favourite of mine, although those who like bigger darker pinot may overlook it. It is the most elegant and floral with the fruit leaning toward the red spectrum.
Claystone Terrace: This vineyard is often a favourite because of its burly frame and extract leaning toward black fruits and a strong mineral backbone. Big, but with some poise.
Le Clos Jordanne: Mineral, spice and earth with well defined fruit. Almost as big and dark as the Claystone, but with more perfume. Mix of the elegance of La Petite with the brawn of Claystone.
The flagship Grand Clos
Le Grand Clos: This is a block of Le Clos Jordanne that was kept separate for its special qualities. The thing that struck me immediately in every vintage I tried was the amazing length of the finish and the velvety texture. Similar in character to Le Clos Jordanne, but with added complexity. The wine maker and numerous wine critics have also remarked on the exceptional palate persistence of this cuvee.
Not too surprisingly my impressions of the various vineyards match up very well with what other wine writers and the winemaker have noted, which goes to show that these differences are quite obvious and don’t require a wine expert to tell the difference. All the wines are vinified the same way and a mix of Pinot clones is used to remove the effects of clonal variation, so it is safe to say the unique characteristics are derived in the vineyard. This is probably one of the best examples of the affect terroir can have in Niagara.
The 2004s
Both of the Village Reserve wines tipped the scales at around 14% alcohol.
Village Reserve Chardonnay
Oak is evident (vanilla, maple syrup) but not overpowering because there is plenty of acid to balance things out. Nutty notes of pecan/cashew, citrus (grapefruit), with good weight. Not bad value when compared to other wines in the Niagara Chardonnay class. Tony Aspler gives this 4/5 stars: caramel, vanilla, orange peel, peach. $25 89
Village Reserve Pinot Noir
Not overly complex or weighty, but there is a nice minerality, structure, and concentration I have never seen in a Niagara Pinot in this price range. Toasty cracker, sour cherry, and best of all a bit of that lovely Pinot perfume I crave (floral, violets). The oak is not overdone here, only 30% new I’m told. Tony Aspler gives this 4.5/5 stars: earthy, beetroot, violet, raspberry. $25 89
In Brief -
Press reviews for the other single vineyard ($35) and Grand Clos ($60) Pinots were very positive. La Petite was scored 91 by Wine Access: lightest and most elegant of the single vineyard Pinots, floral perfume, cherry-cranberry, almost silky. I couldn’t agree more. The Claystone Terrace was rated 4.5-5/5 by Aspler: minerally, raspberry, mint, firmly structured. The Clos Jordanne rated a 90 by Wine Access: ripe cherry, moving into medium body range. Le Grand Clos was rated 93 by Wine Access: better fruit definition, “the best length I can remember from Pinot Noir in Canada or many other places”, beetroot. Gordon Stimmel of the Toronto Star also rated Le Grand Clos a 93 and proclaimed that it was the best Canadian Pinot Noir he had ever tasted. Of all the reviews I agree with David Lawrason’s (Wine Access) notes the most, our palates seem to be quite similar.
Next Post: Le Clos Jordanne 2005s
Below is a picture I took of the open-top oak fermentors at Le Clos Jordanne .
For me, as for most people who tried the first released vintage (2004), tasting the wines of Clos Jordanne for the first time marked a new era for Niagara wine. I was excited that someone was finally making Pinot Noir here that I actually liked, and better yet the wines had distinct terroir. From what I’ve read I think most wine critics would agree that Le Clos Jordanne has set the benchmark for the varietal in Niagara.
My favourite press quote from the first release:
“The room was buzzing—Bachelder’s rich baritone couldn’t corral us. That wine was unlike any the province had ever produced. I knew at that moment that a page in Ontario’s wine history had just turned.” The Grape’s Progress, Toronto Life, David Lawrason.
You can find the rest of the article here.
For more rave reviews.
The wine maker, Thomas Bachelder, is an enthusiastic proponent of terroir so I think it’s appropriate to start with my general impressions of the distinguishing characteristics I have noticed between the different vineyards.
The Pinot Noir Vineyards
Talon Ridge: The grapes from this vineyard comprise a majority of the Village Reserve. Not the most refined of the vineyards, but by no means poor in any way. I frequently get cherry cola, a faint floral perfume, and an underlying earthy minerality.
The Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs
La Petite Vineyard: This vineyard is a favourite of mine, although those who like bigger darker pinot may overlook it. It is the most elegant and floral with the fruit leaning toward the red spectrum.
Claystone Terrace: This vineyard is often a favourite because of its burly frame and extract leaning toward black fruits and a strong mineral backbone. Big, but with some poise.
Le Clos Jordanne: Mineral, spice and earth with well defined fruit. Almost as big and dark as the Claystone, but with more perfume. Mix of the elegance of La Petite with the brawn of Claystone.
The flagship Grand Clos
Le Grand Clos: This is a block of Le Clos Jordanne that was kept separate for its special qualities. The thing that struck me immediately in every vintage I tried was the amazing length of the finish and the velvety texture. Similar in character to Le Clos Jordanne, but with added complexity. The wine maker and numerous wine critics have also remarked on the exceptional palate persistence of this cuvee.
Not too surprisingly my impressions of the various vineyards match up very well with what other wine writers and the winemaker have noted, which goes to show that these differences are quite obvious and don’t require a wine expert to tell the difference. All the wines are vinified the same way and a mix of Pinot clones is used to remove the effects of clonal variation, so it is safe to say the unique characteristics are derived in the vineyard. This is probably one of the best examples of the affect terroir can have in Niagara.
The 2004s
Both of the Village Reserve wines tipped the scales at around 14% alcohol.
Village Reserve Chardonnay
Oak is evident (vanilla, maple syrup) but not overpowering because there is plenty of acid to balance things out. Nutty notes of pecan/cashew, citrus (grapefruit), with good weight. Not bad value when compared to other wines in the Niagara Chardonnay class. Tony Aspler gives this 4/5 stars: caramel, vanilla, orange peel, peach. $25 89
Village Reserve Pinot Noir
Not overly complex or weighty, but there is a nice minerality, structure, and concentration I have never seen in a Niagara Pinot in this price range. Toasty cracker, sour cherry, and best of all a bit of that lovely Pinot perfume I crave (floral, violets). The oak is not overdone here, only 30% new I’m told. Tony Aspler gives this 4.5/5 stars: earthy, beetroot, violet, raspberry. $25 89
In Brief -
Press reviews for the other single vineyard ($35) and Grand Clos ($60) Pinots were very positive. La Petite was scored 91 by Wine Access: lightest and most elegant of the single vineyard Pinots, floral perfume, cherry-cranberry, almost silky. I couldn’t agree more. The Claystone Terrace was rated 4.5-5/5 by Aspler: minerally, raspberry, mint, firmly structured. The Clos Jordanne rated a 90 by Wine Access: ripe cherry, moving into medium body range. Le Grand Clos was rated 93 by Wine Access: better fruit definition, “the best length I can remember from Pinot Noir in Canada or many other places”, beetroot. Gordon Stimmel of the Toronto Star also rated Le Grand Clos a 93 and proclaimed that it was the best Canadian Pinot Noir he had ever tasted. Of all the reviews I agree with David Lawrason’s (Wine Access) notes the most, our palates seem to be quite similar.
Next Post: Le Clos Jordanne 2005s
Below is a picture I took of the open-top oak fermentors at Le Clos Jordanne .
Labels: Niagara, Pinot Noir
posted by Jason Zacarias | 8:37 p.m.
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