Meyer releases its first sparkling wine

Photo: JAK Meyer with his winery's first sparkling wine

Meyer Family Vineyards exemplifies how the British Columbia wine industry has gone from insignificance to global respect in a very short time.

Meyer began making only premium Chardonnay wines, coming to market in early 2008 with just 600 cases from a 1.6 hectare Naramata vineyard. It did not take owners JAK Meyer and Janice Stevens very long to realize the winery needed to be larger. By the end of 2008, they had purchased a larger second vineyard near Okanagan Falls.

There was a block of Pinot Noir in that vineyard. By happy coincidence, Chris Carson, JAK’s Canadian-born but New Zealand-trained winemaker, has a passion for both Pinot Noir and for Chardonnay.

Growth since then has been dramatic. “We are up to almost 8,000 cases this vintage,” JAK said in an interview in October, 2016.

The winery has launched new products. Just released is Meyer’s first bottle-fermented sparking wine. The production, at 550 cases, is as large as Meyer’s entire first release in 2008.

Meyer now makes enough wine that it has begun exporting to seven foreign markets including Britain, where Meyer Pinot Noir can be found in 169 Marks & Spencer stores.

“I took it on myself to try to export,” JAK says. Marks & Spencer had been buying wine from an Ontario producer until several brutal winters savaged harvests from Niagara vineyards. Two years ago, the British retailer put out a call for wine through the British Columbia Wine Institute. Meyer was one of four Okanagan wineries willing to supply Marks & Spencer.

Meyer’s original shipment was 600 cases and there has been a repeat order. JAK believes there is a longer-term demand for about 400 cases a year. The wine is a version of the best-selling Meyer Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir, a 2,500-case brand made with fruit from contract growers as well as from its own vineyards. The wine sold in Britain has been tweaked slightly to meet Marks & Spencer’s requirements. “There is a Marks & Spencer winemaker,” JAK says. “We send barrel samples from those four vineyards. They choose the percentages for the blend.”

The export sales appeal to JAK for two reasons. First, there is money to be made in overseas markets.

“I get what I think is a fair export price,” JAK says. “At the end of the day, it is not that far off what I would get – excluding direct sales to consumers – in BC. It is more than I would get in Alberta, way more than what I would get in Ontario or Quebec. So it is a valuable and profitable market.”

Secondly, the business has raised the Meyer profile. “The amount of press I have received because of our export business is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,” JAK believes. “I have been in the Irish Times, the London Times, Decanter Magazine; had a half a page article in the Globe & Mail. Our wines are selling and competing internationally, and are in some of the best restaurants.”

Meyer is among a small number of Okanagan wineries that have chosen to specialize just in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. There still is a small block of Gewürztraminer on the winery’s McLean Creek Vineyard near Okanagan Falls. The variety was there, along with Merlot, when JAK bought the property. Nearly all of the Merlot and most of the Gewürztraminer has been, or soon will be, replaced with either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

JAK also is considering planting more Pinot Noir on a neighbouring parcel. In the meantime, he has been able to double the harvest at the Meyer vineyards with fences and cattle guards to keep deer away from the vines during 2016.

Here are notes on wines currently released or due to be released before spring.

Meyer Traditional Method Extra Brut NV ($40 for 550 cases). This is 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir. The wine has had a total of four years aging in tank and bottle before its release. It has the slight bready note of classic Champagne. It also has brightly focussed fruit showing notes of lemon and granny smith apple. It is clean and fresh on the palate with crisp finish. The bubbles are fine and persistent. 92.

Meyer Stevens Block Chardonnay 2015 ($28). This wine is from a small block of Chardonnay on the winery’s Old Main Road Vineyard near Naramata. The wine is unoaked and made in the style of Chablis. It has aromas and flavours of tropical fruits; peach mingles with lime on the palate. The wine is exquisitely fresh. 91.

Meyer McLean Creek Vineyard Chardonnay 2015 ($33). This wine has aged in French oak barrels but, since only 18% were new, the oak influence shows just a slight hint of toast in the aroma, along with citrus. On the palate, buttery flavours mingle with hints of orange and apple. 92.

Meyer Tribute Series Chardonnay 2015 ($33). This wine, made with Naramata grapes, is the latest in the series of wines paying tribute to a worthy person or cause. The 2015 supports the Hawksworth Young Chefs Scholarship. The wine begins with a delicate gold hue and aromas of lemon. It is rich on the palate, with lemon and tropical fruits framed by well integrated oak. 92.

Meyer Micro-Cuvée Chardonnay 2015 ($65). This powerful wine is due for release next March. It was aged 11 months in French oak barrels (50% new). Brioche in the aroma and flavour mingles with lively citrus flavours. This elegant wine will age superbly. 95.

Meyer Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2015 ($25). This wine was aged in older oak barrels which softened the wine without adding much oak flavour. It has aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry. The juicy texture adds to the wine’s immediate appeal. 90.

Meyer Old Block Pinot Noir 2014 ($50). This wine is made from a small Pinot Noir block in the McLean Creek vineyard that was planted in 1994. The clone is unknown but the wine is exceptional. It begins with aromas of black cherry and plum with hints of forest floor. This is echoed on the palate, where the finish is spicy and savoury. Only 205 cases were made. 93.

Meyer Micro-Cuvée Pinot Noir 2014 ($65). This wine is made by choosing the best block and best clones from the McLean Creek Vineyard and then selecting the best barrels to produce 110 cases. It will be released next March. This aged 11 months in French oak (50% new). The wine has aromas of cherry and vanilla. On the palate, the flavours of plum and cherry are subtly integrated with toasty oak. The finish has savoury notes of forest floor. 95.

Orofino Vineyards is to add bubbly

Photo: Orofino's Virginia and John Weber

The many fans of Orofino Vineyards will be delighted to learn that this Similkameen winery plans to release a bottle-fermented sparkling wine.

The release date has yet to be determined. I heard about it in October during a winery  tasting with the owners, John and Virginia Weber. The wine, based on Riesling, was made in the 2013 vintage and was still resting on the lees this fall. It is likely there will be a release during 2017.

I also learned that John has increased his commitment to concrete tanks and to fermenting with wild yeast. These techniques help showcase the terroir of the Similkameen vineyards behind Orofino’s wines.

