SOWF #15: Gold Hill

Another first-time winery for us. Gold Hill is one of many Okanagan vineyards that started out producing fruit for other wineries. Last year they opened the winery, although it looks like they started making their own wine in 2009. This is a smart way to do it, since you can take your time getting your vineyard and growing operation in order, and when you're ready you can put your own label on it. It doesn't hurt to grow your grapes in the best location in Canada, either.

Looking at their awards, Gold Hill is doing just fine. I'm always a little skeptical of wine awards, as there seem to be a lot of different competitions and I don't have enough knowledge to recognize a legitimate Academy Award wine competition from a more obscure, everybody-wins-a-medal award.

• Chardonnay 2010 ($19)

This wine is bursting with green apple, grassy, pineapple and citrus aromas with lingering pear and peach flavours!The wine finishes crisp and dry and will pair well withany seafood dish, cream pasta sauces, Asian food and light flavoured cheeses.

Dry, crisp, no oak - very drinnkable! 88 points.

 

• Pinot Gris 2011 ($18)

Cool fermented in stainless steel tanks. The wine is layered with aromas of pear, apricots, citrus and hints of grassy notes. This balanced wine finishes clean with after notes of honeydew and pear. Enjoy with seafood and light cream pasta dishes.

Syrupy, not bad. 88 points.

• Gewurztraminer 2011 ($18)

The grapes undergo cold skin soak for 12 hours to enhance the aromatics prior to fermentation. The result is a rich aromatic wine bursting with lychee, rose petals, floral and pineapple notes. Balanced to off dry finish with long lingering flavours of lychee, floral and mango. A great wine to enjoy on its own or with salads, appetizers, or spicier foods.

Soapy, floral, citrus. Interesting. 88 points.

 

• Rosé 2011 ($16)

Made from Cabernet Franc and Pinot Gris grapes, this Rose goes short cold skin soak and then cool fermented on skins for a couple of days. The result is a wine with ripe cherry, blackcurrant, and strawberry aromas with a slight hint of peppery notes in the after taste. The wine finishes balanced to off dry with a nice fruity finish. Perfect as a summer sipper by the lakeside or a nice wine to serve with appetizers and salads.

A little musty smell, some leather. Huge flavour, fruity. This is more red than white. 88 points.
 
 

• Merlot 2009 ($23)

Soft and silk red with nice notes of cherry, vanilla, plum, jam and blackberries. Medium to full bodied wine with soft tannins and a nice tobacco and cocoa finish. One of the more popular varietals, this wine can be served with many dishes such as pastas, cheese fondues, and lighter cuts of meat. This has been in a French Oak barrels for 16 months.

Wow - spicy, leather, tobacco, dark fruits. 89+ points.

• Cabernet Franc 2009 ($25)

Medium to full bodied red wine with nice cocoa, blackcurrant, herbaceous, and spicy notes with subtle hints of anise, pepper, and a lingering minerality. Tannins are soft yet inviting and will pair well with lighter cuts of meat such as pork or duck and soft cheeses like well aged cheddar and aged asiago. This has been in a French Oak barrels for 16 months.

Their flagship red. Finish is smooth and long. A nice, subtle wine. 89 points.
 

• Syrah 2009 ($27)

This full bodied Syrah is a rich and complex red wine with nuances of lavender, spice, anise, and vanilla with a delicate hint of raspberry, cherry, and pepper notes to round out this wine. Pairs well with grilled meats or medium rare cuts such as beef, lamb, ribs or duck. Goes well with goat cheese and sheep cheese too.This has been in a French Oak barrels for 16 months.

Dry, big and chewy. 88 points. 

SOWF #14: Castoro de Oro

I am determined to post all my notes on the Spring OK Wine Festival, even if it is now summer.

We first encountered Golden Beaver as the last stop before Osoyoos a few years ago. We met the owner, who was out in the fields working but was kind enough to stop and give us a tasting and chat for a while. We learned that he and his partner lived in Calgary and decided to buy the winery (I've tried to find it's old name but can't - it was something German though), and had since discovered that a lot of the vineyard was a mess. He had been working 14-hour days to try to get things into better shape. When we first visited, there was no actual Golden Beaver wine, but instead they were selling the old stock, some of which got a new label and some didn't.

