BCWAS Blue Mountain Tasting

Early this month the BC Wine Appreciation Society was pleased to welcome Blue Mountain Vineyard for a tasting led by Winemaker Matt Mavety. This premiere event was another one for the society record books: in fact the winery graciously found another bottle of each in order to facilitate expanding the guest list when the event sold out quickly and hit the attendance cap!

The Mavety family have farmed their Okanagan Falls vineyards for more than forty years, and have operated their own winery for two decades under the leadership of Ian and Jane Mavety. We were very lucky to have their son Matt present to tell us about his experiences in the vineyard and cellar since he started working full-time at Blue Mountain in 1997.

Matt brought with him some of Blue Mountain’s celebrated “Stripe Label” Reserve wines, and the ultra-rare (and mostly sold out) brand new vintage sparkling wines. The new Blanc de Blancs and Reserve Brut complement the existing non-vintage “Gold Label” Brut, and vintage Brut Rosé. Those of us who had read John Schreiner’s blog post last fall were no doubt very eager to try the new wines, in addition to the rest of Matt’s consistently well-crafted portfolio.

After Matt had a chance to introduce himself and his wines everyone received a freshly-poured glass of non-vintage Brut to begin the tasting. Like all of Blue Mountain’s sparkling wine, the NV Brut has a fine mousse and crisp orchard fruit flavours. I also tasted hints of brioche and tropical fruit – led by pineapple. A little bit of citrus finished the wine off nice and cleanly, showing why it is such a popular choice locally, and can be found in many private stores across BC.

Next up was the new Blanc de Blancs, the first release of this traditional method sparkling Chardonnay, and coming to us from the 2006 vintage. This wine spent five years aging sur-lie in bottle before disgorgement last March! More orchard fruit was prevalent, led by apples, as well as a bit of yeasty nuttiness. I smelled and tasted some pleasant light vanilla notes as well.

Following the Blanc de Blancs was the second new sparkling wine, a 2005 Reserve Brut. Six years of aging in bottle sur-lie helped this blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay, and 5% Pinot Gris achieve delightful complexity and richness. The wine’s colour was slightly darker than the Blanc de Blancs, with further hints of vanilla and caramel, ripe apples and pears, and a round mouthfeel and long finish. Society President Brian Glaum recently tasted through a selection of renowned Champagnes at a private tasting, and remarked out loud that this wine was as good as any of them, at half the price (it being $40 before it sold out).

Served fresh and crisp was our final sparkling wine, the Brut Rosé, the newest release from the 2008 vintage. Blue Mountain’s Brut Rosé is a nearly identical blend as the Reserve Brut, but with the addition of several percentage points of Pinot Noir after fermentation to provide that soft pink colour (as opposed to gaining the colour via skin contact during pressing). The wine showed off a perfumed nose with a relatively dry palate and flavours of strawberry, cranberry, and pink grapefruit. Unlike the Reserve Brut the Rosé is actually still available for sale at the winery, but probably not for much longer!

Each autumn going forward Blue Mountain will be making available new releases of the three vintage sparkling wines, with the goal of producing about 2,500 bottles of each annually. The several hundred cases of vintage sparkling wines thus represent a very small percentage of the winery’s 16,000 case annual production, but no doubt take up a more substantial percentage of the workload for Matt and his team!

With memories of fizzy bubbles dancing in our heads we collectively moved on to the remaining wines, consisting of “Cream Label” and “Stripe Label” versions of Blue Mountain’s Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. For each wine we had the opportunity to taste the 2011 vintage of the Cream Label, and the upcoming release of the 2010 vintage of the Stripe Label Reserve wines. The May release of the new Stripe Label wines will undoubtedly see them sell out quickly once again, likely starting with the popular Pinot Noir.

I have to admit I found it challenging to distinguish between the two Pinot Gris in particular, as both possessed a citrus nose and broad flavours of orchard and stone fruit, however the Reserve wine struck me as having a slightly creamier texture. When it came to the Chardonnays, both wines showed off well-integrated oak and clean citrus flavours, but weren’t in the highly creamy, buttery style of some Chardonnay. Flavours of apples, peaches, and pears were present along with light lees character, and altogether I liked the fuller Reserve version quite a bit more: it seemed simultaneously sweeter and more acidic, with both characteristics in superb balance.

By this point the Pinot Noir in our glasses had enjoyed some valuable breathing time, and both wines were delectably ready to taste. The 2011 Cream Label Pinot was somewhat smoky on the nose, with plenty of red fruit flavours and earthy notes. Matt suggested it would see a shorter lifespan than the Reserve due to its reduced acidity. It was that Reserve Pinot that particularly blew me away, with so much ripe fruit wafting effortlessly from the glass, and a darker colour being reflected in the palate as well. The long finish, firm tannin structure, and obvious complexity make this wine a great candidate for further aging. Sadly only 400 cases of 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir were produced, as opposed to the usual 800 cases in most other years!

