"White, Light and Bright”
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario | June 21, 2023
Stratus Vineyards, a benchmark Canadian winery, releases its signature Stratus White from the 2021 vintage today on the summer solstice to celebrate
the longest daylight of the year and all things White, Light & Bright!
White
Stratus White is an assemblage wine, meaning it is an artisanal blend of select, hand-picked varietals, made as independent wines, then assembled to make the best white wine of the year. Founding winemaker J-L Groux has believed in this winemaking artform since the winery opened in 2000 and
has proven it to be the best way to express the diversity of the farm while embracing Niagara’s unique climate and terroir. The 2021 vintage marks the nineteenth expression of Stratus White – each unique and delicious in its own right and together revered for their intrigue and ageability.
“Stratus White’s distinctive character is fascinating. Working alongside J-L for over a decade and finding the harmony from the ‘sum and its parts’ has been a profound and insightful journey in winemaking for me,” says Dean Stoyka, Winemaker at Stratus.
Light
Stratus has been a pioneer in environmental stewardship and believes in a circular economy. The LEED-certified winery was the first of its kind in the world when it opened in 2005. Since that time, the winery continues to innovate and adopt new sustainability initiatives each year. Today, the winery is proud to share that the 2021 Stratus White will be housed in “featherweight”
glass. This is Stratus’ most recent step in their journey toward a more mindful footprint as glass weight reduction means less non-renewable raw materials, energy and emissions. At less than 370 grams, each glass bottle is less than half the weight of its original 790-gram counterpart.
In conjunction with the launch of its 2021 Stratus White, Stratus is proud to announce that the benefits of lightweight glass will also be extended to its entire lineup of 2021 wines. As an 8,000- 10,000 case Estate producer, a savings of over 5 kg per case amounts to an average of 35 metric tonnes of glass weight per vintage.
“It’s time to break free from the old paradigm that heavy bottles mean better wine and to continually evolve our already mindful winemaking and vineyard practice. What counts is what is in the bottle and this Stratus White is as dedicated to quality as ever and will ‘wow’,” says Suzanne Janke, Estate Director.
Bright
The 2021 Stratus White is at once nuanced and vivacious. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon – each hand-harvested between September 30 and November 24 – come together in a wine with a shimmering deep lemon hue and an instantly engaging nose of poached pear, pineapple, sweet lemon blossom, verbena, honey, and fresh thyme. A bright, fresh, and delightful palate follows that exudes true fruit and vineyard character that creates a newfound levity.