“We started using them in 2014,” John says, referring to the tanks made for him by an Okanagan manufacturer. “I got a couple of them. In 2015, we added two more. This year, I am adding two more again. They contain about 1,000 liters each.”

The tanks are used for aging the wines. John still ferments his reds in open-top fermenters.

“A couple of years ago, we spent some time in Beaujolais and the Rhone,” John says. “Concrete is all over the place. They just don’t talk about it. It is not a marketing tool. It is just how they make wine.”

He believes that “there is something to it. We are doing Syrah in concrete. I have a tank of Riesling this year. We have done Pinot Gris in concrete. And there is a vein throughout. It is a textural thing.” The 2015 Syrah, already sold out, is notable for its juicy texture after aging just five months in concrete.

John now ferments most of his wine with wild yeast – or indigenous yeast, a term preferred by some of his peers who have also stopped using cultured yeast. In previous vintages, many Okanagan and Similkameen winemakers thought that wild yeast was risky. Most have gained confidence that the yeasts on the grapes or floating around the winery will do the job just fine. Wild yeast ferments may proceed more slowly and occasionally stop before all of the sugar is consumed. Both issues can be managed.

“All our Pinot Noir is wild-fermented,” John says. “All our Syrah and some of the Cabernet Franc is wild-fermented. The reds have been far easier to ferment to dryness than this Riesling.”

The reason for this, he speculates, is that reds are fermented on skins with a resident yeast population. Whites are pressed off the skins before fermentation, separating them from some of the natural yeast on the skins.

“They also go dry,” he says of the whites, although fermentation is slower. “I am not saying this is a problem. It is a slow process because you have to baby it.”

The Orofino wines, almost without exception, now carry the designation of the vineyard that produced the grapes. This adds an element of interest to collectors. If, for example, you buy all the Rieslings released from a vintage, you have a vertical. The wines can be compared and appreciated for what each vineyard delivers.

Or you can buy the same single vineyard each vintage and develop a vertical that way. I might suggest buying and cellaring the winery’s Passion Pit Cabernet Sauvignon, for several reasons.

The grapes are from a two-and-a-half-acre rocky vineyard wedged against a mountain where the vines get a lot of sun. John thinks it may be the best Cabernet Sauvignon site in Canada. The rest of the site is still planted to apple trees.

Last year, the orchard and the vineyard were both sold to an orchardist. He plans to refresh the apple varieties and, to John’s surprise, suggested the Cabernet vines might also be replaced with fruit trees. The Webers quickly concluded an arrangement to farm the vineyard at least for the next two vineyards, and hopefully beyond that.

So, jump on the Passion Pit Cabernet Sauvignon as long as it is available.

Here are notes on the wines.  

Orofino Hendsbee Vineyard Riesling 2015 ($22). This dry wine has aromas and flavours of lemon and lime with a backbone of minerals. The racy acidity gives the wine a bright and refreshing finish. Notes of petrol have begun to develop, telegraphing the complexity that will emerge with moderate aging. Here is a hint: the Webers are now drinking the 2006 vintage! 91.

Orofino Scout Vineyard Riesling 2015 ($22). Fermented in stainless steel, this wine has aromas and flavours of green apples and stone fruit with notes of lime. An imperceptible amount of residual sugar balances the acidity. The wine has a lingering dry finish. 91.

Orofino Old Vines Wild Ferment Riesling 2015 ($29). The fruit for this wine is from vine planted in 1989. The wine was fermented and aged in barrels – presumably neutral barrels which left little oak influence in the wine other than its texture. Again, there is some residual sugar that balances the racy acidity. There are flavours of lemon, peach and ripe apple. 90.

Orofino Wild Ferment Syrah 2015 ($29). This wine was aged in concrete, giving it a rich and juicy texture. It begins with aromas of black cherry and spiced fruit cake which are echoed on the palate. There is a touch of white pepper on the finish. The wine is sold out. 91.

Orofino Scout Vineyard Syrah 2014 ($29). Aged 20 months in oak, this wine has just been released. It begins with aromas of black cherry and vanilla leading to flavours of plum, fig and black olives. A pinch of pepper punctuates the finish. 92.

Orofino Passion Pit Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($29). This is reminiscent of a Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon with the hint of mint on the nose, along with cassis and vanilla. On the concentrated palate, there are flavours of black currant, dark chocolate and black coffee. Twenty months aging in oak barrels contributed to the elegance of the texture. 93.

Orofino Beleza 2013 ($34 for 600 cases). This blend is Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Merlot 35%, Petit Verdot 20% and Cabernet Franc 10%. Each varietal was aged separately in oak for 20 months before the finished wine was blended. This is Orofino’s flagship red. The aromas of black currant jam, blueberries, spice and vanilla explode from the glass. That dramatic introduction leads to flavours of black currants, blackberry and blueberry. The long ripe tannins still have a little grip, suggesting that the wine will age well. 94.

Fort Berens adds Red Gold to its portfolio

Photo: Megan DeVilliers and Danny Hattingh in the Fort Berens cellar

Lillooet-based Fort Berens Estate Winery has added a super-premium Meritage blend called Red Gold to its portfolio.

The first release is from the 2014 vintage. Production was limited to 109 cases, at $45 a bottle, and 48 magnums with original art on the label, at $399.

By the time you read this, Red Gold will be almost certainly be sold out. Production was limited in order to maintain the quality of the winery’s 2014 Meritage, a bread and butter Bordeaux blend with a volume of 1,170 cases.

“The risk as a winery is that you start taking your best barrels out of your blend, you can degrade your Meritage blend,” says Rolf de Bruin, one of the proprietors of Fort Berens. “We did not want to do that. We did a lot of blending trials in order to be sure the Meritage was going to be exceptional because we were using some very good fruit.”

The 2014 vintage was so solid that, even with five “best” barrels set aside for Red Gold, the winery had no difficulty making a first-rate Meritage.

In fact, 2014 was a landmark year for Fort Berens for other reasons as well. That vintage was the first made entirely in the new, well-equipped Lillooet winery and by a new and ambitious young winemaker named Danny Hattingh. And it was Danny who urged making a super-premium red when he saw the quality of the 2014 wines.

