If one needs a reminder of the contribution of mature vines
to good wine, pick up a bottle of Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars’s 2013 Pinot Blanc,
a bargain at $17.90.
The Pinot Blanc vines in this vineyard – two French clones –
were planted in 1985. The variety was the star of the Becker Project, an
industry trial of varietals that ran from 1977 to 1985.
I can’t say that was the sole reason why Ian Mavety planted
the variety on his Okanagan
Falls property. Ian
always marches to his own drummer. However, this was the time when he had begun
to transition the vineyard from hybrid varieties to vinifera.
Subsequently, he added Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay
and (in 2006) Sauvignon Blanc. These largely Burgundian choices emerged from
his conclusion that the Okanagan Falls terroir had more in common with Burgundy than with either Bordeaux
or Germany .
The Blue Mountain
winery opened in 1992 and has consistently been one of the best in the
Okanagan.
It is interesting that Ian, who can be something of a
contrarian, would stick with Pinot Blanc. As well as the variety grows in the
valley, it has struggled for profile compared with more popular Pinot Gris and
Chardonnay. With some producers, the wines were so bland that I once said that
Pinot Blanc was “the Holiday Inn of wines.”
By comparison, Blue Mountain ’s
2013 Pinot Blanc is a suite at the Fairmont .
The grapes were whole cluster pressed for greater purity of fruit flavours.
Sixty per cent of the wine was fermented in stainless steel; the other 40% was
fermented and aged six months in four-year-old French oak barrels. The latter
also was aged on the lees, with minimal stirring, for a few months to enhance
the texture. The two lots were blended in May.
This complex wine has aromas and flavours of apples and
peaches, with a slight herbal note on the dry finish. The wine is full on the
palate and the flavours linger a long time. 91.
No comments:
Post a Comment