WineAlign

Lesley Fraser

There was considerable buzz in Toronto in anticipation of Le Clos Jordanne’s recent media launch of their 2007 wines at Sassafraz restaurant in Yorkville. With many winemakers and pundits calling the 2007 vintage the best Ontario vintage in living memory, all were keen to taste through the line-up of what is one of Ontario’s most exciting producers. (Reviews of those released through Vintages are at WineAlign.com)

Le Clos Jordanne  is the boutique lovechild of two global giants: Canada’s Vincor, now owned by Constellation Brands, and Burgundy’s powerful Boisset family. The unwavering goal from the beginning (first vintage 2003) was to produce wines that would rank among the world’s finest: Burgundian-style wines that express their unique Niagara terroir.  Armed with high standards and generations of tradition, LCJ approached the project from scratch: they bought the best sites they could find (thanks mother companies!) and planted Boisset clones, taking complete control of the wine from start to finish, without having to rely on or cajole contracted growers.

It was a treat to taste through the 2007s, not the least because winemaker Thomas Bachelder, his assistant viticulturalist and winemaker Sebastien Jacquey, and Jean-Charles Boisset are such engaging and informative presenters. They spoke with something close to awe about the 2007 vintage: warm and dry, the crop was smaller than normal and so were the grapes, ensuring flavour intensity and varietal character. Hot days and cool nights resulted in ripeness that’s balanced by fresh acidity and terrific aromatics, especially in the pinots. In the reds, the big tannins will need considerable time to resolve — these are definitely wines for the cellar.

In keeping with Burgundian tradition, we tasted the reds before the whites, starting with the Village Reserve. Bachelder sometimes refers to it as the “sacrificial lamb,” offering it up first to non-believers to prove what’s possible and prep them for what’s to come. From there we moved to the single vineyards: the muscular Talon Ridge, the perfumed La Petite Colline and the over-achieving Claystone Terrace (which often rivals Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard and neighbouring  Le Grand Clos). We finished with Le Clos and Le Grand Clos. Both are fantastic and neither is anywhere close to expressing its full potential. These are complex, elegant and distinguished wines that now set the bar for Ontario pinot.

The whites, although somewhat overshadowed by the pinots, are great expressions of what is possible in Ontario chardonnay. Again, we started with the Village Reserve, then moved through the Talon Ridge, Claystone Terrace, Le Clos and Le Grand Clos. Made in the traditional oxidative style of Burgundy (no stainless steel for these guys), they have Niagara’s typical perfume and more tropical fruit than you’d ever find in white Burgundy, but Bachelder hopes that trait will quiet down as the vines mature and develop more complexity. No more than 10–15% of the wine is aged in new oak – unlike many other new world producers who mask chardonnay’s character with excessive amounts of oak, LCJ uses new oak judiciously, as seasoning. For them the goal is to age the barrels till they’re a few years old — at which point the barrels work to preserve the intense minerality and acidity of the wines.

The 2008 and 2009 Vintages

Bachelder took time to discuss the newer vintages now in barrel at the winery.  The 2008 vintage was more difficult with plenty of rain at harvest, making it more typical of Niagara and perhaps Burgundy as well.  Careful viticulture and sorting was necessary, but Bachelder and Jacquey report that the perfume is explosive and there is great definition between the different vineyards. These will be wines for short- to mid-term cellaring.

David Lawrason of WineAlign tasted the 2008 range in early December from barrel and reports that the pinots are lighter weight and paler but show classic sour red fruit fragrance, and are built like 2006.  Although not released until 2010 they it could be a vintage to enjoy sooner than the top pinots from 2007. The whites from 2008 are racy, complex and very stylish – an exciting vintage.

Surprisingly, for those who lived through the 2009 vintage it is very promising. Despite the seemingly endless summer rain, September’s weather was ideal, and the fruit that was harvested was the cleanest Bachelder and Jacquey have ever seen – there was no rot whatsoever. The long, slow ripening was ideal for both the pinot and the chardonnay, and although they’ll need time in barrel to round off, they could prove to be classically old world in style.

David Lawrason reports that the colour, density and freshness of the 2009s make it one of the best vintages he has tasted. He predicts that debate will rage for years as to which is better – 2009 or 2007.

This is all very exciting stuff – to think that something already so good will only get better as LCJ continues to experiment and understand their vineyards, their acreage is maximized, and the vines get older and the vineyards articulate their distinct terroirs.