Traveling Light Relay

Canada’s greatest pinot noir, that’s how one newspaper columnist compliments wines from Le Clos Jordanne.  It just happens that first wide release of their debut vintage is on the same day as our wine tasting day.  So we tasted 4 bottles of Pinot Noir from LCJ’s 3 different vineyards.  Two of the bottles are from the same vineyard, Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard, but one, called Le Grand Clos, is created from the vineyard’s best parcel.  So accordingly it is more expensive, priced at $60 as opposed to $35 for each of the rest.

We actually weren’t all that sure if we can try all 4 bottles, because there are not that many around; only 470 cases of 6 were made for Le Grand Clos, the most expensive one.  Even for one of the $35 ones, Claystone Terrace, only 798 cases of 6 were made.  But because of the hard work of Vincent W and Naomi, we got all 4 bottles.  Unfortunately, they could secured one of each only.

We did have full meal this time; in addition to the rotisserie chicken Andrew brought over, my parents prepared some soup and Taiwanese sasuage.  My dad even prepared some Chinese “Kung-fu” tea for us, but that’s after we finished our wine.

Also this time we did blind tasting.  Since all 4 bottles are from the same winemaker, same year, we thought it might be a challenge for us inexperience drinker to find the differences between them.  Thankfully that is not the case; in fact they came from 3 different vineyards.  And so there are 2 bottles from the same vineyard.  Hence another challenge to ourselves is to identify which two are from the same vineyard.  Finally, we also want to identify which one of them is the especially expensive one.

Bottle #1 was the La Petite Vineyard; and we all thought it is decidedly inferior to the rest.  Maybe it has resemblances of Canadian wines, which is we were looking for.  Reviews had been noted that LCJ is actually more like the Old World than the New World.  Bottle #2 was from the Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard.  This is one of the two that come from the same vineyard.  Most of us didn’t think that would be the case.  That’s probably because it was bottle #3 and #4 that really stand out.  Most of us thought #3 and #4 were from the same vineyard; both of them were so good they were like those nice Burgundy.  But in fact it is bottle #4, Le Grand Clos, that is also from the Le Clos Jordanne Vineyard.  #3 is from the Claystone Terrace.  We actually saw the area map of where the vineyards are.  Although they are all close to each other, but because of the area’s microclimate, climates differs in such small area.  Hence the wines were not all the same.

It turns out that it was #4, Le Grand Clos, that is the most expensive one.  Vincent W noted that it is the finish that distinguishes Le Grand Clos from the other ones.  But given that most of us like both Claystone (#3) and Le Grand, Claystone is definitely a better buy.  But it’s going to be hard find now. –KC

The GINI Le Clos Jordanne Pinot Noir Index

Dad’s Chinese Kung-fu Tea never fails to impress