SOWF #6: Crowsnest Vineyards

Well, you knew the hot streak couldn't last forever. Just around the corner we found Crowsnest Vineyards on Surprise Drive. It was a surprise all right, but not a pleasant one. Actually, the wines weren't all that bad. The winemaking is definitely Germanic, and reminded us of Gehringer Brothers in style. The Rieslings and the Gewurz were true to form although drier than their German cousins. If you like German wines then I think you would enjoy a visit to Crowsnest, but it's not really my cup of tea.

Crowsnest is also heavily into other activities. They run a restaurant, bakery and guesthouse, and even host a Harley Davidson riders' club. The website seems out of date (although there are recent events posted), so I didn't reproduce their wine notes as they don't correspond to the wines we actually tasted.

• Chardonnay  ($18)

88 points. Unoaked, nice crispness.
 

• Gewurztraminer  ($19)

88 points. 1 on the sweetness scale. Pretty good, dry Germanic style, honey.
 

• Riesling 2011 ($20)

88 points. Apple cider taste, tart.
 

• Riesling 2009  

88 points.

• Pinot Noir  ($23)

87 points. Stewed strawberry.
 

• Merlot 2008 ($21)

87 points. More strawberry, definitely not Kris' favorite.
 


 

SOWF #5: Eau Vivre

Our next stop on our Similkameen journey was Eau Vivre. This is a very unassuming little winery, presumably a husband and wife operation although I have very little background on this place. I think they only make four wines, and we got to try them all. Holy smoke - what a find! And for around twenty bucks these were some of the very best value wines we came across.

Our rule of thumb is to try to purchase one bottle per winery, since they all have to be brought back on the plane. We bought three here, everything but the Gewurz (I just can't bring myself to call it "goo"). We have a family vacation planned for the Okanagan in July; we may just have to drag the kids out to Cawston to scoop up a few more bottles.

• Gewurztraminer 2009 ($17)

Light in colour, with intense nose of white flowers, orange blossoms and candied fruit.  The palate is equally balanced with soft acids and lush fruit mouth feel that is produced in the classic dry but fruity style.  Designed with medium body and plush rich fruit this wine has the profile of a much sweeter wine.  This small lot production of 2009 Gewurztraminer is made from 100% Similkameen grapes.  With only 200 cases produced, this very popular wine is building a following of fans and will surely sell out.

89 points. Floral but not syrupy. Fresh.

• Chardonnay 2008 ($18)

A nice pale straw colour shows that this wine has a great aging potential. The nose smells of honey, with a baked pastry component, leading to apple pie and pear. Hints of citrus and stone fruit on the nose as well. The palette is intense and balanced, with apple and lemon curd, white peach and nectarines, showing a full round mouth feel but enough acidity to give it good length and freshness. Very versatile food wine, that can pair well with seafood, but has the acidity to cut through creamy dishes as well. 

90 points. Complex, sweet and tart, bright, good acidity balance.

• Pinot Noir 2008 ($19)

On the nose it is constantly developing, starting with typical cherry and cranberry before leading into more earthy tones and the darker side of this wonderful variety. The longer this is open the more complex it becomes as the fruit nose subsides and the leathery and soy notes come forward. Built with some considerable structure, despite having very little oak on nose or palette. The wine has great intensity and length, tannins taking the fruit and acidity long into the finish. Great balance. Drinking well now and will age wonderfully for years to come. 

91 points. Only two other wineries had a 91 point wine on our tour - Fairview and Laughing Stock. That's pretty exclusive company for Eau Vivre. "Warm, smooth, chocolate and sweet tones. Wow." (That's a direct quote from my notes.) A preposterous value.

• Cabernet Franc 2009 ($22)

Fermented on the skins for 18 days to extract deep dark color, this wine was aged in French Oak barrels. The aromas boldly convey the grape variety's floral and herbal character, in this case suggesting tobacco and spice. On the palate spice and pepper enhance those characteristics and finish dry. This wines style has serious charm and complexity and will excite fans of cool-climate Cab Franc fans. Only 270 cases produced in 2009 from 100% Okanagan Valley grapes.

90 points.
      

SOWF #2: Nk'Mip

Nk'Mip (pronounced in-ka-meep) is a desert cultural centre, luxury resort and spa, golf course, winery and an aboriginal success story all at once. We'll focus on the wine, but the Nk'Mip Resort website has lots of interesting info. We even looked into investing in one of the Spirit Ridge strata suites a while back.

Nk'Mip manages to win a fair bit of recognition for their wines. Overall I find them good but nothing that has ever knocked my socks off. Generally at Nk'Mip, the more unpronouncable the name the more expensive the wine. We hadn't been here for a few years and things change, so it's a good idea to go back to the source once in a while to see (and taste) what's going on. Again, winemaker's comments in regular text, my notes and scores in italic.

• Pinot Blanc 2010 ($17)

This wine is bright and lively with an explosion of citrus and orchard notes followed by a crisp, racy finish. Generous notes of apple with an underlying mineral nuance complete this well-balanced wine.

