December Wine Club: Holiday Festivities

Christmas was on everyone’s mind when the three couples that comprise our wine/dinner club gathered for the final event of 2011 earlier this month. As hosts, my wife and I sought out a festive entree that helped to celebrate the season, and made sure to decorate with gusto, from the tablecloth to the Christmas Crackers. As a bonus appetizer I whipped up a little baked Brie with cranberry caramelized onions to enjoy while we exchanged gifts before everyone split up for their holiday travel: we were honoured to receive a valuable Edible Canada gift card, and my wife received a handy book light and a beautiful pen. As for myself, since the exchange I’ve been busy with tryouts for the contents of my new flask – can you believe I didn’t have one – and have settled on Madeira; could there be a bottle of CedarCreek Platinum “M” in my future? We loved picking out gifts for our friends, including Whiskey Stones, Evan Williams Egg Nog, and a very exciting Molecular Gastronomy Kit, plus a few treats for the new baby: can anyone resist buying a baby toque with antlers on it?

Finally one of our guests (who shall remain unnamed) began to recover from what sounded like a truly horrific hangover – courtesy of enthusiastically hosting his own Christmas party the night before – and we sat down to the appetizer course accompanied by Stag’s Hollow 2010 Viognier. The floral and spicy aromas of the wine nicely complemented the rice paper wraps stuffed with broccoli, coconut, tofu, and lime mayonnaise. Stag’s Hollow recently received a Silver Medal for their Viognier at the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards, and we all appreciated the smooth texture and balanced acidity from a wine that expresses its varietal character very well.

For the main course I had elected on Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onion Sage Crumb Topping, an easy and delicious holiday comfort food from the excellent cookbook “Veganomicon” (ironically “un-veganized” through the use of Ricotta cheese instead of the equally tasty tofu-based substitute in the original recipe). To balance the creamy pasta we served on the side a light mixed green salad with cranberry vinaigrette and candied pecans. It being such a festive season I couldn’t stop at just one wine pairing, especially as I had just received my first Painted Rock Wine Club shipment mere days before, which included the delicious 2010 Chardonnay. Although it’s a Chardonnay that can easily age for a few years I wanted to share a bottle with my friends at present so we could all try it together. John Schreiner reviewed Painted Rock’s new releases last month and reported that the new Chardonnay possesses dramatic aromas and lively flavours, and we certainly enjoyed the golden colour and creamy texture alongside aromas and flavours of lemon pie, pineapple, and dried mango. Following up the tropical freshness of the Painted Rock I brought out a more mature Chardonnay from the 2007 vintage of Nk’Mip’s Qwam Qwmt series. Back in 2009 Anthony Gismondi suggested it would continue to improve in bottle, and judging by his descriptors of hazelnut, baked apple, vanilla, and orange rind it was quite apt that our guests declared “it tastes like Christmas!” The soft and creamy mouthfeel conjured up additional comparisons to vanilla ice cream with maple syrup, and gave everyone a warm and cozy feeling inside as we finished our entrees.

The meal wasn’t complete yet though, and the festive theme continued into dessert with a cranberry bonanza helped along by The Fort Wine Company. We certainly don’t have any hard and fast rules mandating grape wine, so the dessert crew decided to try out a red cranberry wine from this Langley winery to pair with their cranberry upside-down cake. On top of the brightly coloured cake were generous heaps of whipped cream and some bright fresh cranberries. The wine was a bit of a surprise as it smelled sweeter than it actually tastes, which is fairly tart and dry. Overall the pairing worked well because the relatively low sugar in the cake was in balance with the flavour profile of the wine, which certainly wouldn’t have complemented a sweeter dish nearly as well.