The winery already has a premium Chardonnay called White Gold. It was launched in the 2010 vintage when two barrels of Chardonnay were of exceptional quality.

“We had the idea there must also be a Red Gold,” Rolf says, “but we thought the Red Gold would be a Pinot Noir. We have five clones of Pinot Noir. But we were not actively working towards a Red Gold at all until when it came up in the 2014 vintage.” In other words, until Danny proposed the idea.

Danny and his partner, viticulturist Megan DeVilliers, came to Canada 10 years ago from South Africa.

Danny received his enology degree at the renowned Elsenburg Institute in Capetown. He met Megan at university where she was studying law. She began helping him on his practicums and that triggered her to switch to viticulture and pomology.

They first came to Canada as vacationing students to visit Danny’s stepfather, a doctor in Dawson Creek. Attracted to Canada, they returned in late 2007 and checked out wineries across the country.  They send résumés to numerous wineries, especially in British Columbia, and were snapped up by Saturna Island Vineyards in the summer of 2008. After turning the winery around, they left in 2010 to travel.

Returned in 2012 from their travels, the couple headed for the Okanagan. Megan took a variety of viticultural assignments while Danny became the winemaker for two Summerland wineries, Saxon Winery and Sage Hills Winery.

They moved to Fort Berens in 2014.  “We are both ready for this next adventure and to begin exploring Lillooet,” Megan said at the time. “Geologically, this area is very different from other areas where we have worked, yet the climate is very similar. We are excited to work in this new area and to see what we can create in this unique geographical pocket.”

Danny was given a comparatively free hand in the Fort Berens cellar. He began a series of winemaking trials that fall in order to understand the various terroirs from the winery buys grapes. Fort Berens supplements the production of its 20-acre Lillooet vineyard with grapes from Okanagan and Similkameen vineyards.

One of his more interesting trials that fall was air-drying some of the estate vineyard’s Cabernet Franc grapes (in a nearby hop-drying shed). After six weeks, evaporation reduced the weight 30% while concentrating sugar, flavour and acidity. The grapes were then barrel fermented (there was just one barrel). This technique of making ripasso-style wine is traditional in the production of Amarone and Valpolicella wines in Italy. Only a few B.C. wineries have made wine with partially air-dried grapes.

 In 2015 the ripasso-style Cabernet Franc was one of five barrels blended to produce Red Gold. The blend also includes a barrel each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc from the estate vineyard, a barrel of Merlot from Blind Creek vineyard in the Similkameen and a barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon from a grower in Osoyoos, Roger Pires.

 “In 2015, we made a Red Gold again, about 20% ripasso-style Cabernet Franc in the blend,” Rolf says. “Stylistically, I love that the 2014 Red Gold is not overpowering or overbearingly big. It still has elegance and delicacy. That is always the style we have been looking for. With my European background, the wines need to be restrained in their expression.”

A significant premium had to be charged for the 48 magnums because of the packaging.  The winery commissioned label art from a Lillooet artist named William Matthews, choosing an image of a sunrise over the Fraser River Valley. While the basic design of the labels is similar, the artist added an individual touch to each canvass.

Yes, canvass is correct. The over-size labels, numbered and signed by the artist, are painted on canvass and can be removed from the bottles for framing.

“Good art and good wine require contemplation,” Rolf says philosophically. “The art on the label slows things down before you pop open the cork. The art needs a bit of time for someone to properly evaluate. Doing something like that on a bottle also creates a bit of a platform for when the cork is actually pulled and the wine is poured. There is this multi-sensory evaluation that starts with the art and then goes beyond. That moment of contemplation is something we all need. Nor every day, but once in a while, it is good to slow down and reflect and contemplate. What better way to do that but with art and wine.”

A week after the Red Gold release, all but 13 of the magnums had been sold. Rolf has yet to decided whether some of the 2015 will also be bottled in magnums.

“It is so much work,” he sighs. “Ultimately it is a very expensive project. A sizeable chunk of the $399 goes to the artist. But there is a market for it. I thought people would just buy one magnum. I have seen people buying six or 10. They use it for gifts and other things that I did not anticipate.”

Here are notes on Red Gold and the other recent releases from Fort Berens.

Fort Berens Red Gold 2014 ($44.90).   The wine begins with generous aromas of cassis and black cherry, which lead to flavours of black cherry, blackberry, figs and olives. The wine is full-bodied but the long ripe tannins give it a silky texture. It is exquisitely elegant. 93.

Fort Berens Meritage 2014 ($23.99 for 1.170 cases). The blend is 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. It begins with aromas of vanilla, cherry and red currant and has flavours of cherry mingled with hints of chocolate. It is juicy and lush with soft, ripe tannins. 91.

Fort Berens Cabernet Franc 2014 ($24.99 for 1,045 cases). The wine is made primarily with estate-grown grapes with a modest amount of Okanagan fruit in the blend. The wine is bright and bramble, with aromas of cherries and blackberries. Those fruits are echoed on the palate, mingled with cola flavours. 88.

Fort Berens Pinot Noir 2014 ($25.99 for 672 cases). This wine is made with five clones of Pinot Noir, all grown in the winery’s Lillooet vineyard. The aromas are fruity with a hint of spice and forest floor. The palate is lively with flavours of raspberry and cherry. The texture is silky and ethereal. 88.

Adolf Kruger remembered

 

Photo: Wild Goose founder Adolf Kruger

In another sad week in British Columbia’s wine country, Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery announced the death on November 20, 2016, of its founder, Adolf Kruger.

He was one of the most influential pioneers of the British Columbia wine industry, which now has more than 300 wineries. Wild Goose was just the 18th winery when it was licensed in 1990. A government official said he would be lucky to sell 2,000 bottles a year. Wild Goose now makes and sells about 11,000 cases a year. The winery has won more Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Wine than any other Okanagan winery.

Adolf has been honoured by the industry with, among other accolades, the Founder’s Award in 2006. A modest man (with no reason to be modest), Adolf was literally speechless when the award was presented.

I got to know him during numerous interviews and tastings at the winery. In latter years, that always involved a lunch with Adolf and his two sons in the kitchen of the family home. As his wife, Susanna, laid out cold cuts and freshly-baked buns, the Kruger men matched each other with highly entertaining wine industry commentary.

