behind the label: le clos jordanne
By Mike Muirhead, Sommelier( ISG, CMS), CSW
Le Clos Jordanne 2006 Village Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Niagara VQA $ 30.00
Le Clos Jordanne 2006 Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Niagara VQA $ 42.00
Le Clos Jordanne 2006 Le Grand Clos Pinot Noir Niagara VQA $ 72.00
Canada has long struggled for acceptance and recognition within the international wine community, to gain the attention of regional elders. Canadian wine giant Vincor has silenced the cynics that would pigeonhole Canada as a one-trick pony by attracting the curiosity of one of the most powerful and influential wine countries in the world: France.
Jean Charles Boisset is a producer in Burgundy, France, the spiritual home of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Long regarded as the pinnacle of production in both these grapes, the Burgundy region has something the French refer to as near-perfect terroir. In its simplest terms, terroir refers to soil, weather, climate, vines, and how they affect the finished wine. The combination of these elements are perfect for the production of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and people have searched the world over to find another terroir that could emulate the famous côtes( slopes) of Burgundy.
This search is what turned Boisset’ s eye to the Niagara Peninsula, where he sensed the potential of the region’ s terroir, and to a partnership with Vincor that made headlines around the world. The wine industry waited with great anticipation for the fine Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs that their vineyard, Le Clos Jordanne, promised to offer.
Le Clos Jordanne has four vineyards from which they produce their Village and Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. These wines reflect the terroir of each of these very special individual vineyard sites. Le Grand Clos is the ultimate expression of Niagara Pinot Noir and is selected from only the best parcels of Le Clos Jordanne vineyards.
With the inaugural release of the 2004 vintage, the wines were an instant hit. Wine writers hailed them as“ cult classics” and“ must-haves” for any cellar. Placing quality first, the wines are available in limited quantities. For the first two vintages, Le Clos Jordanne wines were only available at two of Winnipeg’ s finest restaurants, Oui Bistro and 529 Wellington, but an extra allocation of select bottles from the 2006 vintage is now available exclusively at Banville & Jones. � www. banvilleandjones. com 19