With our final mutual meal of 2011 complete we toasted to a hugely entertaining, educational, and successful year together sharing so many great wines. The new release of Sumac Ridge’s Steller’s Jay Brut (2007) served our toasting purposes admirably with lots of citrus blossom aromas and a pleasing mousse texture that was very easy to enjoy. There are currently a fair number of magnums of the similar 2006 Steller’s Jay to be found around town for very reasonable prices ($35-$45), which holds a lot of potential for a great value New Year’s wine. I know I’ll be celebrating the upcoming year as an opportunity to experience even more of the passion and talent shown throughout the BC wine industry!

BCWAS: Fairview Cellars Vertical Tasting

Earlier this month the BC Wine Appreciation Society hosted a tasting of wines by Fairview Cellars, the small but celebrated winery run by Bill Eggert. The tasting was focused on a very rare seven-year vertical of Bill’s premier Meritage blend “The Bear”, ranging from 2003-2009 vintages: a “Meritage Christmas” if you will! This event was particularly noteworthy as it represented the first tasting since I joined BCWAS that has focused on just one wine; most tastings cover a winery’s larger portfolio, often spread across just one or two vintages. Getting the chance to watch one wine, under one winemaker develop over seven years was a valuable lesson in winemaking and British Columbian viticulture.

I myself have been collecting Fairview Cellars wines for only a couple of years, having been first turned on to Bill’s talents by Icon Wines. After getting the chance to actually taste the wines at several events, and finally at the winery itself this summer, I’ve been hooked on the many superb small lot wines Bill produces. Icon Wines’ Liam Carrier visited Fairview Cellars last year for a barrel tasting, and I bumped into him in person at Bill’s table at the VQA Fall Release “Colour”, where we both thoroughly enjoyed the 2009 wines. (Icon Wines recently named Fairview Cellars’ “The Wrath” Cabernet Sauvignon their 2011 Icon Wine of the Year.) For even more information about Fairview Cellars and Bill Eggert have a look at the December BCWAS Newsletter, which features not only an interview with Bill, but a story by BCWAS Events Coordinator Kristal Kaulbach about the ageability of Bill’s wines.

Going into the tasting this month attendees were not only treated to seven different vintages of The Bear, but also component tastings of the 2008 Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, the primary components of the blend (starting in 2008 Bill introduced Malbec and Petit Verdot in small quantities). The Listel Hotel provided delicious appetizers to complement the wines, and guests enjoyed beef tenderloin with smoked chocolate and cumin, grilled mushroom & eggplant Aranncini with sweet smoked tomato puree, Little Qualicum Blue Claire cheese and stone fruit compote, and braised Peace Country lamb with caramelized onion tart. Once again the staff at the Listel, along with the many BCWAS volunteers who set up the room provided for an excellent experience – good thing too as the event was sold out to one of the largest audiences yet!

Similar tastings hosted by the BCWAS have typically involved the winemaker and/or proprietor guiding guests through the wine flight glass by glass, but Bill – true to his nature – threw caution to the wind and let us individually taste however we wished after a short introduction. Walking around the room he interjected now and then with factoids but mostly just chatted with individual tables on a one-to-one basis. As we tasted through the Bear vertical one thing became immediately obvious: Bill’s consistency was going to make for a challenging experience differentiating the wines. Limited vintage variation was present (Bill pointed out 2003, 2005, and 2009 were particularly hot years) but overall the wines were unusually similar year to year – even the colour remained remarkably consistent! Having tasted some BC reds from vintages in the early 2000’s I’ve seen the loss of primary fruit that can occur at times, so it was very relieving to smell the rich, almost Port-like, aromas coming off the 2003 Bear. The wines slowly got more tannic as they got younger, but overall they all showed the ability to continue to age well for years to come. Even Bill was pleasantly surprised, having not engaged in such a vertical tasting himself for quiet a while!

