Terravista releases its 2024 Albariño

Photo: Terravista's Dallas and Eric Thor

The first wine from the 2024 vintage has just been released by Terravista Vineyards: an impressive sparkling Albariño made with imported grapes.

The search for those grapes also turned up a number of vineyards in Washington and northern California that are growing Albariño and a sister Spanish white varietal, Verdejo. Terravista has Canada’s first plantings of those varietals. The hard freeze in January 2024 wiped out the harvest – but not the vines, which should be able to produce again next year.

Terravista, located high on the Naramata Bench, was opened in 2011 by Senka and Bob Tennant. They had been founders of Black Hills Estate Wine and, after the sale of that winery, found they were not quite done with growing wine. They were inspired to plant Spanish varietals. When they were ready to retire a second time, they sold the vineyard to Eric Thor, a former technology executive in Vancouver, and his wife, Dallas. “One of our strengths is making Spanish varietal wines,” the Naramata winery noted in its October newsletter. “We’re known for our Albariño and Verdejo, planted first in 2008 at Lone Hand Ranch. Plantings were expanded to Naramata Outlook Vineyard in 2021.” By that year, Terravista had 19 acres of vineyard. The business was on a roll until the freeze knocked back those vineyards.

“After a challenging winter freeze, our 19 acres of vines have yielded less than 1% crop—an almost unheard-of reduction,” the winery wrote in its newsletter. “While this would shake any winery, we’ve chosen to use this moment to dig deep into what we do best. At Terravista Vineyards, our focus has always been on producing something different, something off the beaten path—wines that speak to the vineyards that grow them. In this pivotal moment, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to these distinctive wines by embarking on an exciting new journey called Proyecto Terruño – Spanish for the “Terroir Project.”

Terravista’s Eric Thor and his winemaker, Nadine Kinvig, researched the most celebrated Albariño sites in the Pacific Northwest and contracted grapes from several of them. The sparkling Albariño is made with fruit from the Grand Island Vineyard in the Clarksburg American Viticultural Area (AVA) in California. They also bought Albariño grapes from two vineyards in Ancient Lakes AVA of the Columbia River Valley. “Spanish Castle is a vineyard like no other,” the winery writes. “Surrounded by dramatic rock features and set in a dry, arid landscape, this site allows Albariño fruit to develop incredibly rich, deep flavours. Each time we have been there this year, we have been captivated by the vineyard’s beauty and unique terroir.Just recently, Eric personally traveled to the site to collect the handpicked fruit—delivering it to our winery where Nadine has begun crafting this very special Albariño. The flavours are already stunning, and we are excited to see how these deep, complex notes develop into the finished wine.” Evergreen Vineyard is the other vineyard from which Terravista has sourced grapes. “Evergreen Vineyard, located in Washington’s Ancient Lakes AVA, offers a cooler climate at a higher elevation,” the winery reports. “This vineyard produces Albariño with a distinct, acid-driven profile, full of fresh citrus and stoney complexity. Eric was on-site [in October] for the harvest, coordinating an early morning pick and carefully transporting the fruit back to our winery.”

“Through these visits,” the winery wrote, “we have worked closely with growers, visited, tasted grapes, analyzed sample data and called hand picks of the Albariño. We can’t wait to push the boundaries of what Albariño can be - showcasing side-by-side wines, perhaps a blend and highlighting the unique expressions of each vineyard while experimenting with various winemaking techniques, vessels and aging. This project offers a rare opportunity to taste Albariños grown in these distinct regions—a true exploration of terroir.” Terravista hopes to resume grape production next season from its two Naramata vineyards. “The Albariño vines did very well in both freeze events,” the winery says, referring also to the freeze in late 2022 that reduced the crop in the 2023 vintage. “There was reduced crop in 2023 and then a minuscule number of clusters in the 2024 harvest which we hand picked. Nadine co-fermented those grapes with the small amount of Verdejo. That might turn out to be roughly 25 cases of wine off our 19 acres. Overall, the plants survived and will hopefully recover and be fruitful next vintage.”

Judging from the quality of the sparkling Albariño, Terravista’s Terroir Project should yield very interesting wines from the Washington vineyards. Here is a note on the first 2024 wine, along with notes on two other recent releases.

Terravista Sparkling Albariño 2024 Proyecto Terruño ($35 for 334 cases). This Charmat method sparkling wine is fresh and vibrant. It begins with aromas of citrus and pears and delivers big mouthful of citrus and kiwi fruit flavours to the palate. The finish is crisp. 90.