Fortunately fans seeking to get their hands on these small lot wines, and the very hard-to-come-by Sparklers, can now take advantage of the new Blue Mountain Priority Group, which Matt was happy to explain to the crowd. The principle of the Priority Group is along the lines of a wine club, but one in which the customer has full control: you tell the winery which bottles you’d like each year, and as they are released the winery sets aside your allotment until all are available (for pickup or shipping). I recently joined and am looking forward to receiving my first mixed case in November once the sparkling wines are released.

With more than a few order sheets and Priority Group sign-ups on the table in front of him Matt was kept busy as we closed out the evening. Everyone was clearly very glad to have had the chance to try his wines, and we all left grateful for the opportunity to meet yet another talented local winemaker, and savour the fruits of a legendary BC winery.

BCWAS Syrah Blind Tasting

Earlier this week the BC Wine Appreciation Society held a highly anticipated blind tasting of thirteen different local and international Syrah, including the top four wines from the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards! A full-house of fifty-plus attendees came out to try ten of BC’s best, plus dark-horse competitors from France, Australia, and California. All the wines were served and tasted blind, with only one person aware of the true identities: not even the evening’s MC knew precisely which wines about which he was waxing poetic.

Entering the room guests were greeted by the (literally) intoxicating aromas of nearly seven hundred glasses of ripe, rich Syrah, aerating for at least an hour before the doors opened. There’s nothing quite like that delicious, mouth-watering smell, which in similar BCWAS events from the past has reached all the way downstairs to the lobby of our host hotel!

After a short introduction everyone soon dove into the task at hand, armed with printed tasting sheets that provided the option to score the wines along several dimensions. Within an hour we each needed to have come to some sort of conclusion regarding our Top Three favourites from the field of thirteen. The many local wineries that had so generously donated and discounted bottles – including some sold out vintages – were eager to hear the results, so there was a certain degree of pressure to take things seriously. After all, we were tasting, among others, the Canadian Wine Awards 2012 Red Wine of the Year (Quinta Ferreira 2009 Syrah), as well as Laughing Stock 2010 Syrah (CWA second-place red), Church & State 2010 Coyote Bowl Syrah (third-place), and Painted Rock 2009 Syrah (fourth-place). Both the Laughing Stock and Painted Rock wines have also recently received Lt. Governor’s Awards for Excellence in BC Wine.

I think many of us were quite curious how the palates of a group of (albeit experienced) consumers would compare to those of the professional judges who had already heaped so many accolades upon these wines. While everyone took it upon themselves to develop a tasting strategy, I myself decided a thoughtful sniff of each glass would be ideal before even opening my mouth. Perusing the aromas of each wine in short order was highly illuminating as it allowed particularly distinctive wines to be easily noted. I was able to quickly categorize them into those showing traces of rubber and leather versus those with a greater focus on jammy fruit. A handful showed noticeably restrained noses, while others possessed distinct minty, menthol characteristics. One wine in particular led to a number of comments at my table regarding its markedly “funky” aroma.

After I spent more time tasting and taking note of most of the wines it suddenly became time to hand in our ballots. Although I had been methodically scoring each wine using the provided sheet (with points for Appearance, Aroma, Balance, Body, Taste, Finish, and Quality) I had no time to add up the totals out of twenty points for a specific, quantitative judgement. Not willing to hold up the count I had to instead rely on my recollection of which ones in particular stood out for me; and with a quick listing of #10, #7, and #6 I submitted my vote for consideration.

While volunteers from the Society Executive tallied the votes our host Tim Ellison proceeded to share his opinions on each wine while removing the paper bags to reveal the identities of each bottle in turn. His experienced palate was revealed when he correctly predicted the identities of both wine #5, the Australian Shiraz (Mitchell Peppertree Vineyard 2008), and wine #8, the French Syrah (Chapoutier Bila Haut Occultum Lapidem 2009). Neither of the international competitors seemed to have moved those of us in attendance, ultimately coming in at ninth and eleventh places respectively. Our sole American competitor, courtesy of local import winery Pacific Breeze, fared much better: their 2010 Reserve Syrah (from California) was ultimately ranked fifth by the crowd. I myself enjoyed its refreshing fruitiness, along with hints of mint chocolate and caramel.

