Among those pleased with the quality
of the 2018 vintage is Julian Samoisette,
the wine director at Kelowna’s Camelot Vineyards.
“The 2018 vintage will mark my very first solo
vintage here,” he says, on the release of three 2018 wines. In previous vintages,
Julian has had a supporting role to Robert Young, the winery’s co-proprietor.
“I am
enormously proud of how the vintage turned out, especially considering the
weather conditions from mid-August (smoke) through September (rain). Our yields
happily returned to 2015-2016 levels, which was great as it allowed me a little
more flexibility with our blends, and of course our volume rose about 30%,
which is always nice from a front of house perspective.”
Camelot is a comparatively low-profile wine
producer in Kelowna. For the web site, here is a precise of the winery’s
history:
Camelot Vineyards began as an orchard
and was owned and operated by Ruth and the late Robert Young Senior for almost
40 years. In 1996, keeping it in the family, Robert Young Jr. and his wife
Denise, decided to take over the business. Exactly ten years later in October
2006, a huge decision was made to remove all of the trees and replant the
acreage with a vineyard. Following this, Camelot Winery was erected.
The name Camelot was Robert Young
senior’s choice for a previous property located in West Vancouver and, upon
moving to the Okanagan Valley, the name was transferred to the orchard. Robert
and Denise seized the opportunity to incorporate the name and created a
beautiful tasting room using the Medieval theme. Along with a six foot suit of
armour, assorted shields, swords and jousting gloves, there is a replica of the
round table from King Arthur’s court. Outside there is an added feature of a
sword in the stone and a patio area where a glass of wine can be enjoyed whilst
absorbing the incredible scenery.
Julian is a comparatively recent
addition to Camelot, having joined to work in the wine shop. His career, it seems,
is burgeoning.
He was born in Manitoba in 1986 and grew up in
Kelowna. He and his wife, Angelica, spent a year teaching English in northern
China. On their return to Kelowna, he developed his interest in wine while
working with a large liquor store. He joined Camelot in 2014 to manage the wine
shop and soon moved on to viticulture and winemaking.
The winery enjoyed considerable success with a
2017 Pinot Noir rosé. In 2018, Julian hoped to make a Pinot Noir table wine but
was frustrated by a shortage of grapes.
“As we weren’t able to track down supplemental
Pinot Noir last year, we decided to make another rosé,” he says. “Conditions
were great to do so, with lower brix and higher overall acidity making for a
much cleaner, fresher example in the bottle.”
He continues: “The White Knight, our Gewürztraminer/Riesling
blend, might be the wine I’m most excited for, if only to see our long-time
customers reactions to it.”
The blend is about 50% of each varietal. “The Gewürztraminer
perfume is strong, with the steelier nose of the Riesling also making its
presence known,” Julian says. “It’s lighter, leaner, and much more acid driven
than the 2017 vintage, which was altogether too fruity for some palates.”
However, Julian seems hard-pressed to pick
favourites. “I think the 2018 Pinot Gris is going to be the sneaky winner for
us this season,” he says. “The must went through a 20-hour cold soak in the
press. The result is a pale pink Pinot Gris
that is going to give the proper rosé a
run for it’s money.”
Here are notes on his three wines.
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