Naramata Bench Tasting, April 2010

Imagine a ballroom filled with wine; red wine, white wine, rose, sparkling wine, fruit wine... the list is endless.

   Imagine then, that your job is to taste all of those wines. Yes, you've been paid to taste wine and wow - it sucks to be you doesn't it?

   Well sometimes it actually isn't all fun. I was at a trade tasting last year where all of the wines (with some very limited exceptions) very thin, green tannins, poorly balanced... you get the idea. Tasting a hundred or more wines like that in a row isn't fun, isn't exciting, but becomes a long a tedious day where all you can think of is how good a crisp clean beer is going to be at the end.

   Better then digging ditches for a living though.

   And then there are days like Thursday 21st April 2011. A day that will live in my memory for quite some time with the richness of flavors and nuanced approaches that many winemakers from the Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley DVA have taken with their (mostly) 2010 crop. A truly stunning display of BC fruit and well worth the time of anyone who appreciates a well crafted wine. There are of course some "stars of the show"...

Red Rooster 2009 Chardonnay

$17 CAD   ***** BUY THIS NOW *****

http://www.redrooster.com/

** winner GOLD 2011 Chardonnay du Monde **

Chardonnay du Monde competition

• nose:   clean; big buttery grilled pineapple and exotic fruit
• palate: crisp vibrant acids with stunningly lush body, great structure and long length on the palate
• conclusion:   an absolute star for the money - I was stunned at the quality and value-for-money. Buy as much as you can because this will sell out quickly and I'm imagining it will have a reasonably long life in your cellar (if you can keep yourself from drinking it all)

Kettle Valley 2009 Viognier

$24 CAD   **** EXCELLENT VALUE ****

http://www.kettlevalleywinery.com/

• nose:   clean; rich bouquet of ripe stonefruit and florals
• palate:   clean; crisp yellow grapefruit acids with brilliantly executed balance, very good structure and medium+ length
• conclusion:   this wine still has some development left in the bottle and will be drinking well 2011-2014/15

Nicol Vineyards 2009 Gewurztraminer

$17 CAD    ***Very Good Value ***

http://www.nicolvineyard.com/

• nose:   clean; rich developed floral notes with ripe stonefruit and a long finish of orange blossom
• palate:   clean; lively yellow and pink grapefruit acids, Great balance and structure, medium length
• conclusion:   the concentration of flavor wasn't a match for the nuanced aromas, but still a great value for under $20. Drink 2011 to 2013/14

LFNG 2009 Pinot Gris

$20 CAD   **** EXCELLENT VALUE **

http://www.laughingstock.ca/

* SILVER Medal Winner, LA County Fair 2010

** SILVER Medal Winner, San Francisco International Wine Competition 2010
*** 90 Points - John Schreiner - On the palate, there are layers of flavours of ripe pears, melons and apples, with rich weight on the palate, yet with a crisp finish. http://www.johnschreiner.blogspot.com/

• nose:   clean; full and developing bouquet of rich florals and ripe stonefruit, soft orchardfruit
• palate:   clean; beautifully vibrant pink grapefruit acids with a light mineral background and tons of uplifted "Springtime" flavors... Spring in a bottle. Excellent balance and structure with long length

Black Widow 2010 Pinot Gris

$20 CAD   ***** BUY THIS NOW *****  

http://www.blackwindowwinery.com/

• nose:   clean; fully intense developing bouquet of layers of perfumed flowers, apricots, peaches, nectarine compote
• palate:   clean; crisp and extremely well balanced grapefruit/lime acids with a long, layered length to the flavors and superb structure. Truly, one of the best BC Pinot Gris I've had in years

Perseus *(Right Bank Bordeaux Blend)

$unknown (barrel sample)     ***** BUY THIS WHEN AVAILABLE *****  

http://www.perseuswinery.com/

• nose:   clean; rich developing aromas of currant and cassis, red and black raspberries, light leathery undertones with slight red meatiness... smells like St Emilion styled Bordeaux blendings (Merlot driven)
• palate:   clean; palate mimicks the nose superbly with long rich developing flavors, superb balance and structure and an incredibly long length. An absolute star of the show for me - I was speechless, which happens far less then Mrs AStudentofWine would like <>

    Wow. Definitely not a tough job on Thursday... I ran into several colleagues including John Schreiner, who agreed with me that the Naramata Bench 2010 release of white wines is already one of the best showings in recent years... brilliantly developed aromas and well balanced flavors with the structure to support them.

