Angels Gate winery is the new home for Arterra’s Le Clos Jordanne

By Rick VanSickle

Arterra Wines Canada announced today that it has found a new home for the venerable Le Clos Jordanne brand.

Le Clos is moving to the current Angels Gate winery on the Beamsville Bench after Arterra recently purchased both Angels Gate and sister winery Kew Vineyards. The move onto the Beamsville Bench will, for the time since its inception in 2006, will have an estate for wine lovers to visit, sample, and purchase its terroir-focused, single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.

In addition to having a large tasting room and a new home for its winemaking, Le Clos Jordanne will also add additional acres of coveted Bench vineyards to complement the already existing vineyard on the Jordan Bench.

“I am beyond excited that we have found the perfect home for Le Clos Jordanne and world-renowned winemaker, Thomas Bachelder, to continue to perfect his craft and delight wine lovers,” said Arterra President and CEO, John Boynton. “Not only do we have a beautiful location for tourists on the Beamsville Bench, but we have acquired even more high-quality grapes, grown on some of the best terroir, for Thomas, below, to craft into some of the best wines in Canada.”

“The original goal of Le Clos Jordanne was to create a domaine in the Niagara region, producing ultra-premium, Burgundian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, entirely from our vines” said Bachelder. “I am thrilled to be able to expand that mission to include the terroirs of both the Jordan and Beamsville bench.”

Located on the Beamsville Bench, the westernmost part of the Niagara Peninsula wine-growing area and home to some of the best vineyards in Ontario, Le Clos Jordanne will move to the current Angels Gate winery and will continue to operate over the summer while Bachelder acclimates to the new vineyards and equipment. Angels Gate wines will be available only until inventory runs out, said Angels Gate wines will continue to be available until inventory lasts, said Arterra senior manager, Isabelle Méplon. “It will then become Le Clos Jordanne’s new home. Renovations to create a new home for Le Clos Jordanne will start in the coming months. We want to make sure that we create the perfect environment worthy of Le Clos Jordanne brand.” Méplon also said the Angels Gate winemaker Philip Dowell is no longer with the company.

Work will begin soon on renovations to the tasting room. A grand opening event and media tours will be held once the renovation work is complete.

About Arterra Wines Canada   

Arterra Wines Canada, Inc. is the country’s leading producer and marketer of award-winning, globally recognized Canadian and imported wines.  

With roots dating back to the original Niagara Falls Wine Company in 1874, Arterra’s family of wines has grown to include over 100 wine brands, including seven of the top 20 brands in Canada: Jackson-Triggs, Inniskillin, Sawmill Creek, Wallaroo Trail, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Ruffino and Kim Crawford. In

the last five years, the company’s portfolio has received over 1,500 accolades and awards in national and international wine competitions. 

Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Arterra operates eight wineries across the country, with over 1,700 acres of premium vineyards in Canada’s wine regions. Arterra also owns the Wine Rack stores in

Ontario and sells wine kits for winemaking through its RJS Craft Winemaking brand. It employs approximately 2,000 full-time and part-time staff across the country.  

About Le Clos Jordanne

Originally Le Clos Jordanne was a Franco-Canadian winemaking collaboration between Vincor Canada (now Arterra Wines Canada) and the Famille Boisset of Burgundy. The goal of Le Clos Jordanne was to create a “domaine” in the Niagara region, producing ultra-premium, Burgundian-style Chardonnay and

Pinot Noir, expressive of the unique terroir of the Jordan Bench.

The first batch of Le Clos Jordanne wines were released in 2006 to great critical acclaim. In 2009, the 2005 Claystone Terrace Chardonnay generated global praise after winning first place in the Judgement of Montreal competition, showing the truly exceptional capabilities of the Niagara region and beating out favoured competitors from France and California. It was only the second wine Le Clos produced.

Plans were in place to build Le Clos Jordanne into the flagship winery of the Niagara region, which included a Frank Gehry-designed building. Unfortunately, after much planning, it was decided that the

proposed site of the building would be better used to plant more vines. Le Clos Jordanne continued to produce critically acclaimed wines until a few consecutive years of short crops led to its eventual closure in 2016.

In June 2019, Arterra Wines Canada announced a new partnership with Thomas Bachelder to rebirth the beautiful wines of the Le Clos Jordanne and bring the prominence of this great vineyard back into the Canadian and international spotlight.