Photo: Jason James in the Stellers's Jay cellar
Steller’s Jay Brut, one of the pioneering sparkling wines in
the Okanagan, has a slightly new name: Mountain Jay Brut.
There is no reason to be alarmed. It still is the same great
wine it has always been.
There is an obscure regulatory reason for the change in
name. The communications spokesperson for Steller’s Jay explains: “It was given a new name
because of new rules set by the BC Wine Authority that no longer permitted
Steller’s Jay to call its product "Steller’s Jay Brut” which could
imply “brut" as a production method instead of a wine name. Because loyal
Steller’s Jay customers were familiar with the name “brut”, Steller’s Jay was
able to rename the product under new labelling rules allowing a proprietary
name, thus Mountain Jay Brut was born.”
I
can’t say I understand that. Brut is a style of dry sparkling wine but
Steller’s Jay Brut surely was registered as a wine name long before the BC Wine Authority even
existed. Apparently, the producers of Steller’s Jay were given the idiotic
option of listing the varietals in the wine on the front label.
I
wonder what the regulators will require of Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars.
Blue Mountain Brut has been in the market almost as long as Steller’s Jay. In
fact, Blue Mountain even has a Reserve Brut.
I
included Steller’s Jay this spring in Icon: Flagship Wines from British
Columbia’s Best Wineries. Here is an excerpt which provides background on
the wine.
Steller’s Jay Brut, a
Champagne method sparkling wine, emerged from sparkling wine trials begun in
1985 by Sumac Ridge Estate Winery founder Harry McWatters and his winemaking
team. That vintage was not released. It was said that Harry drank it all. He is
a great lover of sparkling wine, often saying that is what he drinks while
deciding what wine to have for dinner.
The first commercial
Steller’s Jay Brut was a blend of 1987 (85%) and 1985 (15%) wines. The cuvée
was 70% Pinot Blanc, 15% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir. The wine, which was
named in honour of British Columbia’s official bird, was released in July, 1989
after just two years on the lees. Some subsequent vintages have benefited from
three years en tirage.
The cuvée has always
included Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pinot Blanc, while not a traditional
sparkling wine varietal, contributes subtle fruitiness to the wine. The
proportion was reduced to about 40% of the cuvée as more Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir became available. The wine is balanced to have a crisp and fairly dry
finish. A typical blend has 10-12 grams of residual sugar and seven to nine
grams of acidity per litre. The wine is made in the traditional style of
Champagne. The wines for the cuvée are fermented to dryness. The wines are
blended, then bottled with a dosage of sugar and yeast, undergoing a second
fermentation in heavy bottles capable of containing six or so atmospheres of
pressure. The time spent aging in bottle and on the yeast lees creates the fine
bubbles and the toasty aromas typical of fine sparkling wine.
Over the wine’s first
two decades, Steller’s Jay Brut grew in volume to about 10,000 cases a year,
with a quality that has made it among the most awarded of Canadian sparkling
wines. As a result of its success, this
former flagship of Sumac Ridge was promoted in 2013 to a stand-alone brand.
The wine continues to be made at Sumac Ridge and by
winemaker Jason James. Here is a note on the new release.
Steller’s Jay
Mountain Jay Brut 2014 ($25 plus tax). The cuvée is 38% Chardonnay, 34%
Pinot Blanc and 28% Pinot Noir. The touch of brioche in the aroma carries
through to the flavour, where there also is a hint of apple and citrus. The
14.5 grams of residual sugar, well balanced with acidity, gives the wine a
creamy texture. The finish still leans to brut-style dryness. 92.
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