Camelot trio of wines for summer 2019

 Photo: Robert Brass (right) and Julian Samoisette

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.

 Camelot White Knight 2018 ($17.90). This is Gewürztraminer with “a splash” of Riesling. It was bottled in late May and the aromas have not recovered fully. Keep this in the bottle for another month. The palate is promising, with abundant fruity flavours – citrus, cantaloupe, ripe apple. Some residual sugar gives the wine a lingering sweetness on the finish. 90.

Camelot Pinot Gris 2018 ($19.90). Skin contact has given this wine a slight and appealing “eye of partridge” hue. The wine begins with aromas of citrus and white peach. On the palate, there are flavours of nectarines and apple. The finish is crisp and dry. 90.

Camelot Ruthless Rosé 2018 ($19.90). This rosé is made with Pinot Noir and Riesling. The hue is on the dark side of what is fashionable (but I like the colour). It begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. On the palate, it has tangy flavours of sour cherry and cranberry. The finish is crisp and dry. 90.