Well done Naramata Winemakers~!

As always, I welcome your questions and comments.

CINCIN~!!!      SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Hainle Vineyards, Peachland, Okanagan Valley, Canada

The history of the Okanagan Valley (http://www.bcwine.ca/) wine-region is a short and troubled one by modern standards: the first vineyard was planted in the 1850's by a Catholic missionary at a time when Europeans were virtually unheard of in British Columbia. (B.C. didn't become a recognized province until it joined the Dominion of Canada in 1871)

view from HAINLE vineyards

 Well, that missionary may have done well working for God, but in working for the grape he perhaps didn't do as well... plantings of vines were sporadic at best until the 1920's when prohibition came into effect. Then out came all the vines and fruit wines were virtually the only wines produced in the province.

 Fast-forward to the 1970's and a few enterprising individuals began to invest time, money and themselves to this northern climate (it lies on the same lines of latitude as Champagne in France) to see if something other then fruit wines could be made here. Walter Hainle (http://www.hainle.com/) was one such individual.



vines at HAINLE vineyards



 In 1972 an early frost threatened to wipe-out one of Walters' first crops. Rather then lose his entire years work, he decided to fall back on his Germanic heritage and made an icewein or icewine. It was Canada's inaugural vintage of 178 bottles, and if one could be found today, it would be worth approximately 1,500,000 British Pounds Sterling at auction. One bottle.

 I have not been fortunate enough to sample one of those bottles. I haven't even had the pleasure of tasting one of their vintages of icewine. What I did happen across, in a little winestore in Chiliwack, was the 2002 Pinot Blanc selling for less then $25. I thought to myself, "How bad could it be?"

 The truth was, I had no idea how good it could be. Pinot Blanc is a varietal grown in Alsace (France), Germany, Hungary and Slovenia most notably. The Hainle family is from Austria, and whilst it is certainly grown in Austria, it is not one of the main varietals for the country. Pinot Blanc is actually a mutation (in the best possibly way) of Pinot Noir (a varietal I adore), although it can easily be confused for Chardonnay, and until recently (1980's) was actually mistaken for Muscadet in California. Pinot Blanc is often vinified the same way as Chardonnay going into oak barrels and undergoing malo-lactic fermentation.

 So here is an anomaly for me: not only a varietal that doesn't normally age well (most are consumed 5 years or under), but also an older vintage than one normally sees for anything other then icewine from BC. What to do with a 9-year old Pinot Blanc from BC? The answer is pure enjoyment.

2002 Hainle Vineyards Pinot Blanc

Peachland, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

http://www.hainle.com/

12.5% ABV, $25 CAD ** BUY THIS NOW **

• visual:   clean (trace crystals at bottom of bottle); moderate gold amber core with slight watery rim
• nose:   clean; moderate+ intense and fully developed bouquet of golden delicious apples, apricots both fresh and dried, wild grass and clean hay, sharp minerality, aromatic lemon such as Meyer lemon, lime zest, soft honey notes and dried flowers
• palate:   clean; dry, moderate+ to full (lime and pink grapefruit) acids, moderate- ABV, moderate+ body, moderately intense and fully developed flavors that mimick the nose well; flowers are more noticeable as dried roses, apple flavors are almost "baked apple" with lemon zest. Excellent balance, structure and length... the flavors sit and develop on the palate for 30 seconds and longer
• conclusion:   A stunning example of a vintage Pinot Blanc, this is drinking well in 2011 and should be consumed soon. There is still great concentration on the nose, and strong (well balanced) acids, but the palate is fading. If you are lucky enough to find this - buy it and enjoy it!
• PAIRINGS:   consider rabbit. Just enough wildness of flavor to balance the apple/lemon, enough fat to balance the moderate+ acids (if you don't overcook the rabbit)... I would go to an old favorite of mine: butter poached rabbit with wild thyme and fresh farfalle pasta. A match made in heaven!