With all the wine revealed and ballots counted, it was noted that the Top Three favourites were all comfortably in front, although every single wine had been named as at least one person’s personal favourite! Our overall favourite came out as Laughing Stock’s highly-awarded 2010, followed by the renowned Church & State offering from the same vintage, and then Painted Rock’s equally acclaimed 2009 release. Other BC wineries further down the list included Oliver Twist, Black Hills, Perseus, Orofino, Di Bello, Tinhorn Creek, and the aforementioned Quinta Ferreira. With the surprising exception of a lack of affinity for Quinta Ferreira’s offering, the overall favourites lined up perfectly with the (similarly blind tasted) Canadian Wine Awards results.

My own personal favourites veered a little from the overall preferences, although all had certain personally appealing characteristics in common: my Top Three were shown to consist of Church & State Coyote Bowl 2010, Oliver Twist 2010 (ranked fourth overall), and Orofino Scout Vineyard 2010 (ranked eighth overall). My notes for all three wines emphasized the rich, fruit-forward aromas and bright acidity. Seeing the mutual youthfulness of all my favourites was highly revealing, and has definitely prompted me to reconsider some of my cellaring strategies to favour enjoying at least some of our local Syrah while young and full of vitality.

When I ultimately totalled my own quantitative scores the next day I was amazed to see my point scores had lined up perfectly with my gut reaction during the balloting process: Church & State led the pack with 16 points, Oliver Twist and Orofino tied with 15 points apiece, as did Painted Rock and Pacific Breeze (14 points), followed closely by Laughing Stock with 13.5 points. Had we been asked to list our Top Five it’s fairly certain Painted Rock and perhaps Laughing Stock would have made it in as well: my notes certainly listed numerous positives for each. The deep colour and dark, rich fruit shown by Painted Rock was as enjoyable as the floral elegance and juicy flavours exhibited by Laughing Stock.

The entire evening was a highly entertaining and enjoyable experience, and I left pleased knowing I have nearly every one of the wines under examination in my collection already. Some may be consumed sooner than others based on this experience, and some will be given the benefit of patience and time before further examination. No doubt the other attendees found events equally enlightening, and left with further appreciation for our local terroir and talent.

December Acquisitions: Van Westen & Burrowing Owl

The week after adding new releases from Blasted Church and Painted Rock to my collection I found myself with the opportunity to acquire some more hard-to-come-by wines that I couldn’t pass up. Fresh off a spectacular Top Ten ranking at the Canadian Wine Awards, Van Westen Vineyards was ready to release some of Rob Van Westen’s award-winning wines. Contributing to Van Westen’s eighth-place finish in the Awards’ Winery Performance Report were five medal winners from amongst the six wines submitted, including two gold medals! Knowing that every wine Rob makes can easily be considered “small lot” I ordered a few bottles before they all disappear!

The two gold medal winners were just released at the beginning of December, and include a 2011 Viognier limited to just 102 cases, of which I managed to get a couple bottles. Anthony Gismondi described it as vibrant, finessed, and balanced, albeit “perhaps a bit too floral…” He did suggest it should improve in bottle over the next year, so I’m not in too much of a hurry to crack mine open just yet. The other gold medal was awarded to the 2009 “Voluptuous”, a blend of two thirds Merlot and one third Cabernet Franc, of which only 204 cases were produced. Having tasted previous vintages of Voluptuous I’m fairly confident this a wine that should be aged for at least a couple more years to allow the tannins to soften; Gismondi suggests the same thing in his glowing 91-point review.

The other two Van Westen reds I picked up were released earlier this fall, and include another red blend, this one named simply “V”, to recognize the five grape varieties included: 68% Merlot, 25% Cab Franc, 5.6% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, and a hint of 0.4% Petit Verdot. I’m told this one will be slightly more approachable at present, but even still Gismondi has suggested “several years to round out” could be beneficial. A slightly higher production quantity of 301 cases are listed for V, but given the drastically increased press the Canadian Wine Awards have brought don’t expect it to last for very long!

The final red wine is the aggressively-named “Vulture” varietal Cabernet Franc, of which a measly 42 cases were released September first! Somehow Rob continues to come up with witty names for his wines that retain the V nomenclature! Vulture is a particularly interesting wine, which we got the chance to enjoy at the BC Wine Appreciation Society Annual Dinner earlier this year. The wine was produced without the addition of sulfites as preservatives; no doubt a nerve-wracking procedure considering it spent 19 long months in barrel. When I tasted it in May I was impressed at the power, and look forward to holding this bottle in my cellar for another couple of years to see how it develops. In fact, Gismondi has suggested 2-3 years to maturity in order to allow it to “be the red wine it can be.”

