Tinhorn Creek's Andrew and Andrew show

Photo: Winemaker Andrew Windsor

The wines of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards have never been less than good and often, have been superb, particularly in past several vintages.

One reason: The winery’s Andrew and Andrew show.

Andrew Windsor, the winemaker at Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, believes that “it is a good time to be a winemaker in the Okanagan [because] viticulture precision has gotten a lot better.”

No one would disagree with that. The poster child of better grape growing is Andrew Moon, Tinhorn Creek’s viticulturist (right). He arrived at Tinhorn Creek in 2008, after being trained and getting experience in his native Australia. Some of his peers now rank him among the best of the viticulturists working in the Okanagan and an excellent support for Tinhorn Creek’s winemaking team.

Senior winemaker Andrew Windsor, an Ontario native, was recruited in the spring of 2014 by Sandra Oldfield, the former president of Tinhorn Creek. “He is going to be bringing a lot new to us,” she said at the time. “He is here to do what Andrew Moon did – bring a skill set from different locations and apply it here.”

Andrew initially studied environmental science at the University of Guelph but got a taste for winemaking in 2005 at The Ice House Winery at Niagara-on-the-Lake. He completed his winemaking degree at the University of Adelaide in 2006.

In 2008, he joined the winemaking staff at Mollydooker Wines, a McLaren Vale winery that had been started in 2005 and has since made a reputation for its big red wines. He left there to join EauVivre Winery in the Similkameen Valley. In the spring of 2011, he returned to the southern hemisphere to work the 2011 vintage at huge Pernod Ricard operation in New Zealand.

When that job was completed, he moved to France and spent six months, and another 2011 vintage, at Cave de Tain, a producer of Hermitage. On returning to Canada, he joined Andrew Peller Ltd. in mid 2012. He worked on the company’s VQA wines in Ontario but, having had a taste of the Okanagan, he applied when Tinhorn Creek did a six-country search in 2014 for a winemaker.

The irony, of course, is that he is once again working for Peller because Andrew Peller bought Tinhorn Creek a year ago.

So far, Peller has not shuffled key members of the team put in place by Sandra Oldfield. Fans of Tinhorn Creek wines can count on the Andrew and Andrew show to carry on.

Peller initially is focussing its resources on the Tinhorn Creek vineyards, some of which need replanting. And, while Tinhorn Creek wines essentially are estate-grown, the winemaker in the 2017 vintage had access to fruit for Peller vineyards elsewhere in the Okanagan. Pinot Gris from the Hidden Terrace vineyard north of Oliver was blended into the 2017 Pinot Gris, adding flavour and complexity.

Here are notes on the current releases, along with several other wines that I tasted with Andrew Windsor in late May at the winery.

Tinhorn Creek Innovation Series Méthode Ancestrale 2017 ($34.99 for 125 cases). This is the first sparkling wine made at Tinhorn Creek; and it is made in the ancient manner. The Pinot Noir grapes were whole-cluster pressed and the juice was racked into neutral French oak barrels, to ferment with natural yeast. It was racked into stainless steel while it was still fermenting. The juice was cooled so that it could racked off the solids. Then, with two brix of sugar left, it was bottled and finished fermentation in bottle. The remaining lees give the wine a cloudy appearance and bready aromas and flavours, along with flavours of citrus and peach. Don’t look for this wine in the usual retail channels, but only in the winery and the associated Miradoro Restaurant. 90.

Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2017 ($18.99 for 8,700 cases). This has long been one of the Okanagan’s top Pinot Gris wines (in a field where there is plenty of competition). The juice of the pressed grapes is allowed a significant amount of skin contact to extract flavour and a slight golden colour. The wine begins with aromas of citrus, melon and papaya, which are echoed on the palate, along with notes of pear and apple. The finish is crisp. 91.

Tinhorn Creek Gewürztraminer 2017 ($17.99 for 5,380 cases). The wine begins with aromas of ginger and grapefruit. On the palate there are flavours of lychee and grapefruit. A touch of residual sugar lifts the aromas and give the wine a rich texture. 90.

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve Chardonnay 2016 ($34.99 for 286 cases). After the grapes were whole-cluster pressed, the juice was fermented with natural yeasts in barrels (33% new), where it finished malolactic fermentation. After a blend was assembled, the wine was divided between oak and stainless steel barrels and aged 17 months before bottling. The wine begins with aromas of marmalade and butter. The wine has a creamy texture, with flavours of citrus, ripe pear and nutmeg. The finish lingers. 92.

Tinhorn Creek Innovation Series White Pinot Noir 2016 ($35 for 125 cases). This is another small lot wine available only at the winery. The wine was fermented and went through malolactic in French oak barrels. This is a rich wine, with aromas and flavours of apple. The wine is something of a tour-de-force. 92.

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve Rosé 2017 ($21.99 for 1,121 cases). This is made with Cabernet Franc. The grapes were harvested by machine at 4 a.m. when the fruit was cool; and remained in the picking bins for about 12 hours to pick up colour. Then the grapes were pressed gently and fermented with selected yeast. The hue is somewhat pale. The wine begins with aromas of herbs and strawberry, leading to flavours of watermelon. The finish is crisp and dry. 91.

Tinhorn Creek Pinot Noir 2016 ($23.99 for 1,600 cases). The grapes – about 30% whole cluster - were fermented with indigenous yeast in small open top fermenters, with regular punch downs to extract colour and flavour. The wine was aged 10 months in small oak puncheons and another three months in tank before bottling.  This is a fresh, pretty wine, with aromas and flavours of cherry and a touch of vanilla on the finish. 91.

Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc 2016 ($23.99). This is a bold red, beginning with aromas of mint, sage and blackberry. The texture is concentrated, with flavours of black cherry, blackberry. The finish lingers.  91.

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve Cabernet Franc 2015 ($31.99 for 784 cases). This wine was fermented with natural yeast and macerated on the skins for about 30 days before going into French oak barrels (30% new). After a year, the barrels of reserve wine were selected, blended and returned to barrel for another year. This is a dense, rich wine with aromas of black cherry and blackberry. On the palate, there are chewy ripe tannins and flavours of plum, fig and brambleberry. 93.

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve Syrah 2015 (Not yet released). The grapes were co-fermented with Viognier skins and aged in barrel (35% new). The wine begins with aromas of dried apricot mingled with delicatessen meat and spice. On the palate, there are flavours of plum, fig and licorice. 92.

Tinhorn Creek The Creek 2014 ($55 for 1,475 cases). This wine, released last year, is the ultra-premium successor to Oldfield Series 2Bench Red. The blend is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. The wine had a total of 24 months barrel age (French and Hungarian, 40% new). It begins with aromas of cassis and blueberry, leading to flavours of black currant, chocolate and spice. The long ripe tannins give the wine an elegant, polished texture. 94.

Tinhorn Creek The Creek 2015 ($55; not released). The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% each of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. This wine reflects the hot vintage. It rich and plump with flavours of black cherry, black currant, plum and fig. 94.

One can make a good argument for putting the 2014 The Creek down for longer cellaring than the sumptuous 2015.