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A spirited debate with 13th Street winemaker Jean-Pierre Colas on regional identity for Niagara wines, plus upcoming releases reviewed

mainJean-Pierre Colas believes first and foremost in region ahead of sub-appellation and way, way before single-vineyard recognition for wines in Niagara.

“I don’t want to promote sub-appellations,” the out-spoken 13th Street Winery winemaker says. “I want to promote the region. I want to push to have this region recognized.”

And while I respect “JP” a  great deal (and I love tasting with him), he and I differ wildly on this, of course, and I think I can make a case for my side of the argument directly using his own wines from 13th Street’s own unique terroir using at least one of the winery’s vineyards as an example.

imagesThe wines Colas makes, and bottles under the vineyard-designate June’s Vineyard, are perfect examples of terroir-driven wines. The vineyard, in this case, is the star, not the region of Niagara. It is the particular clay-loam soils and decomposed yellow limestone from the shores of the ancient Lake Iroquois that provide a uniqueness you can’t get anywhere else.

The vineyard, young by world standards, was planted in 2009 to 3 acres of Riesling, 2.75 acres of Chardonnay, 2.75 acres of Cabernet Franc and a single acre of Cabernet Sauvignon, is already  showing a sameness, a somewhereness in the wines from vintage to vintage, especially with the stripped down, unoaked Chardonnay and the pure expression of Riesling.

I would urge Colas to exploit this, and, in fairness, he does so with quite a few estate bottlings, including the June’s Vineyard Riesling and Chardonnay, to his advantage.

Niagara already has an identity and its sub-appellations must mean something or winemakers might as well just pack up and go back to 1984. Dig deeper into the individual vineyards and you will find more evidence of terroir. You can drill down further, and some do, with individual blocks within a vineyard, within a sub-appellation, within a region. Many trade on that identity, and justifiably so, to great success.

Let’s be honest here, mention Cave Spring Vineyard, Rosomel Vineyard, St. Urban Vineyard, Robin’s Block, Claystone Terrace, Paul Bosc Vineyard, Delaine Vineyard, Triangle Vineyard. Wismer Vineyard, Picone Vineyard or Lot 31 to a seasoned Niagara wine lover and they inherently know what that means. The mere mention of a vineyard or block of vines instantly conjures up flavours, minerals, nuances, ageability and a sense of place that, in some instances, is more important than the the producer’s name or the sub-appellation where it is grown.

collageThis is not news. And I would suggest Colas is being provocative in proclaiming that regionality over sub-appellations is the goal in a young region’s early years. Afterall, he cut his teeth in one of the most critical appellation-driven regions in the world, that being Chablis, where a few feet one way or the other can make all the difference in the wine’s intrinsic makeup.

At Domaine Laroche in Chablis, Colas oversaw production for 10 years. During his tenure there he produced Wine Spectator Magazine’s 1998 White Wine of the Year, an award he received for his Domaine Laroche Grand Cru Les Clos 1996. Also in 1998, Colas was awarded with the Best Wine in the Wine Enthusiast, Grand Cru Chablis Blanchots “Reserve de l’obedience” 1996 (99 pts).

So he knows a thing or two about terroir and how to best coax into a bottle.

the redsIt’s all about uniqueness. And a good winemaker knows that comes from place, not in the style of winemaking.

The June’s Vineyard Riesling, for example, evokes flavours of marzipan (Cola’s word), and pine oil (resident sommelier, Peter Bodnar Rod’s description) and ginger-lime (my words) flavours. They hold true no matter the vintage, no matter the tinkering in the cellar or vineyard. They are inherent to June’s Vineyard, not Niagara.

11192503884_d2ca265f87Understanding the terroir of the sub-appellations and unique vineyard sites within those sub-appellations is a challenge for consumers. But it starts with the winemakers, the growers and those who sell the wine to best explain through education what it means to be a wine grown on the Beamsville Bench, St. Davids Bench, Short Hills Bench or Niagara Lakeshore. What does YOUR sub-ap bring to the table? What can I expect from a wine made in Niagara-on-the-Lake vs. a wine made on the Twenty Mile Bench? What is the difference between Claystone Terrace and Le Clos Jordanne Vineyards?

Every major wine region in the world struggles with sub-appellations at some point in their growth; its definition, its geography, its subtle nuances, and wine lovers swear by a Left Bank or Right Bank Bordeaux, or Le Clos vs. Vaudésir in Chablis, or Puligny Montrachet vs. Meursault in Burgundy. To be a player on the world map you have to play the game, keep it interesting and move forward at the highest end of the quality scale. And there has be buy-in from the stakeholders in the region.

No one is saying there isn’t a place for regional wines. Far from it. These are the wines that drive the industry. These are the wines made so that tinkering at another level can take place. Regional wines are what the vast majority of wineries make for myriad reasons, not the least of which is economics.