The last bottle I acquired was one for which I’m already kicking myself for not obtaining more, ealier: 2010 “Vice” Viognier icewine. Despite only one precious bottle I consider myself lucky to have obtained what sounds like one of the last ones for sale; it is now sold out after the 89 cases produced spent more than a year on the market. In between the wine’s release in September 2011 and selling the last bottle, Rob treated the BCWAS members to this sumptuous treat with dessert at our dinner in May – it was positively delicious. Reviewing it last year Gismondi was more than pleased to try Viognier icewine for the first time, and felt it to be a fairly priced, well balanced and complex iteration. Rob entered the wine into this year’s Canadian Wine Awards, where it took home a silver medal.

December also saw new releases from a much larger and more established winery, in the form of three 2010 reds and Chardonnay from Black Sage Bench icon Burrowing Owl. Van Westen and Burrowing Owl couldn’t be more different in their size and scope, but both ultimately focus on producing excellent wine for their many fans. Since Burrowing Owl offers shipping in most even-numbered configurations (2, 4, 6, or 12-bottle boxes) I was able to easily order one of each new release, to add to some growing vertical collections I’m developing.

Burrowing Owl’s fully oaked (2010) Chardonnay is not one I have had much experience with, but it sounds like a wine for occasional enjoyment when you’re seeking a rich flavour profile. Malolactic barrel fermentation in new and one-year-old primarily French oak was followed by nine month aging and lees stirring to provide for toasty, buttery, nutty characteristics overtop melons and apples. John Schreiner gave it a try recently and felt it deserving of a place under his Christmas tree.

The three newly released reds likely won’t remain available online for long, although they should remain on the shelves in the wine shop itself for a least a few months. The winery has yet to produce complete wine profile sheets for the new releases, so the online tasting notes remain fairly limited in detail. I’m particularly excited to get a bottle of the third vintage of “Athene”, the winery’s new Cabernet-Syrah blend. The first release from 2008 sold out very quickly, with much of it snapped up by restaurants, but I did manage to get a bottle of last year’s 2009 vintage. The 2009 took home a silver medal from the Canadian Wine Awards, and gold at this Fall’s BC Wine Awards.

Also newly released are Burrowing Owl’s 2010 Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which I’ve added to what are now four year verticals of these wines. The winery suggests “an intense nose of blackberries and ripe cherries” on the Cabernet Franc, leading into a palate favouring red fruit and possessing well-integrated tannins. The Cabernet Sauvignon is said to express darker fruit and a complex, well structured palate “built to a last a decade or more.” With these wines being brand new, I haven’t yet heard from anyone who has sampled them, but I do have high hopes, despite the trying vintage conditions in 2010.

All these new wines have made great contributions to my cellar. With the holiday season just around the corner I most certainly need to start making room for them and others by drinking and sharing some of the older bottles – shouldn’t be a problem!

Bottleneck Drive visits BCWAS

Last week the BC Wine Appreciation Society held a tasting to sample the Summerland-area wines of “Bottleneck Drive”. The dozen wineries of this region on the western shores of Okanagan Lake recently banded together to help promote their unique area in the greater BC winery industry. The Society was very grateful to have received samples of several lesser-known wines from which to sample, so we could all get to know these hard-working wineries a little bit better.

On arrival everyone was treated to two different sparkling wines to warm up our palates. Sips of Sumac Ridge’s “Tribute” revealed generous aromas apples and fresh bread, and flavours of orchard fruit amongst plenty of mousse. The wine is a traditional method sparkling Chardonnay released in 2011 to commemorate the winery’s thirtieth anniversary.

A significantly different sparkler came in the form of Bella 2011 Sparkling Gamay Noir, via Okanagan Crush Pad. OCP’s winemaker Michael Bartier has assisted Jay Drysdale and his wife in producing their two “Bella” sparkling wines (named in honour of a very special bulldog); the other wine being Chardonnay. Once again a pleasant mousse finish kept us refreshed following clean strawberry rhubarb flavours.

From Sleeping Giant we had the opportunity to taste their Black Currant Dessert Wine, a very bright and fruity honest representation that pulled no punches in puckering up lips with its tartness. Before the sparklers disappeared a number of guests discovered the joy of Black Currant cocktails when mixing with Tribute or Bella.

Some charming aromatic white wines were present as well, including Silkscarf’s 2011 Viognier, a mild and delicate take on the grape. While perhaps not as “intensely aromatic” as expected, it showed excellent balance and was a very easy sipper. The Viognier led into an additional white from Sonoran Estate, who provided their aromatic 2010 Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc blend. The blend showed lower acidity than the other whites thus far, but a very enjoyable fruit salad bouquet.

Two impressive Gewurztraminers from Thornhaven and Heaven’s Gate were next up, and were thoroughly enjoyed by fans of the variety. Both 2011 wines showed very characteristic profiles, with the Thornhaven in excellent balance in particular. Heaven’s Gate’s iteration was the sole gold medal winner in the category at the recent 2012 Canadian Wine Awards, and showed off a rich lychee nose and a slightly sweeter palate with hints of yeast, vanilla, and sage.