 So my first foray into Hainle vineyards, but most definitely not my last. This wine shows well why Hainle vineyards has garnered so many accolades and awards over its' almost 40 years of winemaking.



HAINLE vineyards



As always, I welcome and enjoy your comments and questions.

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoran Estate Winery, Summerland, BC

Sonoran Estate Winery is named for the vast desert that stretches from southern California to the very northern tip of the Okanagan, of which Summerland could be considered part.

     I have had the good fortune to taste several of Sonoran's wines, and even visit the winery on two separate occasions. Life at Sonoran must be good, if one can judge such things from photos or from brief afternoon visits... and endless vista of rolling hills and warm lakeside, gentle breezes tickling one's nose with the perfume of grapes and orchardfruit heavy in the air and perhaps the merry sound of children playing nearby (or is that the winemaker having too much fun in the cellar?).

     Regardless of my "postcard" image of the serenity that must follow one's days in and around Summerland (*even the name inspires one to languish in a somewhat blissful stupor of barbeques and cold drinks by the pool), I know how hard the winemaker and all of his staff are indeed working. I know this because contrary to the images of joyous abandon, I've seen them hard at work.

     Summerland can reach day-time highs in the 30's and 40's Celsius in mid-summer, which translates to over 110F, which translates to damn hot. And yet, on they trudge and toil to bring us the fruit of an extra-ordinary terroir. Summerland's soil composition ( http://ginkgo.cisti.nrc.ca/RPAS/rpv?hm=HInit&journal=cjss&volume=79&afpf=S98-074.pdf ) is characterized by AgriCanada as Skaha Loamy Sand, which is a coarse soil overlaying a gravelly deposit... that is to say, it drains well and allows the vine roots to dig deep for water and nutrients. This in fact will develop flavors all on it's own, even without the meddling of the benevolent winemaker. A unique terroir that winemakers the world over look at with a tinge (or more) of jealousy...

     And this is what comes from that land:

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon "Jazz Series", Sonoran Estate Winery

Summerland, Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada

http://www.sonoranestate.com/

13.2% ABV, $24.95     ***EXCELLENT VALUE***

Fox's Reach Liquor Store, Maple Ridge

http://tagliquorstores.com/fox-reach/

• visual:   clean; deep plum-violet core with light cherry-brick rim (indicative of age)
• nose:   clean; fully intense youthful bouquet showing development; wild exotic black florals including black lily, black rose, irises, rich red and black fruit including cherry, raspberry, plum, heavy and yet balanced oaking, long savory spicy notes of nutmeg and allspice, sweet end notes bring back the floral with a slight vegetal tinge
• palate:   clean; dry, fully intense (red currant and cranberry) acids, moderate+ intense (slightly chewy) tannins, moderate+ ABV, moderate+ body, Excellent balance, structure and length
• conclusion:    For $25 I would be hard-pressed to think of a better expression of BC Cabernet Sauvignon. Sonoran Estate had produced an excellent wine which shows incredibly well now with 2 hours decanting... this wine should still age and develop slightly in bottle until 2014 or so
• PAIRINGS:   tonight Mrs. Astudentofwine and I enjoy this luscious wine with a prime rib roast beef, cook over a bed of savory herbs with steamed spaghetti squash and home-made onion rings.



beautiful people sampling beautiful wines at Sonoran

     It's a Sunday night, I've got my wife, a great dinner and I'm almost caught up on my studying. All is good in the world... reason enough to celebrate with a bottle from Sonoran Estate Winery!