While Bill doesn’t often widely publicize the release of single varietal bottlings, they do show up in stores from time to time, the varietal Cabernet Sauvignon being the most highly publicized and available. Our three varietal samples from the 2008 vintage were all quite tasty on their own, and helped illustrate how the final blend is constructed. The Cabernet Franc showed herbal characteristics and possessed the brightest fruit, while the Cabernet Sauvignon was rich and smoky, with a hint of sulphur on the nose. The most exciting varietal for me was the Merlot, as had I not know its identity in advance I might have been tempted to suggest it was Syrah given the spicy, peppery notes that sprung forth from the glass. In combination with the highly talked-about delicious Bear samples the varietals showed off the talents of an industry veteran that we all felt honoured to have enjoyed. Thanks for sharing, Bill!

Birthday Beverages

To celebrate my birthday last week I opened a few bottles of great BC wine with friends: some were new releases I was eager to share, and others came out of the cellar for our enjoyment. A Rhone theme became apparent when we started with a three-year vertical of Viognier, and moved on to a bevy of Syrah; finally finishing with a Meritage blend and a delicious fortified wine from the Naramata Bench.

A late lunch of sushi was an excellent opener for the Sandhill Small Lots Viognier I had collected over the past couple of years. At the 2009 Canadian Wine Awards Sandhill dominated the competition by winning Winery of the Year and scooping both Red and White Wines of the Year. The 2007 Small Lots Syrah was Red of the Year, and the 2008 Small Lots Viognier was named White Wine of the Year, prompting me to find a few bottles. My final bottle was now ready to be opened along with the 2009 and 2010 Small Lots Viogniers. The 2008 was first and I was happy to see that two and half years of bottle age had done little to dampen the complex, honeyed flavour profile. The golden colour was quite appealing, and while the wine was sweet, the acidity kept it balanced and retained the freshness for which it received so many accolades two years ago.

When it came time to serve the 2009 Viognier I was dismayed to see a much darker-coloured wine in the glass – not a good sign. Whatever fault (likely oxidation) had assaulted this bottle had led to a flat and flabby texture with none of the bright fruit and intense flavours of the earlier, much more well-preserved vintage. Although I was disappointed it also represented an exciting learning opportunity to witness how a wine can go bad – the photo below barely does justice to the striking difference in colour (from left to right: 2008, 2009, 2010). Fortunately the 2010 vintage redeemed the flight and cleansed our palate with the brightest, freshest flavours and an almost slightly effervescent texture. I was glad to have enjoyed the final wine as recommended – in it’s youth.

As the night grew longer it came time for a few richer reds to complement the dizzying cheese platter we assembled – arranged geographically for our own amusement. I was able to pull another Canadian Wine Awards champion from the cellar in the form of Jackson Triggs’ 2006 Sunrock Vineyard Shiraz, the 2008 Red Wine of the Year. With a nose rich in dark berries and peppery mesquite it lived up to the glowing review Anthony Gismondi had given it back in 2008, with equally impressive “glossy textures” today.

Those smooth tannins were not expected in the other two Syrahs available – both from the 2009 vintage – but each represented wines I wanted to test with friends in the present before aging my remaining bottles. The Church & State Coyote Bowl Syrah continued the Canadian Wine Awards theme, as it only recently was announced as the 2011 Red Wine of the Year. The group described a wide variety of characteristics including aromas of blueberries, blue cheese, and toast, while the flavour profile after decanting took on an herbal, floral note somewhat reminiscent of Cabernet Franc. It was much mellower than I recalled from earlier tastings, and showed how decanting can sometimes change a wine substantially. A change had also taken place in the Fairview Cellars Bucket o’ Blood we enjoyed next: from initial aromas of blood, balsamic vinegar, toffee, and dried roses it actually became fruitier after decanting. This Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon blend is likely a promising cellar-dweller, and winemaker Bill Eggert suggests opening after 2013, but I just couldn’t wait to share a wine with such an entertaining name! Although we didn’t have any tangy ribs to pair with it as Liam Carrier suggests, some of the more flavourful cheeses did just fine alongside this rich and delicious wine.

