Grounded
For its new White Label wines, Stratus digs into its vineyard
For more than 30 years, winemaker Jean-Laurent “J-L” Groux has been responsible for some of the finest wines produced in Niagara. His work developing Trius Red and Trius Grand Red encourage some to call Groux “a master of the blend.”
In 2004, that talent would take him to Stratus Vineyards, an ambitious Niagara-on-the-Lake winery that was dedicated to producing two “assemblage” wines each vintage, Stratus White and Stratus Red. After the blend for the flagship wines was decided, single-variety wines would be bottled under the Stratus label as well as secondary labels, such as Wildass, Tollgate, and Kabang.
Employing “a needle in a haystack” approach, Groux and team would taste through barrels looking to identify the best batches for Stratus White and Stratus Red and other products.
In 2020, after years of studying Stratus’ 55-acre estate vineyard, monitoring how its 16 different grapes varieties express themselves in different parts of the site and in different vintages, the team looked to create a new series of wines. The Stratus White Label represents specific selections from the vineyard, small batch releases made when the vintage warrants.
“When I arrived here, I had all this baggage, this knowledge I had come with… I have had to re-think many, many things,” says Groux who has been making wine in Niagara since 1988. “I’m still learning. That part never finishes.”
Taking a vineyard first approach isn’t new. Many other dedicated wine producers around the world have dialled in the sweet spots in their vineyards where they know the best grapes are grown. Stratus’ approach is more open-minded. Different sections of merlot, cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc in contention each year.
“We don’t want to say, we will make White Label Merlot every year from one specific block, but it’s not necessarily going to be the best every year,” Groux explains.
The best patch of merlot from a cool and rainy growing season is different from the finest parcel in a warmer year, he adds. The same goes for the other varieties.
Even in this relatively small vineyard, the mixture of soil types and the Niagara region’s famously viable weather patterns can result in different flavours and wine qualities depending on various conditions. (There is also a gentle slope: “Most people think this vineyard is flat, but it isn’t,” Groux says.)
It has taken years of observation and tasting analysis to get a handle of maximizing the potential of the vineyard. “We have built up this library of knowledge, which increases our confidence of how we manage things to grow and make the wines,” says Groux.
The hot and dry conditions of 2020 provided the winemaking team with an opportunity to start work to create some next level wines. The new portfolio was launched recently with the release of Stratus White Label Red, Stratus White Label Cabernet Sauvignon and Stratus White Label Merlot.
Other additions to the series will come next year when Stratus White Label Chardonnay Amphora and Stratus White Label Cabernet Franc Amphora are released. (The Stratus White Label Red 2021 was just bottled for later release.)
The investment of time, attention and capitol into the vineyard has led Stratus to refine its wine portfolio in other ways as well. The secondary labels have been abandoned as other wines with the Stratus label increase production. Recent releases, such as Stratus Field Blend Ancestral and Alto Red, are said to be better representations of Stratus’ philosophy and passion after more than two decades of making wine in Niagara.
White Light/White Heat
Stratus White Label Red 2020
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula $145
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40% cabernet sauvignon, 27% cabernet franc, 13% merlot, 13% malbec, 7% petit verdot | 675 days in French Oak, 20% new
Fresh and ripe/juicy style, with structure and length. The overall impression is elegance with complexity (a highly refined mix of concentrated dark fruit, with earthy and spicy notes). Nicely integrated. Complete and compelling. Drink now-2040. (95/100)
Stratus White Label Merlot 2020
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula $95
100% merlot | 2 years in barrel, 12% new
Nice and distinctive merlot nose: plummy and some floral and spice notes. Full-bodied and appealing nature, approachable now with the stuffing to age. Drink now-2035. (95/100)
Stratus White Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula $125
100% cabernet sauvignon | 801 Days in French Oak, 40% New, 40% Second Fill
The most approachable of the new tier of Stratus releases. This 14.9% alcohol by volume red offers terrific balance and drinkability — energy without any warmth. The nose is fragrant, with ripe fruit and some graphite (pencil shavings) that carries over onto the palate. Ripe and refreshing, with great texture and impressive length. Drink now-2040. (96/100)
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