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Pinot Noir, Inniskillin, Okanagan, BC

Pinot Noir; the heart-break grape. This is indeed one of those varietals where the winemaker and the viticulturist may do everything right, and still the wine turns out... a little wrong.

     Well, at Inniskillin Winery (Okanagan), one would be hard-pressed to say they are doing anything wrong. Winners of more then 75 awards in 2009 (wow), the company received those awards for wines from both of their wineries in Ontario and British Columbia. Two diverse terroirs for two distinctive styles of wine-production; Niagara (cooler, more humidity in summer) produces more of the aromatic whites, and Oliver (south Okanagan, more extremes of temperature between seasons and drier summer) produces richer, more robust reds.

     Well I have long been a fan of Oliver wines in general, and sentimental old me - Inniskillin was one of the first wineries to attract my attention many years ago (they started here in 1994). The wines have always been made with quality, and with an ever-increasing focus on innovation and research, to the extent that at Brock University, Inniskillin Hall is named in honor.

     And so the cycle of research is begun anew as students emerging from Brock Hall, may, return to the low hills of Oliver in the south Okanagan. There, at the northern most tip of the Sonoran desert, on fine sand and silty surface soil with gravelly subsoil, there Sandor Mayer and his cracker-jack team of wine experts are hard at work; they craft beautiful wines for today, with an eye to the future and the limitless possibilities of tomorrow.

2009 Inniskillin Okanagan, Pinot Noir

BC VQA Okanagan Valley

14.5% ABV, $19 CAD (http://www.bcliquorstores.com/)

   Very Good Value

http://www.inniskillin.com/

• visual:   clean; light ruby core with substantial cherry rim
• aroma:   clean; moderate+ intense youthful aromas with some development; layers of cherries and cherry-blossoms, substantial yet not overbearing oak, slight peppery spiciness, faint floral finish
• palate:   clean; dry, moderate+ to full (red currant) acids, moderate+ (slightly grippy and chewy) tannins, moderate (-) body, moderate+ ABV, moderately intense and youthful flavors; cherries, slightly overbearing oak, red currants, tart lemony notes, candied cherry finish. Good balance. Very good structure. Moderate length.
• conclusion:    Well it's more then worth the $19 for a BC Pinot Noir... I must admit to not being a fan of the style though... reminiscent of Louis Jadot from Burgundy (http://astudentofwine.blogspot.com/2010/09/louis-jadot-pinot-noir-bourgogne.html ) ... same notes: Decant this wine for an hour for best results. This wine is drinking well now, and will cellar until 2013 or possibly 2014. Try to drink it soon though to enjoy the expression of fresh flavors.
• PAIRINGS:   Drink this wine with a little fat to balance the acids! Some gamey meat will play off the red cherry and red currant; duck is a natural. Don't go too spicy or the high alcohol will become even more pronounced; and keep the herbs and seasonings mild to medium as the wine is also (somewhat) delicate.

Many thanks Sandor Mayer and all of the hardworking people at http://www.inniskillin.com/ !

CINCIN~!!!     SLAINTE~!!!     CHEERS~!!!

Painted Rock winery, Okanagan, British Columbia

Painted Rock Winery

I think it interesting that nothing in the Painted Rock website ( http://www.paintedrock.ca/ )talks about it’s owner and founder, John Skinner. Indeed, it’s almost puzzling after meeting the man because he’s just such a character... a man with a history in the financial world, and little (he says) to do with wine earlier in his life except in it’s consumption. It must have been a long and flavorful road that lead him to the Naramata Bench. Someday, I hope to hear that story in detail. Until that day, however, let me tell you the story (as I tasted it) of some of John’s wines.