Before moving on to the red wines guests were sure to try out the 2010 Bartier-Scholefield Rosé produced at Okanagan Crush Pad. This Gamay Noir from Oliver showed a candy-apple nose that led into a dry palate with hints of earth and wet pavement – easily and readily enjoyable.

Two Pinot Noirs were on offer, from Thornhaven and Haywire Winery, another Okanagan Crush Pad operation. Both showed the potential of Pinot Noir from the Okanagan Lake region, with plenty of juicy cranberry characteristics that got many guests thinking of traditional holiday meals no doubt!

Bonitas Winery sent along a bottle each of their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot, although I myself didn’t get a chance to try them. The reviews from other guests were mixed, favouring the reds, but this young winery still has plenty of time to find its feet in the years to come.

For those seeking somewhat obscure flavours we got the chance to try the uncommon hybrid Léon Millot grape from new player Saxon Estate Winery. Saxon’s 2011 Millot was fresh and fruity due to minimal oak influence, with hints of cocoa on the finish. This brand new winery was formerly Hollywood & Vine under previous owners before being sold and rebranded quite recently, as detailed by John Schreiner several weeks ago.

Considering the terroir it makes sense that we’d expect fewer richer red wines. However, Dirty Laundry Vineyards sent their Syrah, a very youthful bottle from the 2011 vintage. Dirty Laundry is perhaps better known for their well-crafted Gewurztraminer and other white wines. Although there’s no reason any of the Bottleneck Drive wineries could not own or lease vineyards in the southern Okanagan from which to produce big reds, estate fruit from the region seems to yield more successful lighter reds and whites.

Everyone certainly enjoyed learning more about the wineries and wines of this unique region, and I’m sure all are looking forward to visiting Summerland in person in the future!

December Acquisitions: Blasted Church & Painted Rock

Despite the fact that many weeks have passed since the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival and the traditional release dates of most wines, December always brings a handful of surprise new releases. Some wineries capitalize on the holiday shopping season to show off special gift packs, with either last chance opportunities for sold out wines, or special previews of upcoming new releases: in the case of Blasted Church, they did both! This winery always puts together excellent gift packs over the holidays, and this year they prepared the “Answered Prayers” four-pack of Petit Verdot and Meritage. The well-packed box recently arrived at my door thanks to a generous free-shipping promotion from the winery.

The Blasted Church “Holy Moly” varietal Petit Verdot is an exceedingly rare wine, with only 50 cases having been made in the 2009 vintage, preceded by only 57 cases of the inaugural 2008 vintage. The 2008 wine was praised by John Schreiner as possessing a 92-point “spectacular perfumed aroma” and “a dense, satisfying texture and a long finish.” The hot 2009 season should have facilitated maturity of this late-ripening variety, although the plummeting temperatures that began October ninth that year likely put somewhat of a damper on things. The winery has not specified their precise harvest dates, but they point out the Petit Verdot spent a full 24 months in (mostly) new French oak before bottling.

Despite having visited the winery in early June, I foolishly neglected to buy a bottle of Holy Moly, in the hopes I could kill two birds with one stone and include a bottle in an online order following the August release of the winery’s reserve Meritage. Not surprisingly 50 cases did not last that long, and I thought I had missed the boat. I was very pleasantly surprised when I found out the Answered Prayers pack contained not only the sold-out 2009 Petit Verdot, but a pre-release of the 2010 vintage (of which 100 cases were produced). I’m pleased to now have a three-year vertical of this interesting rarity, and look forward to enjoying the wines after they spend some time in the cellar.

The aforementioned Meritage is known as “Nothing Sacred” by the winery, and was the winery’s first Bordeaux blend starting with the 2007 vintage. Blasted Church’s former winemaker Richard Kanazawa oversaw production of 217 cases of that first five-grape blend, which tough critic Anthony Gismondi complimented for its round texture and “reasonably soft tannins.” Since 2007, the winery has maintained production of approximately 200 cases per year. With the arrival of the Answered Prayers pack I now have a four-year vertical from 2007 to 2010 vintages. Mirroring the Petit Verdot offering, the pack contained the newly-released 2009 vintage and a pre-release bottle of the 2010 vintage, which isn’t likely to see full release until summer 2013!