The lunches ended after Susanna, who had as sharp a wit as her men, died in 2014. Those who came to know Susanna and Adolf experienced a very special couple. I expect the winery will be jammed on the afternoon of December 3 for an open house to remember Adolf.

Here is a long except from my 1994 book, The Wineries of British Columbia. The profile includes much detail on Adolf and his family. Hagen Kruger is now the winemaker, as is son, Nik. Roland handles wine sales.

Adolf Kruger was born in 1931 in Kehrberg, a German village southwest of Berlin; his wife, Susanna, is from a German-speaking enclave in Rumania. A compact but muscular man, Adolf was raised on a farm far distant from wine country. "It was strictly potatoes, asparagus and rye," he says.

In 1949 the entire Kruger family fled the communist regime of East Germany and spent a year as refugees in West Germany. Adolf and a brother came to Canada to work on a wheat farm near Winnipeg for the 1951 harvest. Once the harvest was completed, they headed for the city. It was here that Adolf completed the high school he had missed in Germany and, after spending two years in university, became an electrical designer. Susanna had emigrated to Winnipeg independently in 1951, where she worked as a seamstress and met Adolf.

In his spare time, Adolf began designing yachts, a passion that led the Krugers to move to Vancouver in 1964. He designed boats for others and eventually built his own twenty-four-foot sailboat, later sold because Susanna proved to be, in Adolf's phrase, "a whiteknuckle sailor." In Vancouver Adolf worked for Wright Engineers Ltd. an engineering consulting firm, in a drafting design job that involved several exotic overseas assignments, including more than a year in Syria and Iran on a pipeline construction project. When the engineering firm reduced staff during the 1982 business recession, Kruger was loaned to another consulting firm. Apprehensive about this temporary arrangement, he began looking for a career change.

He found it that fall while visiting a friend, grape grower Nick Brodersen, who has a vineyard near Kaleden. In February 1983 Adolf bought his own property south of Okanagan Falls. "It was a terrible place, nothing but sagebrush and cut-down trees and an old gravel pit," he says. "Even though it was a terrible piece of land, the price was right." As he feared, his engineering design job was eliminated in January 1984. By March the Krugers were pounding in the posts to support the vines they began planting that spring.

Wild Goose has been a family business from the start because Adolf invited his sons, Hagen and Roland, to join him as partners. Hagen, born in 1960, had become a draughtsman (and still works in that trade), while Roland, born in 1964, worked as an electronics technician until he joined his father full-time at the winery. One result of the partnership is that the Wild Goose wine shop is always manned by some member of the family, usually either Susanna or Hagen's wife, Kerry. "People really enjoy going into farm wineries and being able to talk to the owners," Roland believes.

One day after closing the purchase, Adolf Kruger went to take a closer look at the barren tract on which he was hanging his future. Noticing a path, he followed it to a small clearing, completely surprising a large flock of geese feeding there. "They literally exploded, frantically trying to get out of this clearing," Kruger recalls. He ducked and shielded his head against panicking, low-flying geese. "It struck me as an omen," says Kruger, an avid and experienced fowl hunter. He decided: "If I ever get a vineyard here, I'll call it Wild Goose." He thinks that the name gets across the message that he makes Canadian wines. Adolf Kruger is a patient and pleasant man, but he bristles when someone suggests he is making wines on a German model.

When the Krugers canvassed the wineries on what to plant, they were routinely told to plant hybrids. "A lot of people were mentioning Foch and Chelois," Roland recalls. "But being originally from Europe, he had ideas of putting in European varieties."

Adolf knew which grapes make the best wines, for he had been a keen amateur vintner in Vancouver, one of the most serious of the winemakers in his hobby circle. They were all using vinifera grapes from California Kruger's favourite reds were made by blending equal quantities of Zinfandel and Alicante — and he decided his ten-acre vineyard would be planted entirely to vinifera. With white wines then in vogue, he planted only white varieties, Gewürztraminer and Johannisberg Riesling, and, not then planning his own winery, contracted the grapes to Mission Hill winery. The Krugers believed that their soil, with its rocks, clay and sand on a southern exposure, was particularly good for Riesling.

The natural progression from grape growing is to winemaking, Roland observes. The idea had been planted during a family vacation to Washington's Yakima Valley, which is dotted with small family-owned wineries. Something else also nudged the Krugers: the rising concern among the growers that the coming free trade era would cripple commercial wineries in British Columbia, who would then try to survive by offering low prices for grapes.

"The last thing we wanted," Roland says, "was to be stuck with ten acres of grapes and to be offered $200 to $500 a ton. So we independently began lobbying the government, writing letters, talking to individuals, and this went on for two or three years." Eventually, they learned that two other small growers were doing the same thing. It was not until a 1988 meeting in Penticton with government bureaucrats that the Krugers actually met Günther Lang and Vera Klokocka, who had also been pestering the politicians for licences.

One of the government officials, fed up with being pressured, asked the three growers just what they wanted. Backed by his colleagues, Adolf Kruger spent half an hour sketching out what became the parameters for farmgate wineries. 

Shortly thereafter, Premier Bill Vander Zalm took a personal interest and, as Roland says, "it wasn't too long after that that we had the guidelines for small wineries." Adolf Kruger prefers to give the credit to a presentation made to Vander Zalm by two other growers, Terry Wells and Alan Brock. He is convinced that if Vander Zalm had not gone to bat personally for the farmgate winery concept, it might never have emerged from the bureaucracy.

With his memory for anecdotes, Roland recalls vividly the date when the Krugers received the coveted licence: June 11, 1990. It was a nasty, cold day, pelting with rain — and a customer showed up at the door to buy wine. "He came in and loved the wines," Roland recalls. So did subsequent customers. "We are a bit stunned by our success — it exceeded our expectations," Adolf says.

However, that understates how tough it was at first. There was a concern among consumers and restaurateurs that the quality of farmgate wines would seldom be better than that of homemade wines, especially since several estate wineries earlier had come to market initially with disappointing products. 

The Krugers, like the other farm wineries, had to hand-sell wines, persuading buyers one at a time. With no wines listed in the liquor stores, the personable and easy-going Roland Kruger took to the road, selling restaurants and convincing private stores to carry Wild Goose wines. "In the Vancouver area, I set up a network of beer and wine stores to handle our products," he says. "It was a selling job . . . but now they help us push our products."

