Photo: Moon Curser's Chris Tolley
There is a view that far too many grape varietals are grown in
the Okanagan Valley. Chris Tolley, the co-proprietor of Moon Curser Vineyard in
Osoyoos, would differ.
“I love the
diversity,” he says. “I love the affirmation that this valley is capable of
doing a wide variety of wines. I have not been the champion of that but it is
turning out that way. Maybe we do one of these varieties better than anywhere
else in the world.”
The Moon Curser
portfolio is unusually rich with varietals that would not be considered
mainstream for the valley. Such as Arneis, Dolcetto, Tannat, Tempranillo, Touriga
Nacional and Carménère. Coming soon: Nebbiolo.
There is a nod to
mainstream varietals such as Viognier, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. And this
spring, the winery planted a new 10-acre property in west Osoyoos that includes
three acres of Merlot. In 2005, when the first vines were being planted by Moon
Curser, Chris planted Merlot because he thought that he could always buy it.
Today, Merlot, along with many other varietals, is short supply, forcing
vintners to grow their own.
Chris’s viticultural
choices have made for challenging grape growing but also for a very interesting
wine portfolio.
Take Arneis, which
Chris grows, along with Dolcetto, because he has roots in northern Italy, where
that white varietal produces crisp and fragrant table wines.
“In Italian,
Dolcetto means little sweet one, where Arneis apparently is little rascal,”
Chris says. So far, he has produced three vintages of Arneis – and each one
ripened at a different time.
The 2016 vintage
ripened in September while the 2017 ripened in early November. “If I had that
much drama with every variety, I probably would not be in this business,” Chris
laughs. “In the end, the 2017 made a very interesting varietally correct
Arneis. I quite like it. It has a lot of structure to it.”
Take Tannat, best
known for the robust reds made with the varietal in Uruguay and in the south of
France. The unusual chemistry of the grape challenged Chris with stuck
fermentations when he first made it, something since mastered.
The next challenge
was how to use the rustic red in a blend. After trying a number of varietals,
he took the suggestion of his wife, Beata, to make a Syrah/Tannat blend. (Both
owners trained as winemakers in New Zealand.) That now comprises the blend of
Moon Curser’s flagship red, Dead of Night.
“Beata and I
blind-tasted blends for Dead of Night two years in a row,” Chris says. “We
don’t even bother blind-tasting the Tannat blends now. It is always going to be
a Syrah blend. Originally, we tasted other Tannat blends and we always picked
the Syrah. They seemed to marry quite well – although the appellation system in
France would not allow that.”
The winery does
release a modest volume of Tannat on its own, mostly to satisfy the curiosity
of tasting room visitors. “We do a pretty nice Tannat compared to other places
that do Tannat,” Chris believes. “It is nice to have a variety we do world
class, even if it is an alternative variety.”
Then there are
Chris’s adventures with Touriga Nacional, the great Portuguese red varietal. An
Osoyoos neighbour with Portuguese roots decided to plant some vines. With no
viticultural experience, he canvassed the possibilities with Chris and settled
on Touriga because it is a Portuguese varietal.
“He put lots of
fertilizer on the plants,” Chris says. “The vines grew like crazy. When winter
came, they were still green. The first frost came and they all died right down
to the ground.”
Not quite all; enough
survived that in 2011, about two barrels of wine were produced from what had
once been a two-acre vineyard. When an effort to replant did not succeed, the
neighbour sold the vineyard to Chris in 2012. Never one to back away from a
challenge, Chris salvaged cuttings, had them propagated and planted them in a
different vineyard. He made his first significant volume of Touriga Nacional in
2016 – a wine so good that it won a platinum medal this fall at the Lieutenant
Governor’s Wine Awards.
Carménère is another
varietal grown just by a handful of B.C. wineries. It was grown widely in
Bordeaux pre-phylloxera but, because it is a late ripener, was not replanted often
in France after phylloxera. The varietal did thrive in Chile, which has no phylloxera,
and has been revived during the past 25 years. Black Hills Winery and Moon
Curser were the first Okanagan wineries to plant it.
Moon Curser is also
among a handful growing Tempranillo, a Spanish varietal that is not quite as
challenging as the other non-mainstream varietals. “All it cares about is heat,”
Chris has found. “If you get a cool fall, it gets to a certain ripeness and just
sits there.” In a cool vintage like 2011, Tempranillo wines were light. Most subsequent
vintages have produced bigger, richer Tempranillo.
Moon Curser does
pretty well with varieties that are grown more widely in the Okanagan, such as
Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Here are notes on
Moon Curser’s current releases.
Moon Curser Arneis 2017 ($22.99 for 344 cases). The wine
begins with aromas of papaya, honeydew melon and citrus leading to a medley of
flavours echoing the nose. Bright acidity gives the wine a crisp, refreshing
finish. 91.
Moon Curser Afraid of the Dark 2017 ($20.99 for 797 cases). This is a
blend of 45% Viognier, 40% Roussanne and 15% Marsanne. The wine begins with aromas of stone fruit. On
the palate, the wine delivers robust flavours of apricot and nectarine. 91.
Moon Curser Tempranillo 2016 ($30.99 for 287 cases). The wine
begins with aromas of blueberry, cherry and plum leading to flavours of cherry,
plum and leather. The finish is generous and savoury. 92.
Moon Curser Touriga Nacional 2016 ($39.99 for 303 cases). A bit of a
tour de force, this complex red begins with aromas of violets, fennel and
cherry, with more dark fruit on the palate along with fig and chocolate. Long,
silky tannins give the wine a generous texture. 94.
Moon Curser Syrah 2016 ($25.99 for 924 cases). The wine
welcomes with aromas of plum, black cherry, vanilla and black pepper. The
aromas are echoed on the palate, along with flavours of fig, plum, licorice and
pepper. The wine is full-bodied. 93.
Moon Curser Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($39.99 for 289 cases). This wine
begins with aromas of cassis and mint. On the palate, there are flavours of
black cherry, black currant, vanilla and coffee. Long ripe tannins give the
wine a generous texture. 92.
Moon Curser Dead of Night 2016 ($39.99 for 380 cases). This is a
blend of 50% each of Syrah and Tannat. Full-bodied and deep in color, the wine
begins with aromas of plum and black cherry. On the palate, there are flavours
of black cherry, fig, leather and licorice. This is a bold wine drinking well
now but with the structure to cellar for 10 more years. 95.
Moon Curser Tannat 2014 ($39.99 for 121 cases). This wine
is available only to wine club members and in the tasting room. Concentrated
and bold, it has aromas of plum, chocolate and coffee leading to a medley of dark
fruits on the palate. 92.
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