Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Le Clos Jordanne 2004 Village Reserve Pinot Noir - $25.00

A lot has been said and written about Le Clos Jordanne and the wines coming out of it. In the latest Vintages magazine 6 pages were devoted to hailing its highly touted and anticipated wine release; 6 pages! For those of you who have managed to avoid the hype here are some highlights: Le Clos Jordanne is a winery located in Jordan, a joint venture between Vincor and Burgundy-based Boisset of France. Senior viniculturist (meaning he oversees all aspect of Le Clos), Thomas Bachelar, a Canuck who studied winemaking et al in France, has been toiling around in both France and Oregon for the past 10 years. In 2003 he was brought back home to head Le Clos Jordanne for Vincor – and for all intense and purposes to make prestigious wines in a garage until such time as the proposed grand winery opened. The likelihood that the original plan for the winery will happen is now up in the air and in the hands of Constellation Brands of New York; but the wines are definitely still in Thomas’ control and the once garage is now a big custom-fitted warehouse … a far cry from the Frank Gehry designed winery he was promised. As for the wine, it is quite impressive. Not many bottles remain on LCBO shelves but for those of you who got your hands on a bottle, or still can, here’s what to expect from this $25 offering: spice, oak, cedar, fig, wet leaf, plums and some earthiness on the nose, with spice and plum repeating on the palate along with strawberry, black pepper and vanilla. What’s even more appealing is the ending – Clos-ing out with hints of red licorice in a nice long finish. This is some great wine with more to come. Available at the LCBO.

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