With our short exploration of the grapes of Rhone complete we moved on to the big blend of CedarCreek 2006 “Colbert Edition” Meritage. A few years ago CedarCreek acquired some very hard-to-get barrels made from 350-year-old French oak and carefully selected a Merlot-dominant blend to age for 21 months. The 144 cases produced are few and far between but as a Platinum Club member I was very pleased to receive this storied wine. Aromas of smoky berries gave way to a powerful wine, brighter than expected, and quite smooth and approachable already. The Colbert Meritage recently ranked sixth at the Sip Wines Icon Red Tasting, as well as receiving a silver medal at the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards. Although we were surprised at the approachability (albeit after decanting) the consensus seems to be that it could continue to age a few more years.

It being my birthday I decided on a final wine to sweeten the evening: Kettle Valley Starboard. This Port-style fortified wine is made from Malbec and Petit Verdot grapes, and has recently been renamed “Caboose” to fit with other train-themed names from Kettle Valley. It’s hard to go wrong with a fortified blend of those two rich grapes, and the “long elegant finish” of Starboard provided for some mellow reflecting time as we surveyed the decimated cheese platter and numerous empty glasses and decanters. With even more great wines in the cellar – and always in need of room for more – I see no reason not to make this an annual celebration!

Meyer Vineyards New Releases

Meyer Family Vineyards is a small Okanagan Falls winery that focuses on single-vineyard wines, leaning heavily towards Burgundy varietals that feature Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Proprietors JAK Meyer and Janice Stevens own two vineyards in Naramata and Okanagan Falls, and purchase additional grapes from growers throughout the Okanagan to produce about 3,000 cases of wine per year. Having collected Meyer’s “Tribute” Chardonnay for the past couple of years I recently took advantage of their Christmas gift case special to save 10% off a mixed six-pack of new releases: three Chardonnays and three Pinot Noirs soon arrived in an attractive presentation box. (Meyer should be applauded for their willingness to ship in six-bottle multiples that allow customers more flexibility in purchasing.)

Amongst the Chardonnays was the newest Tribute wine, rounding out a three year vertical in my collection: 2008-2010. The Tribute series wines recognize a western Canadian for outstanding achievement in their field, and each year the Meyers donate $5,000 to a charity selected by the honouree or their heirs. For 2010 the wine honours Sonja Gaudet, national and international champion in Wheelchair Curling. The Tribute Chardonnay comes from the family-owned Old Main Road Vineyard in Naramata, and continues the tradition of excellence established for this wine in previous years. The 2009 version was described by Liam Carrier of Icon Wines as possessing a “near-perfect trifecta of balance” and the 2010 has been similarly well-received given its “creamy texture…and long, long finish.” Highly respected wine writer John Schreiner recently reviewed several Meyer wines and got right to the point regarding the Tribute: “the wine shows a laser-like purity.”

The other two Chardonnays I received composed two years of wines from Meyer’s McLean Creek Road Vineyard in Okanagan Falls. The smaller vineyard (compared to Old Main Road) yields only about one third the volume, so the McLean Creek Road Chardonnays are harder to find, with only about 200 cases produced each year. Both 2009 and 2010 wines have been reviewed by Icon Wines as worthy of 90+ points for their crisp, mineral driven Chablis-like style. I look forward to trying the McLean Creek and Old Main Road versions alongside each other in the future after a little bit of cellar time.

The McLean Creek Road Vineyard is also planted with some Pinot Noir in addition to the aforementioned Chardonnay, five different clones in fact! The winery has released the 2009 and 2010 Pinot Noirs from this vineyard simultaneously as the vintage variation has dictated. For 2009, the very ripe fruit was entirely whole cluster fermented, yielding a robust and concentrated wine in which “every bottle packs a punch”; good thing too because only about 50 cases were produced! Additional aging is recommended for this wine to ensure it really shines as it should. The 2010 vintage was more challenging, but more than three times as much wine was produced nonetheless. Both John Schreiner and Liam Carrier agree that further aging would also benefit the 2010, but it is already “lean, mean, and very flavourful.”