Another selection of wines to arrive this week was my semi-annual shipment from the Painted Rock Wine Club, this one containing all the brand new and upcoming 2010 reds, plus the delicious 2011 Chardonnay for good measure. Having joined the club prior to the recent website revision and club overhaul I’m very lucky to be “grandfathered” in to a custom selection of twelve bottles per year. Every July and December I typically get a six-pack of all four Painted Rock reds, and a couple of bottles of Chardonnay. This month I received the recently released 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2010 Syrah, plus the 2010 Merlot and Red Icon, which won’t be released publicly until several additional months of bottle age have accrued.

The Cabernet Sauvignon will go straight into the cellar; it has “ample potential to age” according to the winery. It seems likely that 18 months in 80% new French oak is just the beginning for this wine. John Schreiner suggests the wine has 5-10 “even better years” ahead of it – an impressive prediction given how well he feels it’s drinking now, with appealing aromas and flavours of black currant, plum, cherry, and chocolate. With only 300 cases produced, this wine is in high demand from private stores and restaurants, so direct from the winery is the only place one can expect to find it priced at only $40. There simply isn’t enough available for it to join the other Painted Rock reds at winery prices on VQA Store shelves.

Painted Rock’s newly released 2010 Syrah follows a Lt. Governor’s Award for the 2009 Syrah earlier this year, not to mention a Gold medal at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards. This wine saw 18 months in barrel as well, split 60/40 between new French and American oak. The winery suggests it presents in a Northern Rhone style, with a juicy, spicy profile rich in black pepper and dark fruit. Reviewing the Syrah at the same time as the Cabernet Sauvignon, John Schreiner felt it was deserving of 93 points, considering the disciplined elegance and long finish.

The Merlot and Red Icon are still settling down and aging in bottle at the winery before proprietor John Skinner releases them more broadly. Wine club members enjoyed advance access, but I certainly won’t be tempted to open my bottles prematurely; there’s plenty of time to let these gems come into their own. The Merlot aged for 18 months in 80% new French oak before bottling and is described by the winery as “concentrated, yet subtly perfumed” with a “dense and unctuous” palate containing silky tannin. Given the supreme pleasure I took from a bottle of 2009 Merlot recently I feel very optimistic about the 2010 (as well as the remaining bottles of 2009 I’m guarding).

The Red Icon represents Painted Rock’s icon wine, quite literally, and the upcoming 2010 follows a (second) Lt. Governor’s Award for the 2009 vintage. For 2010, John Skinner and his winemaking consultants have returned to a more familiar Bordeaux style blend without the 1% Syrah that was added in 2009. However, as is the practice with Red Icon, the blend is far from traditional, being led for the second time by Cabernet Franc (accounting for a huge 39% of the blend). A relatively paltry 11% Cabernet Sauvignon is dominated by 18% Petit Verdot and 21% Merlot, with Malbec returning after a year’s absence to comprise 11% of the blend. Like the Merlot, the Red Icon spent 18 months in 80% new French oak. This should once again prove to be a very exciting and intriguing wine, with continued refinement from more mature vines and more detailed vineyard knowledge.

In addition to the bevy of red wines I also received two bottles of 2011 Chardonnay, which I have already thoroughly enjoyed on a number of occasions this year. The elegance and complexity of this wine comes about in part due to three distinct micro-harvests that saw the fruit fermented and aged in separate lots and then blended several months later. Liam Carrier of Icon Wines was so impressed he named Painted Rock’s Chardonnay as his 2012 Icon Wine of Year, the first white wine to achieve the accolade. I’m certainly pleased to have another two bottles to enjoy over the holidays!

At the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards Painted Rock was once again named third-best winery in Canada, nipping at the heels of second-place finisher Nk’Mip Cellars. The Awards write-up mentions John’s ambitious plans for extensive soil-mapping this year, and he has also taken to Twitter and Facebook to share his excitement about plans for a new tasting room on the property by the summer. Considering the current charmingly-small tasting room is basically a (nicely) renovated shed it shouldn’t really be considered a new room, as there isn’t much to replace, per say. For the past several years John has funnelled all his efforts (and profits) directly into the vineyard and winery, and it shows in the wines’ spectacular accolades and commercial success. His uncompromising approach is what makes Painted Rock one of the very few wineries from which I would happily purchase anything on offer with full confidence. I’m already looking forward to my next wine club shipment!

November Wine Club: Magnificent Reunion

Ever since our group lost one of the three founding couples in July – when they moved Kentucky to soak themselves in Bourbon – we haven’t met for our monthly wine club. Coincidentally, everyone who remained in Vancouver seemed to have taken on increasingly busy work and home lives in the meantime. As a result, the four of us haven’t had a chance to formally get together and decide on the club’s future. In all honesty there was probably a little bit of denial involved: if we don’t replace them then they aren’t really gone. Fortunately for us, our long-lost friends and their newly walking one-year-old came up here to visit last week, and we leapt at the chance for a club reunion dinner! This being a very special occasion – with multiple birthdays and other belated celebrations for which to account – it clearly demanded that we pull out all the stops and crack open some extra special bottles of BC wine.