The various impractical regulations imposed on farmgate wineries have not made his job any easier. For example, farmgate wineries are not supposed to warehouse their wines off the winery premise itself and they must be paid immediately for the wines they deliver.

The Krugers have invested carefully and modestly in equipment, buying it — Roland calls it scrounging — around British Columbia, from the Pacific Northwest and from Germany. The winery's horizontal basket press was designed and built by Adolf. Recently, the Krugers have begun to invest in American and French oak barrels for aging their reds, Adolf being a particular fan of big reds. "I don't care for oaked whites," he says. "I like a rather fresh or fruity white wine. But I do prefer to age reds in oak." In 1994, when the winery was enlarged and a spacious tasting room added, Wild Goose released its first Pinot noir and made its first Merlot.

"Our goal in the first couple of years was to produce clean wines, wines with no faults," Roland says modestly.

Burrowing Owl's big commitment to solar

Photo: Burrowing Owl's Jim Wyse (photo courtesy of Burrowing Owl Winery)

The recent election in the United States may have put the Paris Accord on climate change into some trouble.

However, foot dragging by a state is no excuse for the rest of us to drag our feet as well. On that score, I must pay tribute to the way that the Jim Wyse and his family at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery continue to lighten the winery’s environmental footprint while making excellent wines.

There are notes below on six of the winery’s most recent releases.

I have also gone to the winery’s website and I am reproducing Burrowing Owl’s commendable work with solar energy over the last 10 years.

The Use of Solar Energy at Burrowing Owl: An Alternative, Renewable Energy Source

The south Okanagan valley is one of Canada’s best locations for capturing perpetual, green energy from the sun and converting into either heat or electricity. In 2016 Burrowing Owl is moving forward with a major commitment to photovoltaic (PV or electrical) solar panels, that will produce clean/green electricity efficiently for the next 25 years.

Solar Hot Water

Ten years ago, Burrowing Owl winery made its first foray into renewable solar energy panels to produce hot water, a commodity that wineries use in large quantities for barrel washing and other cellar-related cleansing functions. During the hottest summer months, our hot-water solar panels actually produce more hot water than we can use or store, so any excess heat is “dumped” into our swimming pool to the delight of our Guest House patrons.

The existing solar panels currently produce the equivalent of 48,000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) annually, and offset CO2 emissions of approximately 12,300 Kg (13.6 tons) annually.

Solar Electric

During the last couple of years, like flat-screen TVs, the price of solar panels has plummeted as world-wide acceptance of the technology takes hold. Perhaps because of the abundance of hydro-electricity in this province, and the low cost of electricity here, the incentive to move to solar electric alternatives lags far behind the rest of the world, despite the significantly reduced up-front installation cost of recent years.

In 2016 Burrowing Owl will be installing three sizable solar electric systems in conjunction with the new construction that is currently underway at the winery (July 2016) which will ultimately increase the size of our cellar by 7,500 sq ft.

Cellar Expansion:

This expansion at the northern end of the winery has 3,350 sq. ft. of open roof-top space. This area will be blanketed by 70 solar panels, each producing 310-volts of electricity.  In total these 70 panels are expected to produce 25,770 kWh/year, while offsetting approximately 13,825 Kg (15.2 tons) of CO2 emissions annually.

Parking Lot Shade Structure:

In the centre of our parking area is a landscaped “island” where 12 cars would normally park. By the late fall of 2016, we hope to have designed and installed a protective cover over these 12 parking spaces that will consist of a roof that provides shade and protection from rain, and will support 220 solar panels. These panels will generate 80,500 kWh/year and will offset CO2 emissions of 43,175 Kg (47.6 tons).

Warehouse (Oliver):

The winery’s main warehouse is located in Oliver, and currently is also undergoing expansion so that in the end it will contain 45,000 sf of heated/air-conditioned and secure space. In spite of rigorous wall and ceiling insulation, the average electrical power usage is approximately 65,000 kWh/annually.

As part of the new construction work, 161 solar panels will be installed on the south-facing portion of the roof that will generate almost exactly our annual usage (65,000 kWh/year) and reduce carbon emissions by 34,900 Kg (38.4 tons). Since the energy produced will match the energy used, this facility will have a “zero carbon footprint”, probably the first such claim to be made in our region by anybody.

Electric Car Charging Stations

As a demonstration of our support for electrically powered automobiles, in 2016, Burrowing Owl will be installing four charging stations in the parking area for the use of our visitors and staff.

Summary

In 2006, Burrowing Owl took its first step into renewable energy with an investment into solar hot water panels.

Our second step in 2016 will be to install three separate clusters of solar electric panels totalling 451 panels that will produce a total of 171,200 kWh/year off the grid, forever.

By the end of 2016, the total contribution of solar energy at Burrowing Owl from all sources, will be the equivalent of 220,000 kWh/year, which will offset carbon emissions by 115 tons/year. These are large numbers, and both of which we are very proud. 

Here are notes on the wines.

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2014 ($25). This restrained and elegant wine begins with buttery, citrus aromas leading to flavours of citrus and stone fruit, with subtle notes of oak. Sixty percent of the wine was fermented in oak, mostly French, of which 30% was new. 91.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir 2014 ($30). The wine begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. On the palate, the fruit flavours unfold layer after layer, with notes of cherry, blackberry and spice. The velvet texture completes the personality of a very pretty wine. 91.

Burrowing Owl Syrah 2014 ($40). The wine begins with aromas of ripe, dark fruit – plum and black cherry – with floral notes, perhaps reflecting the four percent co-fermented Viognier in the blend. It is rich and juicy on the palate, with a smoky hint on the finish. 92.

Burrowing Owl Merlot 2013 ($30). Dark in colour, the wine begins with ar0mas of black currant and blueberry. On the palate, the fruit is ripe and intense – black cherry, black currant, mulberry – but also vibrant, with spicy notes on the finish. The texture is firm. 92.

Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($35). This wine begins with aromas of black cherry and vanilla. On the palate, there is a core of sweet fruit (cherry, black currant) with a hint of eucalyptus. There is savoury fruit on the finish. The long ripe tannins give the wine a polished texture. It is drinking well now but also will age well for 10 years. 92.