11192504464_6f91415837And others, like 13th Street with its top-tier Essence wines, choose to let the winemaker, in this case, Colas, make his best expression of whatever grape he chooses to represent Niagara in any given vintage. I can buy into that and understand it. Sub-appellation and vineyard play a back-seat role while the name Essence means more and offers a hint at what’s in the bottle. In this case, it’s all about the winemaker’s style from the best grapes he could find to do the job.

There’s room for both, and that’s the beauty of a new region.

Here’s what I tasted with Colas, Bodnar Rod and marketing manager Ilya Rubin on a recent morning at the winery’s elegantly appointed tasting room.

rose13th Street Cuvee Rose Brut NV ($25, Vintages, new bottling released in December, 89 points) — The newest release of this non-vintage sparkling wine should start showing up in December. It is essentially made from 2011 fruit and is a Pinot Noir-driven blend with Chardonnay and, as Colas says, 13th Street’s “signature” grape Gamay. The nose shows bright cherry fruit with raspberry and anise notes and lovely yeasty-toasty nuances. It’s rich and vivacious on the palate with an energetic mousse that carries the robust red fruits through the finish. Not bone dry but balanced.

13th Street June’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2013 ($22, Vintages/winery in the new year, 90 points) — Such an interesting expression of unoaked Chardonnay from this personable, distinct vineyard. A nose of pear, apple and lovely wet stone minerality. There’s a creamy feel on the palate with apple and pear fruits bolstered by subtle notes of almond paste, stoney minerality and refreshing, mouth-watering acidity.

the whites13th Street June’s Vineyard Riesling 2013 ($20, Vintages/winery in new year, 91 points) — It is with the Riesling that June’s Vineyard really struts her stuff. The minerality oozes on the nose with notes of mandarin orange, lime, grapefruit and a spicy ginger kick. Colas notes senses marzipan, Bodnar Rod gets a pine oil note, but suffice to say, there’s a lot going on here. The palate shows zesty lime, grapefruit, gun flint and that gorgeous integrated note of ginger. Well done Riesling.

13th Gamay 2013 ($20, winery in new year, 88 points) — Positioning itself as a Gamay juggernaut, Colas says: “Everyone now wants to make Gamay. But we have history with this grape.” The first-tier bottling of Gamay from 13th Street is a nice place to begin, a drinking wine, a farm wine, with a nose of wild berries, currants and plums. It’s simply delicious in the mouth with plum-cherry flavours and balancing acidity.

sandstone gamay13th Street Sandstone Vineyard Gamay 2012 ($30, winery, 92 points) — Colas takes Gamay to a new level with this single-vineyard wine made from nearly 30-year-old vines. A “wow” nose of plums, boysenberry, black cherry, cloves, nutmeg and oak spices. This is a highly structured Gamay on the palate with velvety tannins to go with juicy black cherry, anise, plums and rich, savoury spices. A Gamay you tuck in the cellar for a couple of years or enjoy now.

essence pinot13th Street Essence Pinot Noir 2011 ($45, no release date, 92 points) — In the Essence wines, this is where you find the personality of Colas, this is his playground, a place where he can make the wines that best express the best of the vintage, his take on the vintage. The Pinot shows black cherry, meaty-loamy notes, truffles and swirling spices on the nose. It is built with structure, designed to age, with ripe, assertive tannins, savoury cherry flavours, currants, earthy and spicy but doesn’t seem over the top on the palate. My temptation would be to lay this down for a while to bring it all into harmony.

13th Street Essence Syrah 2012 ($45, released in new year, 93 points) — And then there is the Syrah, the 20-Mile Bench Syrah, the Wismer Vineyard Syrah, the warm-vintage Syrah. Colas hits a home run with this beauty, a funky, rock ‘n’ roll mass of roasted meats, black currants, boysenberry, earth, loam, saddle leather, campfire smoke and spice on the nose. It’s wild and untethered on the palate with dark fruits that mingle with earth, spice and tar that’s all lifted by racy cool-climate acidity. A big wine that needs a bit of taming in the cellar. Say five years to reap its rewards?

13th Street Merlot 2013 ($18, Vintages in April, 87 points) — A funny thing happened to 13th Street when it released this unoaked 2012 Merlot a year ago out of necessity. It flew off the shelves at the LCBO. The reviews were positive with a few even mentioning the “oak” nuances while not realizing it was made completely oak free. Fast-forward a year, and the unoaked version of this Merlot is back. The nose shows pure cherry, raspberry and plum fruit on the nose. It’s bright and cheerful on the palate with non-aggressive tannins, red fruits and racy acidity. Simple, yes, but delicious nonetheless.