Vineyard
The Heart of Domaine Le Clos Jordanne
Years of meticulous research across the Niagara region guided the team's quest to locate the optimal sites, where geography, climate, and soil composition would align to echo the celebrated terroir of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. This dedication yielded the esteemed Jordan Bench vineyards, where cool summers, measured growing cycles, and rich clay loam soils offer a distinguished home for the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard
Both Le Grand Clos Chardonnay and Pinot Noir happen to come from blocks on the western side of the vineyard: a happenstance of aspect, altitude, geology, and destiny! This 25-acre vineyard composed of limestone soils with rich sediments was planted in 2000 and 2001, and is situated on the renowned Jordan Bench, a natural plateau for optimal drainage and sun exposure.
Farming
The estate vineyards are farmed traditionally and sustainably to preserve the natural balance of the vines and maintain the quality of the fruit and the parcel’s terroir specifics.
Each vine is cared for by hand, from pruning through to hand-harvest. The vines are pruned to a single or double Guyot cane system (depending on the vine spacing and individual plant’s age and vigour). As the vine grows, the team positions each shoot by hand, removing lateral shoots and shoulder spurs for better ventilation and concentration of the clusters. Before véraison, leaves are stripped on the eastern side of the vine, exposing the cluster to more sun and airflow, which promotes healthy ripening and prevents disease development.
At mid-véraison, the team green harvests if we feel the crop is too large, and/or if disease pressure is present, while also netting the parcels at risk to protect the grapes from bird damage until harvest. The soil management goal is to nurture and maintain a natural level of microbiological life. Every other row (in alternate years) is cultivated and leave a varied cover crop in the remaining rows, which creates competition within the root system and allows the topsoil to remain loose and aerobic. Each year, the soil is broken up (deep ripping) in every second row, to aerate the soil structure, and to help avoid compaction.