Pearl Morissette ‘Irrévérence’ White 2018

Location: Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula

Winemaker: Francois Morissette

Grapes: Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer

Soil: Clay, loam, silt, limestone, iron, sand

Winemaking: The Chardonnay was fermented and aged in foudres; the Riesling in foudre and stainless steel. A portion of the Gewürztraminer was co-fermented with Riesling on their skins in qvevri for a total of 6 months, while the rest (carrying 30% noble rot) fermented to complete dryness in a foudre. The wines aged separately in their fermentation vessels on primary lees for 12 months, before being blended for an additional 12 months of aging in a combination of concrete and foudres.

From us at M&L: ‘Irrévénce’ is a blend of Riesling from Butler’s Grant vineyard in 20 Mile Bench (35.4%), Chardonnay from Redfoot Vineyard in Lincoln Lakeshore (25.1%) and Gewürztraminer from Knizat vineyard in NOTL (39.5%). Rich, golden textures and spices make this incredibly food-friendly—Indian or Thai cuisine, par exemple, or just a big ol’ rich stew.

From the Importer Selection Massale: Francois Morissette is making the most exciting wines in Canada that we know of in his small corner of Ontario. They are uncompromising wines of terroir that easily transcend the boundaries of the Niagara Peninsula; in his words, “I don’t make wine for Ontario, I make wine for the world."

Francois’ career in wine began in his early 20s when he spent a year working for Domaine Alain Gras in Saint-Romain, learning about the traditional winemaking methods of the region. Once he moved back to Quebec, he worked towards becoming a sommelier and spent the rest of the 1990s building some of the most ambitious wine lists in both Quebec and Ontario. In 2000, the call of the vines was to loud to ignore and he moved back to France to pursue winemaking full-time, working for some of the most famous producers in the Côte d’Or including Frédéric Mugnier in Chambolle-Musigny, Christian Gouges of Domaine Henri Gouges in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Domaine Roulot in Meursault. After 7 years in Burgundy, he returned to Canada with an eye to make his own wine using the knowledge he gained abroad, and it wasn’t long before he found a partner (Mel Pearl, a developer in Toronto) with whom to make it all happen. The estate now owns two vineyards: the 19th Street Vineyard in the Twenty Mile Beach VQA and the home vineyard which is next to the winery, that is part of the Creek Shore VQA: both farmed organically, though not certified. Francois also runs a small negoce project with other likeminded growers in the area. When harvesting (which is done in multiple passes by hand), Francois pays keen attention to the ripeness levels of the grapes as he views this as the key to achieving perfect balance in the finished wine.In the cellar, vinifications are done in a wide variety of different vessels ranging from cement tank, to barrique, to cement egg. Fining and filtration is frowned upon, and sulfur is only used in minuscule doses, if at all. Francois makes a range of different wines from his estate.