That wine was terrible. We struggled to pick one to buy at the wineshop. It sat on our rack for a couple of years, and not because we were cellaring it for optimal flavour. I finally opened it one day, and it was as bad as I remembered from our trip. The rest got poured down the drain.

That was then, probably about 2006 or 2007. I have kept my eye on this little winery ever since, hoping that things would turn around once they started selling wine from grapes they grew themselves. Golden Beaver has been rechristened Castoro de Oro: the old name and cartoon beaver label, while considered "fun" by the owners, apparently was a  little embarrassing for restaurants to put on their wine lists. Thus the new branding - actually just a translation into Latin and a slightly more sophisticated drawing of a beaver. In some ways I'm glad they're still not taking themselves too seriously. And I think things have improved, although the overall quality is still below par and there was no single wine that blew me away. But I'll keep rooting for these guys, and will return from time to time.

• Pinot Blanc 2006 ($16)

Macintosh apple and pear aromas introduce more complex flavours of crisp apple, melon, pineapple, papaya and a hint of honey. Fresh and vibrant wine with a clean finish. Perfect dinner accompaniment.

I got mostly the pineapple, which probably explains why Kris did not like this one at all. 87 points.
 

• Heartbreaker 2009 ($18)

Chardonnay, Vidal and Pinot Blanc were combined to craft this unique and interesting white blend, the first vintage of its kind.  Apple, apricot and tropical notes on the nose, followed by flavours of pineapple, pear and some mineral notes.  Another good sipper for light summer meals.

A nice blend, my favorite of the bunch. 89 points. 

• Pinot Duetto 2009 ($19)

This dry rosé is a darker salmon colour. 60% Pinot Noir was combined with 40% Pinot Blanc which makes it a summer day sipper that ‘real men’ and red wine enthusiasts will like as much as those who are already rosé converts. The Pinot Noir was made as a full red wine with regular skin contact which gives it those lovely berry flavours and tannins with the Pinot Blanc adding acidity and citrus flavours. The aroma of fresh strawberries, cherries and citrus fruits will delight. It’s fruity and flavourful with a clean smooth finish. A wonderful pink to drink alone for an ice cold refreshing experience or versatile for food pairing with smoked or fresh salmon, crab, scallops, prosciutto, pasta with cream and cheese sauce and even roast chicken since the acidity and tannins will stand up to the salt and fat.

Very complex, nice. 88 points. 

• Pinot Noir 2007 ($20)

Inviting aromas of warm berry and a hint of vanilla. This silky smooth light bodied Pinot Noir has cherry and strawberry flavours complemented with subtle earth and pepper notes, finishes with a hint of butterscotch. The 1st edition (147 cases released one year earlier and sold out now) was oaked exclusively in Hungarian Oak; we decided our Pinot Noir 2007 would be a showcase of the effects of our different oak programs. Perfect pairing with turkey dinner, salmon appetizers and more. The ultimate food wine—the only one you'd want to be stuck with on a desert island—is made from the French grape called Pinot Noir. Why? It's a red wine, with moderate degrees of tannin (the stuff derived from the skins and seeds of fermenting grapes), and so it goes perfectly well with red meats with some degree of fattiness, especially with a twist of pepper or slightly bitter vegetables on the side. But the tannin of our Pinot Noir is very soft, making this a very sleek, smooth, easy drinking red wine that goes well with white meats also. In fact, a slightly chilled bottle of our Pinot Noir is as soft and flavourful to drink as most white wines. 

88 points.
 

• Vidal Vin de Cure (200 ml) 2006 ($20)

This is an intense peachy, candied Vidal with a lingering port-like sweetness. An ideal after-dinner wine with, perhaps, a nibble of fine chocolate. Grapes dried for seven weeks, constantly turned to remain free of spoilage. After the drying period, and Brix raised to 40°. Only then were the grapes crushed and fermented.

Not too sweet, quite enjoyable. 88 points.

         

SOWF #13: Rustico

Continuing down 97 towards Osoyoos. I'd read a bit about Rustico but we had never visited, so another first. (It's amazing that we've been doing this for years and still haven't covered everything.) This is a themed winery, that of the old west including some of the local history as a mining region. I was afraid that Rustico might be all hat and no cattle, as they say on the ranch. The emphasis on brand and marketing is often compensation for a lack of substance. In this case, the wine was, on the whole, pretty good. Good enough to conclude that this is a legitimate winery that wants you to have some fun.