The final bottle in my six-pack was a Pinot Noir from the Reimer Vineyard in south-east Kelowna, from which enough grapes were sourced to produce almost 200 cases of a subtle and nuanced wine. Reviews thus far acknowledge that it shows off bright cherry and berry characteristics that I’m very much looking forward to enjoying in due time.

Although a number of collectable wines have come from Meyer Vineyards in a short period of time it is also worth noting that some very enjoyable entry-level bottles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and even Gewürztraminer and Rosé have also been produced. The newly released 2010 Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir sells for $25, and is said to be a “silky charmer” that will serve as an “excellent palate refresher” when served with food. The screw-top suggests it is a wine to be opened sooner rather than later, and the bottle I recently received as a gift will hopefully be enjoyed over the upcoming holiday season.

November Wine Club: Family Edition

Our monthly wine club met for the first time since September this month. A planned October get-together at Trafalgars – for their Taste of the Harvest dinner – was scuttled at the last minute due to the unexpected birth of one precocious baby girl. It seems she just couldn’t wait two more weeks to meet all of us, as her somewhat shell-shocked father relayed to us early that morning. Considering the same six of us had been out living it up the very night beforehand to celebrate his upcoming birthday, it was no surprise he was a little beside himself! Still, not being ones to pass up an opportunity to celebrate, we welcomed her to the world with a baby shower and a few magnums of Sumac Ridge Steller’s Jay Brut earlier this month; she politely declined a glass but was nice enough to pose for photos.

This month’s get-together was bountiful, with no less than six additional guests including the admittedly teetotaling baby. Her newly-minted Uncle was present as he passed through from Australia to Denver, as were our host’s Aunt & Uncle, Cousin, and Grandmother; fortunately the table included lots of leaves! Everyone stepped up to the challenge of feeding twice as many people as usual, and the delicious BC wine flowed just as readily. As leaders of the appetizer team, we relished in serving a warm and comforting soup to combat the greying skies of Vancouver autumn. Last month I acquired two beautiful bottles of Therapy 2010 AlterEgo, a new premium white blend from the Freudian-themed Naramata winery. A glowing review from Daenna Van Mulligen suggested creamy corn chowder, and I could not argue with that excellent suggestion. We spent the afternoon whipping up a vegetarian-friendly version of Smoked Chicken Chowder, and baked an accompanying Zucchini Cornbread for good measure. Not one to stop there, a batch of Goat Cheese Croutons provided a little extra oomph and continued the corny theme. The wine itself was a big hit, as everyone admired the golden colour and rich aromas of tropical and tree fruits. The majority components of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc provided for crisp but very well balanced acidity, and the addition of Viognier added noticeable floral characteristics. I think everyone was sad to see both bottles emptied so quickly, although I recently heard that Firefly Vancouver received a few bottles of this very hard-to-find wine just this week!

With so many people in attendance, we were able to enjoy two excellent entree courses, in addition to three charming Chardonnays. Our hosts prepared a hearty pasta with lentils plus crisp grilled leeks, while guests brought not only a mouth-watering squash and root vegetable medley for all but some admittedly tasty-looking prosciutto-wrapped halibut filets for the omnivores. Plenty of wine was to be had with three individually unique Chardonnays from the 2008 vintage: Joie Reserve from Naramata, Road 13 Jackpot from the Golden Mile, and Robin Ridge’s version from the Similkameen Valley. Once again, without consultation we avoided any duplication and managed to assemble an exciting gamut of wines. Joie’s creamy wine is a worthy follow-up to the Lt. Governor’s Award-winning 2007 vintage, with John Schreiner describing it impressively as “like drinking marmalade” due to the complexity! We enjoyed the round texture and the apple cider and citrus palate; plus it gloriously amplified the rich flavours of the root vegetables. The Road 13 Jackpot Chardonnay won a gold medal at last year’s Canadian Wine Awards, and provided a significant side-step in character to the Joie: more acidic and perfumed, it was lighter in body and possessed very noticeable crisp mineral flavours that reminded some of the Chablis style. Lastly the Robin Ridge wine took some time to open up but when it did a buttery texture emerged, while also possessing similar acidity to the Road 13 – almost a combination of characteristics of the two preceding wines. It was quite an illuminating trip through BC Chardonnay as we travelled the gastronomical highway!