88 points.

• Riesling 2010 ($18)

Classic granny smith apple and crisp, fresh citrus notes give way to a gentle layering of luscious orchard fruit and honeydew melon. Dry in style, the flavours are well balanced and are supported by a crisp, refreshing finish. 

88 points.

• Chardonnay 2010 ($17)

The Chardonnay grapes were stainless steel fermented and 40% of the vintage was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months while 60% remained in stainless steel fermentors to retain a crisp, fruit forward flavour with a smooth finish.

Fragrant granny smith apple and summer fruit are joined by fresh pineapple and melon layers that lead into a rounded expression of butterscotch and vanilla bean.

88 points.

• Pinot Noir 2010 ($20)

The inviting nose displays elements of luscious Okanagan black cherry and plum with a hint of rosemary spice. The soft tannic structure is very approachable with substantial berry and spice flavours despite its delicacy. A liquid silk texture leaves a soft finish on the palate.

88 points.

• Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2009 ($25)

Extended lees contact gives depth and complexity with rich and nutty flavour, offering lots of caramel, marzipan and pear. Enticing and aromatic with subtle layering of citrus is followed by a lingering mineral finish. 

89 points. The best wine I tasted here, almost a 90 - delicious!

• Qwam Qwmt Meritage 2008 ($30)

This Meritage is a blend of 69% Merlot, 28.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2.5% Cabernet Franc grapes. This wine exhibits an intense ruby colour with aromas and flavours of mint, chocolate, tobacco and cassis with a well-structured palate and a long toasty finish.

89 points.

• Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($30)

Rich with dried black fruit and cassis wrapped in toasty spicy cedar, this fully structured Cabernet Sauvignon leads the palate to contemplate complex flavours of berry, vanilla, coffee, capsicum and cherry.  

88 points.

• Mer'r'iym 2008 ($50)

Mer’r’iym is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot epitomizing balance, respect and dedication. The 2008 Mer’r’iym Meritage is the result of our tireless pursuit of excellence at Nk’Mip vineyards. We combined only the best blocks of grapes with some of the finest French and American oak barrels in an effort to produce a wine of genuine elegance and finesse. 

89 points.

C.R.O.W.N. 4 Results

Let me preface this by saying how wrong I was about pinot noir. I wrote that pinot noir "is tricky to pin down." Well, after tasting quite a few before and during the event, I think I can say that the grape is among the more identifiable varietals. There is still a wide range of flavours but I can taste that distinctive strawberry now.

And I think we all expanded our palates a bit. It was unintentionally challenging to find a decent pinot noir under the price limit of $22, but everyone passed the assignment with flying colours. Plus we got to use my new custom-made cloth wine bags for the tasting.

The results:

1) The People's Pinot Noir 2010, New Zealand $20.00

2) La Crema Pinot Noir 2010, Sonoma $21.90

3) Rock Wren Pinot Noir 2008, Prospect Winery, Okanagan $19.00

4) La Petite Paille Pinot Noir 2008, Little Straw, Okanagan $21.90  

5) Fat Bastard Pinot Noir 2009, France $16.00

The winner had five first-place votes, the runner-up four top rankings, so it was pretty close. The top four all scored well, with only the Fat Bastard not impressing (which surprised me since their Chardonnay is quite good). Compared to the others, La Crema was much more full-bodied and some even found it sweet. This was our entry and we lucked out that Superstore put it on sale the week of the tasting. The People's was more of a traditional pinot noir but a cut above and very engaging.

All of the New Zealand pinot noirs we researched were excellent by the way. The one we almost went with instead of La Crema was Yealands: like the winner Yealands really impresses up front and is great on its own. But for drinking with dinner I would go with La Crema. The Okanagan pinots were very good too.

In terms of learning something new and drinking good (cheap-ish) wine, the evening was a success.

C.R.O.W.N. 4

For the first time we will focus on a single varietal: pinot noir.

Like many people (way too many people from the point of view of the wine community), I got interested in pinot noir after watching Sideways. Miles' response when asked why he loves it so much is one of my favorite movie moments ever:

It's a hard grape to grow, as you know. Right? It's uh, it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It's, you know, it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and uh, thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention. You know? And in fact it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked away corners of the world. And, and only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression. Then, I mean, oh its flavors, they're just the most haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle and... ancient on the planet.

There is even a "Sideways Effect" which describes the masses of people who turned on to pinot noir as a result of the movie. Even though Sideways is a satire not to be taken too seriously, it did open my eyes to this grape. Although I still drink merlot, too, when I feel like it.

Pinot noir is tricky to pin down. I find it's not easily identifiable, like malbec or chardonnay. I will often buy a bottle of cabernet sauvignon or syrah that I've haven't tasted before because you have a fairly good idea of what you're going to get. But not pinot noir - each one is different. Some are very "thin" and others surprisingly robust. And to me they really are hit or miss. 

Should be fun.