2008 Chardonnay

13.8% ABV,  $30 *EXCELLENT VALUE*

• Visual: ultra pale core with golden rim and slight green highlights
• Nose: moderate+ intense of fresh hay, summer field floweres & golden apples, with a stony soil background and a finish of slightly hot alcohol
• Palate: 0 dryness, moderate+ crisp lemon and green apple acids, moderate+ rich, velvety body, moderate+ to fully intense flavors that mimick the nose perfectly, moderate+ to full length. Very well constructed wine that will do well for the next several years (at least)
• Pairs with: honey bruleed duck breast, or, is rich enough in flavor to pair with grilled BC Albacore tuna marinated in savory herbs

2007 Syrah

14% ABV, $40 *EXCELLENT VALUE*

• Visual: moderate+ ruby center with a light cherry rim
• Nose: moderate++(full) intense completely unique bouquet; perfumed layers of exotic flowers, black stonefruit (a diverse array of plums), rich peppery finish
• Palate: 0 dryness, moderate+ acids, moderate, soft supple tannins with a trace of siltyness, moderate+ rich body, moderate+ intense flavors that once again mimick the nose quite well, but the oak makes it’s presence known here much more, full length and structure, this wine is already showing well and will continue to develop slightly for the next several years. Enjoy until 2015.
• Pairs with: slightly green finish from the youth of the vines makes me want to pair something fatty with this wine. Try venison flank for the flavors and a butter- enhanced demi-glaçe to balance the green acids

2007 Merlot

14.7% ABV, $40  *BUY THIS NOW*

Winner: “Best of varietal; Merlot” 2010 Okanagan Spring Wine Festival

• Visual: moderately intense bruised plum core with cherry rim
• Nose: fully intense bouquet of red and black stonefruit, baie rouges (red berries), garrigue (savory wild herbs; bay leaf in this case) a slightly ferric meatiness, and slightly hot alcohol at the end
• Palate: 0 dryness, full tight acids, moderate silty tannins, moderate+ body, once again the palate mimicks the nose impeccably with a green apple finish. Excellent structure and good balance, this wine will do best with a few more years in bottle to allow the greenness to mellow... drink 2014 to 2020.
• Pairs with: such a variety of aromas and flavors allow for diverse food pairings; from Argentinean style grilled beef chimmichurrie, to roast prime rib with a chevre demi-glaçe, to Portobello mushroom Wellington with blue cheese!

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

14% ABV, $40  *EXCELLENT VALUE*

• Visual: fully intense ruby center with slight cherry-brick rim
• Nose: fully intense aromas of dried fruit, fruit & terrior driven wine with long lingering levels of baie rouges such as black raspberries, dark cherries, baie noir such as Saskatoons, almost a cocoa finish
• Palate: 0 dryness, moderate++ (almost fully intense) green apple acids, fully intense fine silty tannins, moderate body, moderate+ intense flavors mimicking the nose perfectly, excellent structure and a long finish. An excellent wine with a promising future, I want to taste this wine in 6 months, 12 months, 24 months to watch the progression from slightly awkward youth into a stunningly mature wine.
• Pairs with: at first I thought the braised unctiousness of a great bolognaise, but then I reverted to thinking like a good Frenchman and am convinced that in it’s youth, this wine pairs best with a classic Boeuf Bourguignon... the cream balancing acids, the beef and wild mushrooms against the fine tannins and the savory herbs nuancing the levels in the wine



John Skinner at Monk McQueens



All in all, a fantastic showing for the second year of a winery. In the past I may have had some reluctance at tasting product from a winery this young. The delight of this tasting, however, has swayed me in my thinking... young wineries should be approached without prejudice, as indeed all wines should be approached.

And perhaps the same is true of people. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting John Skinner, though I had little idea what I may have in common with someone from the finiancial markets. It turns out that we have a great deal in common, and more then just a passion for excellence whether it is excellence in land, or excellence in the bottle. I very much look forward to the future of Painted Rock Winery and will be one of the many savvy people who lines up for the next tasting.