With everyone seemingly stuffed from dinner we settled down while the dessert team went to work rolling out pastry and filling the room with rich baking aromas. A few glasses of Bourbon and a glass of Road 13 Rockpile kept us busy in the meantime, and soon enough a few bottles of Gehringer Late Harvest Riesling arrived on the table to accompany the beautiful apple galettes fresh from the oven. This superb value ($18) dessert wine is part of a pair from Gehringer, with a late harvest Cabernet Franc filling out the red side of the equation. High sugar is balanced by cleansing acidity that ensures flexible food pairings, and the butterscotch, apple, and pear aromas went hand-in-hand with the delicious dessert that everyone raved about. That lucky little baby has many years of enjoying her father’s amazing pastries ahead of her, and if we’re lucky he may share a few more with us as well.

Next month hosting duties return to my wife and me. So we are looking forward to coming up with a festive entree that shows off the winter harvest and synchs up with a warm and toasty winter-appropriate wine. We should have the holiday decorations up by that time, so it should be a very merry celebration of BC wine!

Painted Rock Fall Releases

The rapid rise of Painted Rock Winery continues as awards continue to roll in and the newest – and perhaps best ever – wines are now becoming available. The Fall release party at Gotham Steakhouse last week provided the opportunity for proprietor John Skinner to show off his new wines, and his new medals. For this summer’s Canadian Wine Awards competition John entered thirteen different wines from multiple vintages, and was awarded medals for all of them! Most exciting were the three Gold medals, for the 2009 Red Icon, and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2008 Syrah. The awards coincide with good and bad news for fans, as the 2008 Cabernet is long sold out, but the Syrah remains available while John waits to release the 2009 vintage. As for the Red Icon, the news is very good, because production is substantially higher for 2009 than in the past, and there should be a large number of bottles – and statuesque magnums – available throughout BC this fall.

The new Red Icon is a spectacularly smooth and juicy wine very deserving of that Gold medal. Interestingly the Malbec was omitted for 2009 and a tiny bit of Syrah added instead, to provide a special spark to the Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. Fortunately plenty of Syrah remained for the single varietal bottling, which will likely prove to be an excellent follow-up to the delicious 2008 version. The current (Gold medal) Syrah is a ripe, peppery wine with prevalent oak notes at present; Anthony Gismondi feels that “time in the bottle will help this wine reach its full potential.”

On the Cabernet Sauvignon front it seems clear that those desiring a taste should continue to seek out restaurant wine lists, for the 2009 vintage sold out in minutes! Ever since that first Lt. Governor’s Award for the initial 2007 vintage John has seen BC’s finer restaurants snap up his Cabernet Sauvignon with rapidity. It certainly didn’t help that production was quite low for 2009, and after contributing to the Red Icon little remained for single varietal bottlings. It’s unfortunate that collectors may be stymied as the samples being poured at Gotham showed off the rich and powerful characteristics of this wine; equally smooth as the Red Icon, it appears that 2009 was a very good vintage indeed.

Two more new releases include the final red wine – 2009 Merlot – and Painted Rock’s sole white wine. The 2010 Chardonnay is bright and juicy with a lot of tropical flavours. The release party was my third opportunity to try it, and each time I have thoroughly enjoyed the creamy texture and layered flavour profile. The newly released Merlot shares many characteristics with the other 2009 reds, with dark fruit and smooth textures: the winery’s tasting notes describe it as “serious, complex, and sturdy.” Like most Painted Rock wines, both Chardonnay and Merlot should be particularly enjoyable with foods that will both complement, and compliment them.