Last Christmas the six of us jointly purchased a magnum of Painted Rock 2007 Red Icon (the first vintage of this marvellous wine), with the goal being to hold it until a worthy occasion in the coming future. Having somehow managed to avoid breaching the cork this summer, a reunion seemed like the ideal occasion to finally share our investment. The decision was thus made to embark on a magnum dinner! Having upped the ante bottle-wise it seemed only reasonable to  add some additional people to the mix as well, and we invited another couple to join us and bring a mystery fourth course and wine pairing.

Our Kentuckian chefs jumped at the chance to whip up the always popular appetizer course, where creativity gets the chance to shine particularly brightly. Before moving away, they’d left behind in my care a magnum of legendary Blue Mountain 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir purchased during our visit to the winery in June – the perfect bottle for our newly themed dinner. The wine inspired very impressive giant mushroom ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and shaved gruyere. Already excited to dig in we soon discovered hiding inside each ravioli a charming quail egg surprise; the rich liquid yolk served to further amplify the delicious flavours of ricotta and mixed wild mushrooms. The wine proved a superb pairing, with aromas of cranberries and mushrooms, and bright berry flavours carried by a surprisingly smooth texture given the relative youthfulness of the bottle.

With eight thirsty diners at the table it didn’t take long to empty the hefty magnum. While our hosts worked on getting the entrée course in the oven, they provided a highly welcome intermission bottle of Laughing Stock 2007 Blind Trust Red. The Naramata winery produces a different version of this red blend every year, and keeps the precise components hidden under the capsule for consumers to reveal when desired. The Blind Trust is generally intended for earlier consumption than the winery’s larger icon blend “Portfolio” so it came as no surprise that the five-year-old wine had taken on some savoury characteristics over time. Although it was likely more fruit forward a couple of years ago, we enjoyed the smokiness and hints of soy sauce, while one guest surmised a generous proportion of Cabernet Franc was included based on some green pepper flavours. Spoiler Alert: the blend was ultimately revealed as containing approximately 50% Merlot and a split of Cabernets, both Sauvignon and Franc, for the remainder.

After having let it breathe happily in the decanter for a while, the time finally came to enjoy the Painted Rock Red Icon with our beautiful entrées of individual Lentil Shepherd’s Pie. We were told this particular recipe came from John Bishop’s cookbook “Fresh”, but the braised kale alongside it was all original, with a touch of brandy and delicious raspberry-Merlot black pepper jam. With the shepherd’s pies steaming fresh from the oven, we spent some time sipping at the Red Icon and waxing poetic about this Lieutenant Governor’s Award-winning wine (2007 and 2009 in fact). Interestingly enough, the 2007 Red Icon is led by 33% Cabernet Franc in the blend, followed next by 20% Petit Verdot, and then on to 16% Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot, and finally 15% Malbec. Proprietor John Skinner and his winemaking consultants have been fully willing to dramatically change the blend every year since 2007, even to the point of adding or removing entire varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah – all in the name of producing the best wine possible.

The non-traditional gamble for the blend in 2007 was clearly successful. After more than three years in bottle following 18 months in French oak, this first vintage of Red Icon was sublimely tasty, delightfully silky, and certainly seemed at its peak. However, it could likely continue to age and improve as time goes by; luckily I have another 750ml bottle to try next year with which to investigate further. The savoury, smoky aromas with hints of tea and olives led into deep, dark flavours of blackberries, cassis, and licorice – we thanked our lucky stars we had a full size magnum to share, otherwise things could have gotten ugly. Still it had to come to an end eventually, and we finished our glasses with wistful expressions while mopping up creamy potatoes and earthy lentils amid compliments to the Chef.

The mystery course from our charming guests came next, in the form of a pre-dessert (or perhaps just a first dessert) of freshly made rolled crêpes. Two bottles of Kettle Valley 2011 Pinot Gris served as a magnum of sorts, which suited us just fine. Like a very small handful of other Okanagan wineries (e.g., Nichol Vineyard), Kettle Valley clearly leaves their Pinot Gris to soak on the skins for longer than usual, hence the stunning pink colour. The delicate cotton candy flavours and steely minerals in the wine proved to be a superb foil for the creamy crêpes, stuffed with mascarpone, sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla sugar. The wine finished with a clean grapefruit flavour, leaving us refreshed and ready for our second dessert!