Burrowing Owl Athene 2013 ($38). This is 52% Syrah and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented together. It is generous on the palate, with layers of fruit – plum, blueberry and black cherry – with chocolate, coffee and tobacco on the finish. The fullness comes from the Syrah and the backbone from the Cabernet. A delicious wine. 93. 

Remembering grapegrower Den Dulik

Photo: Den Dulik in the vineyard where he spent a lifetime

The recent obituary of Daniel (Den) Dulik, a legendary Kelowna grow grower, was surprisingly understated.

He always struck me as a strong and genuine personality. His life needs to be fleshed out and I will try to do that by reproducing what I wrote about Den in my 1996 book, The British Columbia Wine Companion. For greater perspective on that life, I include the entries on his father, Martin, and on his daughter, Susan.

First, here is an excerpt from the brief obituary:

“DULIK, Daniel Martin (Denny): Passed away peacefully after a prolonged battle with cancer on November 17, 2016 at the age of 77. Survived by his loving wife Pat of 54 years; daughter Susan Dulik of Kelowna; son Robert (Nicole) Dulik of Calgary; grandsons Mark and Jake; sisters: Doris (Henry) Johnson and Diane (Earl) Fabian both of Kelowna; numerous nieces, nephews as well as many, many dear friends. Born and raised in Kelowna, Denny lived his entire life on the family vineyard, Pioneer Vineyards. He was a pioneer of the BC wine and grape industry. His lifelong quest to grow the best grapes and to produce the best wines possible will succeed him for future generations. He will be dearly missed.”

An appreciation by Tantalus Vineyards, which bought the vineyard in 2004, adds more to the portrait:

Den or Denny, as he was known to friends and family, will be dearly remembered for his incredible sense of humour, warm heart and unbelievable work ethic.

Den was an absolute pioneer for the BC wine industry - having owned and operated Pioneer Vineyards in South East Kelowna for several decades. He established some of the earliest vinifera in Canada on our site, planting Riesling sourced from the Weis family of Mosel's St. Urbans-Hof winery back in 1978.

We at Tantalus credit Den, his wife Pat and daughter Sue with much of our success. From tying vines in the spring, to tasting ferments with our winemaking team, to spending hours on the tractor mowing rows - Den was integral to our operations and his wealth of farming knowledge has enriched our practices.

Although Den didn't feel up to harvesting grapes with us this year, he still popped by daily on his John Deere, cracking jokes and keeping our picking team's morale up. Anyone who crossed paths with him was touched by his sharp wit, infectious smile and caring heart.

Here are the excerpts from my book (which is out of print):

Dulik, Daniel (Den) (1939-):  Born in Kelowna, Dulik learned the art of grape growing from his father, Martin, gradually taking over the operation of the Pioneer Vineyard at the very end of Hughes Road, east of Kelowna. The amiable, barrel-shaped Dulik is one of the few growers who made the jump from labrusca grapes to vinifera without a significant stop with the hybrids. The first of the vineyards planted by J.W. Hughes, Pioneer was given over entirely to labrusca table grapes, many of which were sold to wineries for the fortified pop wines popular in the 1960s. With the exception of a small planting of maréchal foch, Den Dulik declined to plant hybrids because he did not think those varieties were sufficiently better than his  labrusca. (After all, his vivacious wife Patricia, an accomplished home food processor, was able to win awards with her home-made white wines made from diamond grapes.) However, in 1978 Dulik -- and his even more skeptical father -- were persuaded by Jordan & Ste-Michelle winemaker Josef Zimmerman to plant white riesling. Zimmerman argued that, if the variety was hardy enough for German vineyards, it would also thrive in Kelowna. The clay-loam vineyard, because of its southwesterly slope, is one of the warmer sites among the vineyards east of Kelowna. The Duliks planted five acres and, over the next decades, learned that Zimmerman was right. At the first industry-wide competition in 1982 (at Septober), the winery won a gold medal for a 1981 riesling special reserve made from Dulik grapes. Pioneer Vineyard, now with twenty-nine acres under vine, also includes bacchus and optima (also Zimmerman recommendations), pinot noir, pinot blanc, chardonnay and pinot meunier. "I'm happy with them all," Dulik says.

Dulik, Martin (1907-1987):  Born in Czechoslovakia, Dulik came to Canada when he was fifteen and, after a decade in Saskatchewan, he and his new bride came to the Okanagan, looking for work. In 1934 Dulik was hired by J.W. Hughes to work on the Pioneer Vineyard just southeast of Kelowna and ultimately became a foreman. In 1944, when Hughes began selling the vineyards to his foreman, Dulik agreed to buy the Pioneer Vineyard. The terms (which were extended to other foremen as well) were unusual but then neither Dulik nor the others had ready cash. Dulik acquired the vineyard over seven years by paying the income tax on the crop and giving Hughes the proceeds from half the crop.[1] Grapes were sold both to the fresh market and to Growers' Wines in Victoria, with the wine grape market becoming the major market with the expansion of wineries in the 1960s. Dulik also was one of the leaders in the 1961 formation of the Grape Growers' Association.

Sulik, Susan (1962-): Born in Kelowna into one of the pioneer grape-growing families, Susan Dulik was drawn irresistibly to the wine industry by the infectious enthusiasm of the winemakers who continually visited the family's Pioneer Vineyard. When she asked for work at Jordan & Ste-Michelle, the winery to which her family then sold grapes, she was offered a tour guide's post in 1980 at the Ste-Michelle winery in Surrey. "I just had a ball," she recalls. After three years, she was promoted to sales and administration work and stayed with the winery until it closed in 1990, took a year's sabbatical and then came back to the industry, first working with CedarCreek and then with Summerhill.

"I decided I wanted to open my own winery," she said. Winemaker Eric von Krosigk, her mentor at Summerhill, instilled the belief that good wine begins with good grapes. Susan Dulik had not been a great student of viticulture before but she joined her family at Pioneer Vineyards in 1992 and was surprised that she enjoyed vineyard work. She soon began making trial batches of wine in preparation for the farmgate winery planned to open in 1997 under the name, Pinot Reach Cellars. Susan Dulik's wines are clean and fresh, the result of a minimalist style of winemaking that dictates interfering with the wines as little as possible. "I just leave them alone -- keeping them incredibly clean but letting the wines be," she says.

