Vignoble Mondor
by
Terry Sullivan
Summary: On fertile farm land in Lanoraie, Quebec a new idea was created to replace the tobacco fields where the owners had cultivated tobacco for 35 years. The Mondor family took a chance and planted a vineyard.
For almost four decades, tobacco was planted and harvested on the Mondor farm in the Lanaudière region of Quebec. The family owned this land for four generations. The tobacco culture was abolished in Quebec in 2003 and the Mondor family was in search for another crop to plant on their silica soil that was also comprised of sediment from the Champlain Sea.
Vineyards
Maurice Mondor turned the challenge over to his son, Gaétan who took on the challenge of planting a vineyard. One of the reasons to plant a vineyard was that Gaétan liked wine. In 2005, a few rows were planted. Additional plantings were made in 2007 and 2011. The vineyard now has 10,000 vines including many varieties that grow well in Quebec. Varieties include Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, St. Croix, E.S. 517 (a red grape developed by Elmer Swenson also know as Radisson), Marquette, Black Pearl and Vidal. The vineyard comprises 10 hectares (25 acres) of land. The largest planting of vines is Marquette. During our late May visit, the vines were showing primary and some secondary buds.
Tasting Room
The small tasting room has an L-shaped tasting counter. Windows on one wall show views into the production area. Visitors will notice the stainless steel tanks used for fermentation and aging wines. The size of the tasting room provides visitors with a more intimate tasting experience, often with a family member. Stools allow visitors a place to sit at the counter. Photos of the production process are shown on the LCD behind the tasting counter. About 6,000 bottles of wine are produced yearly using only the grapes harvested from the property.
Wines
We met Gaétan and his wife, Myriam Poirier who gave a tour of the vineyard and conducted our tasting experience. We first tasted a tank sample of the 2012 Frontenac Gris. They sold out of the 2011 and had not bottled the 2012 at the time of our visit. The yellow colored wine had a floral aroma with some peach hints. The taste was citrusy with a hint of peach. The finish was crisp and citrusy.
The 2011 De Marquette was a dark ruby to dark purple colored wine made mostly with Marquette and a splash of Frontenac and St. Croix. The aroma and taste offered dark berry fruit and was herbal and spicy. There were tannins and an herbal and spicy finish. The 2011 Renaissance was a dark ruby blend of Frontenac, St. Croix, Marquette and Radisson. The aroma and taste offered dark fruit with a slight oak influence of licorice.Tannins were on the fruity finish.
Our tasting concluded with Le Mindel, a vin de glace. The Icewine was a blend of mostly Frontenac Gris with a little Vidal. It had a dark gold color. The aroma and taste had floral notes, especially honeysuckle, and dried fruits and citrus. The crisp finish also had some citrus accompanied with dried candied fruits.
A visit to Vignoble Mondor is relaxing. You can stroll past the vineyards and taste several wines that reflect the terroir of the property. The vin de glace is a must for tasting.
Vignoble Mondor
137, Rang St-Henri
Lanoraie, Quebec, Canada J0K 1E0
GPS: N45º 58.809’ W73º 17.162’
Article written June 2013
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