I was certainly looking forward to finally revealing my efforts – courtesy of an inspired idea from my wife – at producing an entirely homemade, traditional Black Forest Cake. It seemed like an ideal pairing for our cherished bottle of Blasted Church Amen Port-de-Merlot, purchased way back in 2009 during a winery visit. Since most dessert wines come in 375mL bottles, we reasoned that a 750mL bottles like ours should count as a magnum, and hence continue the theme. The particular Amen we were about to consume came from the 2006 and 2007 vintages, but newer releases do incorporate more vintages using a Solera style. Going forward the wine is anticipated to possess additional complexity and richness as the average age increases.

As the recipe details, the cake was carefully assembled from three layers of chocolate génoise and a full litre of whipping cream, plus canned sour cherries (not Maraschino cherries). It was a true labour of love that consumed my afternoon. Tasting it and hearing everyone’s enjoyment – and relief that it wasn’t sickly sweet – made it all worthwhile though. Alongside the relatively subtle cake the Amen was a good match, as it was surprisingly dry and restrained, not the “Porty” flavour profile we were expecting given the name and image. The wine’s flavour profile, dominated by cocoa, tied the whole course together, and left us enjoying a wonderful and less cloying conclusion to the meal than may have been feared by some given the title of the dessert!

By the end of the meal we were all contentedly stuffed, and revelling in memories of so many good times gone by. We all signed the Red Icon bottle for perpetuity, and vowed this would not be our last adventure together. It’s possible that next time we’ll be dining in Kentucky, so I may need to find out how large a bottle is allowed through customs!

Vigorous New Reds from SpierHead

SpierHead Winery in south-east Kelowna has been carefully and methodically entering the market since last summer, with a focused portfolio of reds and whites specially tailored to the local terroir. Chardonnay and a particularly good Riesling cover the white domain, while the winery’s first vintage of (great value) Pinot Noir – from estate grapes – reportedly won a prestigious gold medal at the 2012 Canadian Wine Awards. The winery also scored a major coup at the Okanagan Wine Festival this fall when it was named best new winery at the BC Wine Awards (following in the footsteps of respected peers Painted Rock, Cassini Cellars, and then Volcanic Hills last year).

Although the winery opened with a series of varietal red wines, they are currently focused on just two red blends: the flagship blend “Vanguard” has been with the winery since day one, while the the newer entry-level “Pursuit” is the second level wine. Compared to some flagship reds however, both wines are reasonably priced, with even the Vanguard coming in at only $30. I recently received a sample of each of the new 2010 vintages of these reds, and shared them with a few friends to get a wider opinion.

Pursuit ($22) is the more immediately approachable wine, comprised of a majority of Merlot, along with 28% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc. Smartly, the winery has opted to source Black Sage Road fruit from the southern Okanagan for their big reds, realizing the Kelowna terroir is much better suited to lighter Pinot Noir and white varieties. The wine was barrel aged for 18 months in 44% new French oak, and only 375 cases were produced for this first release.

The 2010 growing season was late starting, and cooler than average, especially compared to the blazing 2009 heat, so one doesn’t expect to find big ripe reds, but SpierHead has worked well with what nature provided. The Pursuit showed some green aromas as well as fiery notes, but on the palate we tasted plenty of juicy berries thanks to bright acidity: blueberries and red currants were suggested, and hints of licorice emerged when paired with food. By the next day more chocolate notes were apparent when we sampled what remained in the bottle after sealing it overnight. I would be remiss if I didn’t publish the poetic ode to Pursuit composed on the spot – by a published writer with a doctorate in English Literature no less:

Warm wool mittens

By the fire

Sink in

The Vanguard retains the tart acidity of the Pursuit and adds even more tannins thanks to nearly equal proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot along with 4% Cabernet Franc. Although the residual sugar remains nearly identical to that of the Pursuit (2.8 g/L), it tastes drier, with darker fruit flavours and a profile that reminded some of raspberry balsamic vinaigrette. Hints of molasses, cinnamon, and anise were mentioned as well, although in general it is the more savoury of the two reds. The wine also saw 18 months in French oak, of which a larger percentage (55%) was new oak.

Both of these wines are still quite young and definitely demand food pairings at present to tame their acidity and tannins, but those features also bode well for the long haul. The wines should do well in the cellar for a while as they mature, giving time for the Vanguard in particular to more fairly compete with other 2010 flagship blends, of which few have yet to be released (many competitors are still in the midst of their 2008 and 2009 releases). Combined, the two reds yield only 640 cases, showing that SpierHead is once again proceeding intelligently and patiently as their vineyards, technique, and brand mature. Having yet to visit many of the Kelowna-area wineries I look forward to seeing what consultant Tom Di Bello called “the most meticulous vineyard I had ever seen” in person in the near future, plus enjoying what I’m sure will be even more well-crafted wines.