Terravista En Terre Sparkling Brut 2022 ($45 for 75 cases; sold out). This elegant is a blend of 69% Pinot Noir and 31% Chardonnay. Made in the traditional method, it was 16 months en tirage. There is a delicate note of brioche in the aroma leading to flavours of apple and orchard fruits, with a crisp dry finish. 90.

Terravista Figaro 2023 ($33). This is a blend of 89% Chardonnay, 8% Viognier and 3% Marsanne. The Chardonnay is from a Kaleden vineyard. This is an unusual blend for Figaro which, in previous years, has been made entirely with white Rhône varietals. When those suffered in the 2022 freeze, the winery found Chardonnay. It may be different from previous Figaro wines but it is very good. A portion of the Chardonnay grapes was fermented in concrete and a portion was fermented in neutral oak. The other two varietals in this wine are both from Naramata. The wine begins with aromas of apple, cantaloupe and stone fruits. It delivers a luscious bouquet of fruit to the palate, including nectarine and apple. This is such an appealing wine that it took discipline not to finish the entire bottle right away. 92.

Corcelettes launches wines under the Phoenix brand

Photo: Jesce and Charlie Baessler with a bottle of Talus

Since the launch of Corcelettes Estate Winery in 2013, the wines were always made with grapes from the Similkameen Valley – until the 2023 vintage. That was the year when the cold snap in November 2022 caused significant bud damage to the vineyards in the Similkameen, forcing Charlie Baessler, the managing partner at Corcelettes, to buy grapes from Okanagan vineyards. He and his wife, Jesce, then created their Phoenix brand to distinguish these non-Similkameen wines in the portfolio, even though the quality remained high.

The Phoenix brand proved even more useful in the 2024 vintage. The severe freeze in January 2024 devastated vineyards in the Okanagan and especially in the Similkameen. Like so many other producers, Charlie had to turn to Washington State for grapes. Those wines, primarily Chardonnay and a Syrah rosé, will be released next year under the Phoenix label. Meanwhile, Charlie is replanting most of the Corcelettes vineyards – but in a manner to make them more able to survive the next hard winter. “Pheonix was born from that opportunity or necessity, depending on how you want to look at it,” Charlie says. “So how do we create exciting wines while maintaining the integrity that we have developed in Corcelettes. The wines have always been estate grown and products of the Similkameen. Phoenix broke those handcuffs. We can do anything as long as we are visually clear [on the label] what the wine product is.”

The Phoenix wines were released this spring, beginning with 600 cases of Afterglow, a 2022 rosé, along with a 2022 Merlot that combines fruit from the Okanagan as well as the Similkameen; and 2023 Chardonnay. “It is a new product line with us,” Charlie says. “It fills a gap while we get the production of Corcelettes back up. The Washington product moves nicely into that niche.” Charlie estimates that he and his winemaker, Brett Meier, visited about 100 vineyards across four Washington appellations in a search for a property that appealed to them. “We were working on this as early as the spring,” Charlies says. “We were committed to making wines from Washington grapes for zero dollars. We were willing to keep our hoses wet, our staff going with no markup exemptions; and move to commercial winery status. Those were all things we were prepared to do.” Fortunately, the provincial regulations were changed in late July, enabling wineries to use imported grapes in 2024 without having to switch to commercial licenses.

“I told Brett that we have to fall in love with this,” Charlie recalls. “We did not want to go down there and just pull grapes off a menu. The whole idea was we have to look until we fall in love with something.” They settled on Wahluke Slope, an 81,000-acre appellation on a broad south-facing slope close to the Columbia River. They brought in about 50 tons of grapes, which were crushed in Washington, for white and rosé wines. “That is what we sell through quickly,” Charlie says. “Whites and rosé wines were the immediate hole we needed to fill. Reds, we can limp along for maybe two years from what was a decent production year in 2022, by slowing down sales.” The strategy at Corcelettes (as it is with other producers) is to stretch out existing inventory. Corcelettes had a reasonably large harvest in 2022 in part because new vineyards had just begun to produce.”

Unfortunately, the 2024 freeze killed many of the new vines and most of the older plantings. The surviving vines, already damaged by the previous freeze, could not be salvaged economically. “When the vineyards died, I lost it,” Charlie recalls. “I said now what? I had just finished planting so many of these vineyards. I had already done this work … and now I was doing it again. That was pretty heart-wrenching. But we decided what we were going to do it and we committed [to it].” About 20 acres has been planted this year, including seven acres of Syrah, a notoriously tender varietal but one with which Corcelettes has acquired a reputation for top quality. Next year, Corcelettes will plant close to another 20 acres.