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When I interviewed Susan and her parents just before Pinot Reach opened, she explained the rationale for the name: the winery would focus on Pinot varieties and it would reach for quality. 

Ironically, the first Pinot Reach wine to attract international praise (from Jancis Robinson, no less) was the Old Vines Riesling from that her father’s 1978 planting.

The winery was renamed Tantalus after Vancouver investment dealer Eric Savics bought the Pioneer Vineyard. It continues to make Old Vines Riesling, and the wine still gets plaudits from Robinson and other wine writers. It is arguably the best Riesling in the Okanagan.

When those vines were originally planted, Den is said to have christened a few with wine from a bottle of St. Urbans-Hof Riesling. Now, someone should pour a bottle of Old Vines Riesling on Den’s grave.

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[1]  Ruth Saari: Forty-One Years on the Pioneer Vineyard:  Forty-fifth Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, pp. 112-116.

BC Iconic Reds Tasting 2016

Photo: John Levine's portrait and hat crown the wines in the 2016 competition.

When the SIP Wines VQA store in Richmond closed early this year, there was concern that it also meant an end to the annual BC Iconic Reds tasting after eight years.

Fortunately, Sutton Place Wine Merchants stepped up as the wine store sponsor. The ninth annual tasting has just concluded.

The tasting, which the sponsors now bill as “British Columbia’s Premier Wine Tasting Competition,” emerged from brainstorming between the late John Levine and the owners of SIP Wines, Simon and Sandy Wosk. The idea was a competition among the best of British Columbia’s Bordeaux style reds.

John, a restaurateur and the founder of the Vancouver International Wine Festival, was an extraordinary wine lover and a perceptive champion of British Columbia wines. He recognized the dramatic increases in the quality of the wines. The Iconic Reds competition was conceived to bring more attention to these superb wines.

This year, about 100 wine lovers gathered in a ballroom at the Sutton Place Hotel to taste and judge 20 leading Okanagan red wines. The wines, which had been decanted in the afternoon, were served one at a time in a random order. Of course, the wines were not identified until the two-hour tasting was over.

At the end, the tasters voted on their top five picks, an arbitrary but sensible number to prevent overwhelming the computer tabulation. Rating all 20 wines would have meant an evening as long as the recent American election.

I have listed the five winners, followed by the others in alphabetical order. The tasting notes are from the wineries where such notes were available. Otherwise, I have inserted my tasting notes.

These are 20 of the best reds from three excellent recent vintages. Some of these wines are hard to find but Sutton Place Wine Merchants has allocations of all. The limited volumes mean buyers will need to move quickly to get these.

1. Nk'Mip Mer'r'iym 2014 ($50). Cabernet Sauvignon 55%, Merlot 30%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Malbec 5%. Alcohol 14.75%. Aged 18 months in French oak. Winery tasting notes: “Aromas of blackberry, tobacco, juniper and mint lead to flavours of berry fruits and chocolate. This is a full bodied wine with a soft entry that gives way to a fully structured palate with balanced acidity and great length.”

2. Laughing Stock Portfolio 2014 ($45). Merlot 49%, Cabernet Sauvignon 28%, Cabernet Franc 20%, Malbec 2%, Petit Verdot 1%. Alcohol 14.9%. Aged 19 months in French oak (40% new, 60% second fill). Production 2,450 cases. Winery tasting notes: “The 2014…has a luscious nose with flavour notes of sun-soaked strawberry, rich plum, dried thyme and a powerful and somewhat savoury body. The tannins are muscular and are highlighted by refreshing acid, which will ensure the age-ability of this wine. The finish is smooth and velvety.”

3. Clos Du Soleil Signature Red 2013 ($45) Merlot 51%, Cabernet Sauvignon 34%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Petit Verdot 2%, Malbec 2%. Aged 17 months in French oak barrels.

Winery tasting notes: “The taster is immediately enveloped in the dense and layered perfumes of this wine, with notes of cedar, fresh blackberry and cassis, and a hint of cracked black pepper. On the palate, the wine bursts with ripe fruit flavours—blackberry, raspberry and red currant—expressed through an elegant, mouth-filling structure and soft, round tannins.”

4. Cassini Cellars Maximus 2012 ($40 for 710 cases). Cabernet Sauvignon 53%, Merlot 44%, Petit Verdot 2%, Cabernet Franc 1%. Alcohol 14.2%. Aged 14 months in French (80%) and American oak barrels. Winery tasting notes: “This classic Bordeaux/Meritage blend has intense aromas of black currant, black pepper, strawberry jam, vanilla, cocoa and tobacco. This full-bodied wine finishes with a nice oaky balance, with a long lingering silky finish with soft and subtle tannins.” 

5. Hester Creek The Judge 2012 ($45). Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc. Alcohol 14.3%. Aged 26 months in oak barrels. Production 900 cases.

Author’s tasting notes: “This is a dark, concentrated wine beginning with aromas of black cherry, plum, and vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla, and cedar. The texture is rich and elegant with a long, long finish.”

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Black Hills Nota Bene 2014 ($52.09).  Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Merlot 33%, Cabernet Franc 15%. Alcohol 14.9%. Aged 16 months in barrels. Production 3,300 cases.

Winery tasting notes: “This new release of Nota Bene shows its tantalizing signature of raspberries, plum and fruit leather complemented by dusty, mushroom and earthy components. Rich velvety-smooth tannins coat the palate resulting in a well-balanced, elegant and delicate lingering finish or raspberries and spice.” 

CedarCreek Platinum Meritage 2013 ($42.99 for 560 cases). Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Cabernet Franc 22%, Merlot 14%, Malbec 6%. Alcohol 14.8%. Aged 22 months in French oak. Author’s tasting notes: “The wine begins with aromas of spicy dark fruit (the winery calls it fruitcake). On the palate, the wine is firm with flavours of cassis and cedar mingled with hints of tobacco and espresso. For immediate drinking, decanting is recommended. However, the wine has the bones to improve with age over the next decade.”