But the whole experience does make you feel at times like you're being gently hustled, albeit in a folksy way. Every wine has a little story. Our server was Ken, a seasoned horseman from Cochrane, Alberta. Ken is about the last guy you'd expect to see in a tasting room discussing wine, and he admits he is still learning about wine. "I only ever drank beer and whisky before coming here," he told us. He is an authentic cowboy, the real deal, and that adds to the experience. An example of the blend of originality and kitsch at Rustico is the way they pour the wine: into tumblers lined up in a row, pouring up and down the line of glasses like a bartender from Bonanza.

Sorry - no price information either from my notes or the winery website. They are mostly in the $20-30 range if I recall.

• Isabella's Poke Pinot Gris

Isabella’s Poke Pinot Gris gives off aromas of pear, vanilla and the skin of new peaches. A wine with a light, fruity air, this Pinot Gris pairs well with seafood and light creamy pastas. It was named for an entertainer in Fairview, the turn-of-the century mining town above present-day Oliver.

Dry, refreshing, floral, easy to drink. 88 points.

• Farmer's Daughter Gewurztraminer

Farmer’s Daughter Dry Gewurztraminer features a tartly citric taste and the scent of lavender and roses. As the story goes, the wine has everything you’d expect from a sassy farmer’s daughter with classic Alsace parentage. The wine is a perfect date with ethnic dishes. It also goes well with free-range chicken or broiled quail with polenta.

A little sweet for me, floral, so-so. 87 points.

• Saloon Sally Rosé

Made from Cabernet Franc. Dry, crisp, light bodied. 88 points.

• Doc's Buggy Pinot Noir

Named after Rustico’s own vintage Baynes Carriage, a restored Doctor’s Runabout at the entrance to the winery’s Tasting Saloon, Doc’s Buggy is a well crafted Pinot Noir with nose hints of ripened Okanagan ground fruit, and the subtly sweet smokiness of sautéed strawberries. Doc’s Buggy well complements pan-seared trout, plank-grilled salmon, apple/grape-stuffed pork or gourmet goat cheeseburgers with caramelized onions and field tomatoes.

Fruity, somewhat thin, strawberry. 88 points.

• Mother Lode Merlot

Miners dream of finding the Mother Lode Merlot, the big one, the strike-it-rich magical gold vein discovery that One-Armed Reid and his cronies at Fairview yearned to yell out loud. Rustico’s barrel-aged big, bold Merlot is richly complex with peppery ripe cherry overtones. Mother Lode goes well with leg of lamb, maple-sugar basted sweet ham or grilled Fraser Valley duckling.

Big up-front spiciness but not much finish. Thought I detected some rhubarb and cherry. 88 points.

• Last Chance

A blend of old-vine, small-lot Zinfandel, barrel-aged Merlot, first plantings of Chancellor and a hint of Blaufränkisch, Rustico’s Last Chance honours legendary miner, One-Armed Reid and his “last chance” to make the big time. As the story goes, he’s thought to be the first to stake a legitimate mining claim in the Fairview area starting a mini-gold rush. Last Chance with its bold, earthy characteristics and tobacco-saddle leather overtones partners well with thickly cut, well-marbled steaks or, as One-Armed Reid might have bellowed, “with roasted Muley!”

Dark, rich but somewhat of a grape jelly taste. Kind of like a thin port. 88 points. 

• Bonanza Zinfandel

Rustico’s Bonanza Zinfandel honours those who journeyed across the globe in search of uncovering their own riches in the South Okanagan. This old-vine, small-lot Zinfandel takes its character from Rustico’s vineyard’s flinty rock, and coarse, sandy terrain and Zin aficionados can expect a toast-and-jam fruit nose with a hint of violets, clove and blackberry. With spicy-sauced beef or slowroasted pork back ribs, this Zinfandel is bound to be the hard-to-find Bonanza of the Golden Mile.

Very nice - deep and rich tasting. Chokecherry. 89 points.

• Threesome Meritage

As good things often come in threes, the Oliver and Osoyoos area of the South Okanagan saw ranching, mining and farming as the big threesome that busted the valley wide open to where it is today. To complete its first portfolio, Rustico is currenty combining three popular varietals – Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – to create Threesome. A bolder blend, Threesome pairs well with barbecued meats or rib-sticking foods like cassoulet, hunters’ stew or confite.