Many of the vines are being trained as bush vines – stubby vines that can be covered each fall with protective straw mulch. “Having experienced two hard winters - two in a row of 50-year events - I didn’t want to keep doing it the same way,” Charlie says. “The strategy was not fundamentally working.” Many Washington growers protect their vines by hilling up earth against them in the fall. Most of the Corcelettes vineyards are too rocky for that to work. Consequentially, Charlie has had a machine built that mulches bales of straw and deposits the straw against the vines. A protective layer of straw is brushed onto the vines, keeping them alive should there be another hard winter.

Here are notes of some current releases from Corcelettes.

Phoenix Afterglow 2023 ($21.90 for 275 cases). This is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all from a Naramata vineyard. It is a juicy wine with aromas and flavours of cherry, strawberry and watermelon. 88.

Phoenix Chardonnay 2023 ($22.90 for 310 cases). The fruit for this wine is also from a Naramata grower. The wine was fermented and aged in concrete. It is a fresh, fruit-forward Chardonnay with aromas of peach and pear leading for flavours of apple and citrus. 90.

Phoenix Merlot 2022 ($29.90 for 400 cases). Sixty per cent of the fruit came from the Corcelettes estate vineyard while 40% was from a grower in Oliver. The wine begins with aromas of dark cherries mingled with sage. The palate delivers flavours of blueberry, blackberry and cherry with a hint of spice on the finish. 90.

Corcelettes Pinot Noir 2022 ($34.90 for 585 cases). The fruit is also from vineyards in the Similkameen Valley. The wine had a 28-day maceration and was then aged in French oak (25% new) for nine months. The wine begins with aromas of cherry, spice and leather, leading to flavours of cherry and plum with notes of forest floor on the finish. 90.

Corcelettes Syrah 2022 ($36.90). Estate-grown fruit is in this wine, with 5% Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah. The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and pepper. On the rich palate, there are flavours of fig, plum, dark cherry and pepper. The finish is persistent. 93.

Corcelettes Talus 2021 ($54.90 for 500 cases). This is the winery’s flagship Bordeaux blend, all from estate-grown grapes. The blend is 40% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc and 1% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of cassis, blackberry and cherry. On the palate, the wine delivers flavours of dark cherry, plum and black currant mingled with hints of chocolate and spice. Long, ripe tannins give the wine a long finish. 93.

Poplar Grove begins releasing library wines

Photo: Poplar Grove's Tony Holler

Poplar Grove Estate Winery has begun to open its library of its best red wines both for tastings and for purchase. This reflects a decision a decade ago by owner Tony Holler to hold back – to quote the winery – “a significant amount of our age-worthy wines each year and release them for sale a decade later.”

Perhaps it is just a coincidence that the program is being launched in the year when Poplar Grove, along with most Okanagan wineries, has been striving to survive a year without a significant quantity of Okanagan grapes. To be sure, Poplar Grove has sourced grapes from Washington State to make what are expected to be topflight wines. But they may not be wines destined for the wine library. The wines currently being offered from Poplar Grove’s library are 120 cases each of Merlot 2014, Merlot 2020, Cabernet Franc 2014 and 2020 and Legacy 2018, the winery’s flagship Bordeaux blend. The tastings will demonstrate how age-worthy these wines are.

I included Legacy in my 2017 book, Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries. My notes covered nine vintages of Legacy from 2004 to 2012 which I tasted with winemaker Stefan Arnason while researching the book. All the wines, with one exception, were drinking well at the time. I recommended drinking them within 11 or 12 years of the vintage. In hindsight, that was conservative. A well-cellared BC red wine might well be kept 15 or more years.

The exception was the Legacy 2004. In that vintage, and perhaps in the vintages on either side, Poplar Grove (and other wineries) used synthetic closures to avoid the tainted natural corks that were a problem at the time. Unfortunately, synthetic closures proved unsuitable for long-term aging. In my book, I say this of the 2004 Legacy: the wine has “aged prematurely” and was “hard and dried out.” Subsequently, Poplar Grove has finished its wines either with natural corks (the quality of corks has improved dramatically) or screw caps.

Tony Holler was already a wine collector when he bought Poplar Grove in 2007. Tastings with great French producers had convinced him that serious wineries would maintain wine libraries, allowing consumers to experience properly aged wines. He delayed starting a wine library at Poplar Grove until 2014, when the winery’s production had grown large enough that some wines could be set aside. In 2021, the winery moved the growing quantity of library wines into a new warehouse with temperature and humidity controls. Now those wines age in optimal storage conditions.