Clos Du Soleil Estate Reserve Red 2012 ($59.90). Cabernet Sauvignon 53%,  Merlot 27%, Cabernet Franc 13%, Petit Verdot 6% and  Malbec 1%. Aged 17 months in French oak. Alcohol 13.2%. Production 100 cases. Winery tasting notes: “This 2012 red Estate Reserve is a highly perfumed and expressive wine, displaying a layered complexity. On the nose the wine offers beautiful violet and other floral notes, followed by ripe fruit aromas, dominated by raspberry and blackberry, on a background of cedar and exotic spice. On the palate the wine is fresh and lively, first showing juicy, fresh raspberries, blackcurrant, flinty stoniness, and spice. The wine is mouth-filling and rich with fine tannins, while maintaining a sense of elegance and delicacy.”

Culmina Hypothesis 2012 ($55). Malbec 31%, Merlot 28%, Cabernet Franc 26%, Petit Verdot 15%. Alcohol 14.9%. Aged 18 months in French oak (50% new). Production 1,156 cases. Winery tasting notes: “This wine is rich and seductive with dark chocolate, coffee and black cherry combining with vanilla, showcasing the predominant varieties in the blend. More mocha and rich tones of black cherry, tobacco and cassis.”

Kanazawa Ronin 2012 ($29.90) Merlot 37%, Cabernet Sauvignon 31%, Petit Verdot 26%, Malbec 6%. Alcohol 12.6%. Production 311 cases. Aged 10 months in French oak. Author’s tasting notes: “The wine has an appealing fruity aroma that includes cherry and blueberry accented with vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry, cola, and coffee. The texture is firm, with long, ripe tannins. The finish persists.”

Lake Breeze Tempest 2012 ($45). Merlot 45%, Malbec 30%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 10%, Petit Verdot 5%. Alcohol 15%. Aged in new French oak for 15 months. Author’s tasting notes: “The wine begins with powerful and appealing aromas of black cherry, mint and vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry and black currant with a suggestion of dark fruit cake. The texture is generous, with long ripe tannins.”

La Stella Fortissimo 2014 ($34.90). Merlot 57%, Sangiovese 21%, Cabernet Sauvignon 11%, Cabernet Franc 11%. Alcohol 14.5%. Aged 15 months in French and Slavonian oak (15% new). Production 1,495 cases, 120 magnums, 24 double magnums, 60 cases of 375 mL bottles. Winery tasting notes: “The wine has fantastic layers of flavour and nuances. Bing cherry mingles with red and black cherry fruit. Herbal underbrush notes meet tobacco notes and damp earth.”

Lariana Thirteen 2013 ($45). Cabernet Sauvignon 68%, Syrah 20%, Carmenère 12%. Alcohol 14.5%. Production 555 cases. Fermented and aged separately until blending at 8 months. Total aging 20 months, predominantly in French oak. Production 555 cases.

Author’s tasting notes: “The wine begins with aromas of cassis lightly touched with mint. On the palate, the flavours are savoury and earthy, with notes of black cherry, blackcurrant, and black coffee mingling with peppery dark chocolate and polished tannins on the finish.”

  

Mission Hill Compendium 2012 ($75). Cabernet Sauvignon 42%, Merlot 41%, Cabernet Franc 17%. Alcohol 14.2%. Production 2,575 cases. Aged 14 months in French oak. Winery’s tasting notes: “The 2012 Compendium is distinctive, with black currant, Italian plum aromas and flavours up front, but also displays blackberry, wild herb and star anise notes. Elegant and concentrated, this wine presents a core of fruit accented by youthful tannins that will soften in the short term.”

Mission Hill Quatrain 2012 ($65). Merlot 45%, Syrah 21%, Cabernet Franc 18%, Cabernet Sauvignon 16%. Alcohol 14.2%.  Production 2,050 cases. Aged 14 months in French oak. Winery tasting notes: “This vibrant red displays black cherry and licorice notes which are framed by hints of mint chocolate and orange peel. The [wine] is a rich and dense red with a long savoury aftertaste that is reminiscent of mincemeat tarts.”

Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin 2013 ($45.99). Merlot 57%, Cabernet Franc 17%, Cabernet Sauvignon 16%, Petit Verdot 6%, Malbec 4%. Aged 18 to 20 months in French oak (60% new). Author’s tasting notes: “The wine is structured with a Bordeaux-inspired firmness that portends aging potential. It begins with aromas of mint, black currant, and cedar. On the palate, there are flavours of blackcurrant, espresso, dark chocolate, and graphite-like minerality.”

Painted Rock Red Icon 2014 ($55). Merlot 33%, Cabernet Franc 21%, Malbec 19%, Petit Verdot 16%, Cabernet Sauvignon 11%. Alcohol 14.3%. Aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). Production 1,153 cases. Winery tasting notes: “This wine invites you in with rich aromas of blackberry, dark plums, cassis and sweet spices. The palate, with its velvety tannins and high acid, offers bold and juicy black fruit layered with pepper, baking spices, vanilla and chocolate.”

Perseus Invictus 2013 ($45). Cabernet Franc 42%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Sauvignon 13%, Malbec 7%. Alcohol 14.5%. Production 700 cases. Winery tasting notes: “Our 2013 Invictus showcases the true potential that Bordeaux-style wines can achieve here in the South Okanagan. This wine bursts out of the bottle with concentrated aromas of black cherry, ripe plum and dark chocolate. The bouquet is echoed on the palate with additional hints of clove, eucalyptus and smoked meats. This well-structured, balanced wine has a velvety mouth-feel with long, lingering tannins.”

Poplar Grove Legacy 2012 ($45). Merlot 45%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, Cabernet Franc 22%, Malbec 7%, Petit Verdot 1%. Alcohol 14.7%. Production 2,087 cases.

Winery tasting notes: “This wine is a complex layering of dark berries, herbs and oak aromas. Strong notes of mint, cassis and thyme are in harmony with the jammy fruit, dark chocolate and vanilla undertones. On the palate, the tannins are supple and the fruit is prominent, proudly showcasing the warm growing season. The end result is a smooth, long finish and a wine built to age.”

Summerhill "OM" Organic Meritage 2012 ($63.25). A blend of 56% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 2% Malbec. Alcohol 13%. Aged 12 months in French and American oak barriques. Author’s tasting notes: “This densely textured wine begins with aromas of black currants and figs. On the palate, there are flavours of figs, black olives and dark ch0colate with oak notes on the finish.”