Good, rich but thin, quite astringent "mouth-puckering". 88 points. 


        

SOWF #12: Road 13

Road 13 is one of the gems of the Okanagan, but it's no longer a "best-kept secret" as word is getting out. Some of the very best Canadian wines I have ever tried were from here. I wrote about Road 13 (and its previous incarnation as Golden Mile) in a couple of previous posts, so if you're interested in a little background you can click on the links. Road 13 is still in the medieval castle building but they have built a new "Tasting Lounge" that we have yet to experience. This is a winery that somehow manages to keep it real despite growing recognition and popularity. For example, the "Wienery Dog Day" where the owner will barbeque a hot dog for you for $3.50. (Which goes well with an Honest John's Red, by the way.) And having a couple of wiener dogs trotting around is fun for the kids, so we usually manage to squeeze in a "family" visit each summer. Whatever the excuse, don't miss Road 13 as there are always at least a couple (and often many more) of terrific wines to bring home.

• Honest John's White 2010 ($17)

The 2010 Honest John’s White is light gold with undertones of pale green; this wine starts with aromas of banana, rock melon and ruby grapefruit. Fresh pears in the mouth combine with citrus, followed by melon, green apple and banana. There is a great balance between acidity and the concentrated fruit sweetness with a luxurious mouth feel and a long, lingering finish. This wine’s unorthodox blend will surprise you with its versatility and value. Honest John Oliver would be proud of us!

A blend of Riesling, Kerner, Bacchus and Sauvignon Blanc, this was a nice, light and tasty wine. 88 points.

• Stemwinder 2010 ($20)

The 2010 Stemwinder has a luminous gold color with an intense and complex nose. A Larousse Gastronomique is almost required to be able to describe everything going on in the glass! This wine has green apple, pineapple, flinty and smoky mineral, with a hint of fresh coconut on the nose. I almost forgot to mention the herbes de Provences... The palate is smooth and rich with a long finish and fresh acidity from the cool 2010 growing season. The flavours are similar to the aromas and require referencing our culinary encyclopaedia. This unorthodox blend is sure to confuse and intrigue any wine aficionado in a blind tasting!

Blend of Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc and something described as Chardonnay Musqué. ("Musqué" is not a separate varietal but a description of a clone or strain of a grape that is "musky" - more aromatic and perfumy.) I thought this blend was great, a bit sweet with a bite of citrus. Looking at the winemaker's notes I may have missed a lot. 88 points.

• Honest John's Rosé 2011 ($16)

The 2011 Honest John’s Rosé is a bright salmon colour; this “foodie” wine starts with aromas of white pepper, fresh strawberries and herbes de Provence. The palate is generous and savoury showing flavours of fresh ground pepper, red cherries, strawberries and dry herbs. The wine has a beautiful mouthfeel with a long, lingering, dry finish. This summer sipper is begging for food. Honest John Oliver would be proud of us!

Great, nice balance, could use a little tartness. 88 points. 

• Honest John's Red 2010 ($20)

The 2010 Honest John’s Red has a deep red hue with hints of violet. The fruit explodes out of the glass with aromas of red currant, black raspberries and bing cherries. The nose also shows signature Okanagan character of black sage brush, followed by subtle layering of chocolate, cedar and tobacco. This wine boasts a soft and luscious mouth feel supported by fine grainy tannins from the Black Sage Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2010 Honest John’s Red never disappoints and is begging for friends around a BBQ.

Another classic tasting note from the field: "Yummy, complex." Nailed it. 90 points.

 

• Rockpile 2010 ($25)

The 2010 Rockpile has a beautiful dark garnet colour. There is an explosion of aromas coming out of the glass as soon as the wine is poured. The nose is complex with aromas of plums, cloves, violet, dark liquorice, hazelnut and dry coconut. The voluptuous palate is full of generous flavours such as blackberries, plums, mocha and chocolate. This multilayered wine also has some meatiness character and great structure with fine, ripe tannins. The long and lingering finish simply doesn’t want to stop. Enjoy this ‘rock star’ with friends!

I gave the 2008 version a 92 some time ago, and I was specifically looking forward to tasting the Rockpile again. I have to say it was a bit disappointing, in that I was expecting genius and the wine was merely very good. This vintage has four Bordeaux grapes as opposed to the eight varietals that went into the 2008. Still a great wine. 89 points.