The inaugural Library Collection wines are available for purchase at the winery or through intimate tastings at the winery itself. “Every fall moving forward, Library Collection wines that were deemed worthy of cellaring 10 years ago will be released, alongside the current year’s vintages,” the winery says. Here are notes on two of those wines.

Poplar Grove Merlot 2014 ($82.52). The blend is 88% Merlot, 5% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec. The wine was aged 21 months in French oak. There is a hint of brick to the dark hue of the wine. It begins with aromas of cassis and dark plum, leading to flavours of cherry and dark fruits with a touch of spice on the finish. The tannins are long and polished, with a structure that should give the wine another five years before it peaks. 95.

Poplar Grove Merlot 2020 ($34.70). The blend is 95% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged 21 months in French oak (20% new). The wine is bold and intense, beginning with aromas of plum and blackberry leading to flavours of black cherry, blackberry and red currant with a hint of spice on the finish. The long, ripe tannins give this wine the ability to age at least to 2035. 94.

Burrowing Owl releases from the 2022 vintage

Photo: Burrowing Owl's Keller Vineyard just before the 2024 harvest

The current releases from the 30-year-old Burrowing Owl Estate Winery are all from 2022, one of the best and most abundant vintages ever in the Okanagan. One of the wines is a Merlot, a varietal with which Burrowing Owl made its reputation. The other is a Cabernet Franc, a varietal of rising importance in the Okanagan, especially after showing surprising resilience during the last two cold snaps.

“Our home vineyard in Oliver did not produce much in terms of fruit,” Stephen Neumann, the winery’s brand ambassador, says of the 2024 vintage. “We had a bit more luck with yields coming out of the 46 acres we have on the east side of Osoyoos. Surprisingly, a particular 12-acre vineyard site of ours down there (dedicated to Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) seemed not to have been affected by the frost at all.” He sent along a photo of that property, the Keller Vineyard (seen above), showing close to a normal crop on the vines just before harvest this fall. A number of vineyards close to Osoyoos Lake showed comparable resilience this fall. The apparent explanation is that, because of the long and warm autumn and early winter, the lake had not frozen over yet when the January cold snap occurred. The water still had enough warmth to moderate the cold temperatures.

“We consider ourselves lucky for this,” Stephen says. “Although some replanting will take place on our properties in the coming year, a great number of our vines did survive. As such, we have decided to hold to Burrowing Owl Estate Winery’s pledge to continue crafting wines from our vineyards in BC alone.” In short, Burrowing Owl chose not source any grapes from Washington vineyards. The modest production from 2024 and the winery’s substantial inventory, especially of red wines, will sustain its presence in the market. Consumers may not even notice a dip in supply.

Here are notes on four current releases.

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2022 ($34). The wine was made with estate-grown Chardonnay. Eighty percent of the juice was fermented and aged in barrel (85% French, 9% Acacia and 6% American) for nine months. The rest of the juice was fermented and matured in stainless steel. The bright flavours of the latter give a lift to subtly oaked flavours in the former. The wine has aromas and flavours of citrus, apple and cantaloupe. The core of sweet fruit on the palate is mingled with a hint of almond and vanilla. The finish is bright and persistent. 91.

Burrowing Owl Viognier 2022 ($40). The fruit is from the winery’s Osoyoos vineyard. Some 75% of the juice was fermented in barrel while the rest was fermented in stainless steel. The wine was aged nine months in French oak (14% new, 50% neutral and the rest one to two years old). The wine begins with aromas of quince and nectarine. The aromas are echoed on the richly textured palate, mingled with flavours of lemon and papaya. The finish persists. 92.

Burrowing Owl Merlot 2022 ($35). This is a bold and intense Merlot that is best decanted before consumption. It can be cellared for several years. The intensity reflects the extended maceration of the wine on the skins: a three-day cold soak followed by 25 days of fermentation and seven days post-fermentation before moving the wine into barrel. It was aged 14 months in barrel (77% French oak, 13% Hungarian oak and 10% American oak). Only 14% of the oak was new while 65% was neutral oak. The wine begins with aromas of dark cherry, plum and spice. The full-bodied palate delivers flavours of dark fruits mingled with spice and sage. The tannins are firm but ripe. 93.

Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2022 ($36). The winemaking again set out to make a bold and concentrated wine, beginning with a four-day cold soak followed by 30-day ferment and seven days of post-ferment maceration. The wine was aged 18 months in barrels – 80.5% French oak, 11.5% Hungarian oak and 8% American oak. Twenty-six percent of the barrels were new. The wine begins with aromas of red currants, raspberry, blackberry and spice. The full-bodied palate delivers the echo the aromas along with hints of tobacco and chocolate. 93.

Wild Goose Vineyards had a vintage in 2024

Photo: Burrowing Owl president Chris Wyse

Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery pioneered what is today the Okanagan Falls sub-appellation when the late Adolf Kruger began developing the area’s first vineyard there in 1984.

Six years later, Wild Goose was one of the first of the farmgate wineries, operating for a number of years from a modest farm house and an equally modest production facility. The wines, especially the white wines, became enormously, and deservedly, popular. The revenues enabled the winery to expand into much larger facilities with a good-sized tasting room and a dining patio.

A few years after Adolf’s death in 2016, the family, for estate and tax reasons, sold the winery to a Vancouver development company. That deal fell through when the developer did not have the money. Wild Goose resorted to a bankruptcy court action in 2021. The successful bidder was Burrowing Owl Vineyards. “We are really attracted to their whites,” Burrowing Owl president Chris Wyse told me at the time. “That is partly what attracted us, having that strong white portfolio and maybe developing it some more.” The brand complements Burrowing Owl’s portfolio, which is dominated by red wines.

The January 2024 freeze hit the Okanagan Falls vineyards. While the Wild Goose vineyards produced no significant fruit, the vines appear to have survived and should produce a harvest in 2025, assuming a normal winter. There was a 2024 vintage at Wild Goose, however. Burrowing Owl spokesman Stephen Neumann explains: “As Wild Goose Winery has often relied on purchased fruit, it was decided that we would bring in juice from Washington and Oregon to continue production of wines under the Wild Goose Winery and Calliope Wines brands, and more importantly to keep our wonderful production staff employed and busy.”

Here are notes on current and recent Wild Goose releases.

Wild Goose Frisch! 2023 ($27 for a four-pack of 250 ml cans). This is an easy-drinking carbonated sparkling wine made with 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Gewürztraminer. It is crisp and dry, lacking both in aroma and flavour. 86.

Wild Goose Riesling 2022 ($20.99). The mature (36-year-old) Riesling vines enable Wild Goose to make a full-flavoured wine with classic notes of citrus and petrol mingled hints of stone fruit on the palate. with This wine was fermented and aged six months in stainless steel. 90.

Wild Goose Riesling 2023 ($20.99). This wine was fermented and aged seven months in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of citrus and apple leading to flavours of lime and orchard fruits. The specifications say the wine is off-dry but I found it crisper and drier than the traditional Wild Goose style. 88.

Wild Goose Gewürztraminer 2023 ($19.99). This wine was fermented and aged six months in stainless steel. Aromas of lychee and ginger jump from the glass. The luscious palate delivers a medley of orchard fruits and a persistent finish. 91.

Wild Goose Pinot Gris 2023 ($22.99). The majority of the fruit for this wine came from a vineyard in Kaleden. Sixteen percent of the juice was fermented and aged in barrel for four months to add complexity when blended to the stainless-steel fermented portion. The wine begins with aromas of pear and apple. On the palate, those fruits mingle with notes of nectarine. 90.

Wild Goose Sauvignon Blanc 2023 ($21.99). This wine was fermented and aged seven months in stainless steel. The wine begins with herbal aromas leading to flavours of green apple and lime. 88.

Wild Goose Pinot Noir 2021 ($29.99). The grapes were fermented tank and then aged 10 months in French oak barrels (36% new). This is a bright and cheerful wine, beginning with aromas of cherry, raspberry and strawberry. The silky palate’s flavours echoed the aromas along with spice on the finish. 90.

Wild Goose Pinot Noir 2022 ($29.99). This wine, which was aged nine months in French oak, is another bright and fresh Pinot Noir but with more concentration and depth. Aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry are mingled with fruit cake, a hint of oak and a note of forest floor. The finish is long. 91.

Wild Goose Late Harvest Gewürztraminer 2021 ($23.99 for 375 ml). This is the winery’s second vintage of a dessert wine made by leaving the grapes on the wine late into the harvest. The grapes were picked very ripe and fermented in stainless steel with fermentation stopped at 10% alcohol. The wine is beautifully balanced. Spicy in aroma, it delivers flavours of poached pears and peaches with a lingering sweetness on the finish. Pair this with some good blue cheese, like Cambozola. 90.