CedarCreek Platinum Club – Fall 2011

It was with great pleasure that I received my second Platinum Club shipment last month, after having joined earlier this year. While the Spring 2011 shipment focused on the newly released aromatic whites, the Fall shipment included a selection of harvest-friendly wines, with a greater focus on the reserve Platinum bottles. (The upcoming February 2012 shipment should include most of the Platinum Reds.) CedarCreek tried something new with this shipment: they added a live online wine tasting with President Gordon Fitzpatrick and Winemaker Darryl Brooker on September 29. I unfortunately had to miss the tasting due to a prior commitment. However I was pleased to see that the session was recorded and linked to on CedarCreek’s Facebook page, and I enjoyed watching it later to learn some of the inside information about the wines and the winery.

The Fall club shipment struck me as a bit of an ode to Burgundy, containing a pair of Pinot Noirs, and another pair of Chardonnays. Both Pinot Noirs are about a year old, if you consider their birthdate to be their initial release last September, but the extra year of bottle age likely helps them along. The 2008 Pinot Noir comes from the regular estate tier, while the next model up is the Platinum 2007 version. Both wines received Bronze medals at the 2010 Canadian Wine Awards, but diverge from there: the 2008 picked up Gold at the BC Wine Awards in Fall 2010, while the Platinum 2007 was awarded Best of Category at the 2010 All Canadian Wine Championships. The consensus seems to be that these are more “feminine” Pinot Noirs, as John Schreiner details. Anthony Gismondi puts it another way in describing both the 2007 and 2008 as relatively lean and tart, with the 2007 showing just a bit better. For the record both wines contain total acid of a bit less than 8 grams per litre.

The Chardonnays represent a similar pair, albeit with vintage reversed: in this case the newer 2009 wine comes from the Platinum tier, while the older bottle is from the estate tier. The new Platinum wine is not yet detailed on the CedarCreek website, but the release notes describe a barrel fermented wine aged for 11 months on the lees, having received the full French oak treatment. CedarCreek entered a number of wines into the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards and received a bronze medal and a strong review for this cellar-friendly wine. Only about 500 cases were made, down from nearly 800 in the 2008 vintage, and while the official release date is listed as July 2011, I think it is unlikely to show up in stores until later this Fall or even next year. The estate tier 2008 Chardonnay on the other hand should be widely available and ready for immediate consumption at this point, having been initially released at the winery almost two years ago. I’m confident it still retains the fruit forward and food friendly approach that both Anthony Gismondi and John Schreiner described this spring, and a secure screwtop alongside a very competitive price point of $18 makes for an easy choice.

The remaining two wines in the shipment come from CedarCreek’s southern vineyard holdings near Osoyoos, prime territory for growing deliciously ripe Syrah and Viognier. The results have led to beautiful bottles of 2007 Platinum Syrah and a new 2010 Platinum Viognier. The Syrah represented a new chapter when it was released in late 2009 as CedarCreek’s first Platinum Syrah, aged for 15 months in premium French oak: “that’s why the wine smells so classy” according to John Schreiner. Had everything gone according to plan these two wines may have shared a common destiny, as a Syrah-Viognier blend was originally anticipated. However, the Viognier grapes were so good on their own that CedarCreek decided this year to bottle a limited production run of single-varietal wine from just two barrels (636 bottles to be precise). The wine was earmarked exclusively for Platinum Club members, with any remainder to be sold at the winery store. The notes detail the gentle six hour pressing and subsequent neutral-barrel fermentation, followed by 4 months of barrel aging on lees. One can imagine the rich, creamy mouthfeel on this wine and I’m looking forward to enjoying my bottle on a special occasion soon: the winery suggests pairing it with sushi uramaki such as a luxurious Dynamite Roll – thanks for the suggestion!