Stag's Hollow's ancient Italians

 

 

                                            Photo: Winemaker Keira LeFranc

 

Keira LeFranc, the fulltime winemaker at Stag’s Hollow Winery since 2018, should be the envy of some of her peers.

 

She gets to make wine from interesting varietals that are rarely seen in the Okanagan. These include Albariño, a Spanish and Portuguese white; Tempranillo, a Spanish red; and two Italian reds, Dolcetto and Teroldego.

 

As well, she gets to work with Pinot Noir from two different vineyards, and with mature Merlot dating from 1993 when the founders of the winery grafted Merlot onto hybrid vines in the estate vineyard.

 

With the exception of Tempranillo, all of these varietals have been on display in Stag’s Hollow’s releases this fall.

 

These are not always easy wines to review. I do not have a lot of benchmark tastings of Italian wines against which to compare Teroldego and Dolcetto. Even if I did, that might not help because the terroir of Okanagan Falls, where the vineyards are located, bears limited comparison to that of northern Italy.

 

Albariño is a varietal that I am more comfortable with, having tasted a fair number of Spanish wines over the years. It was also the house white when my wife and I took a river cruise in Russia in 2014. The wine was so delicious that we drank it every day for about 10 days. This fall, when my wife and I were marking an anniversary in our favourite restaurant, we ordered the Stag’s Hollow Albariño from the wine list and were equally pleased with it.

 

(One other Okanagan winery, Terravista Vineyards, also produces an excellent Albariño from its Naramata Bench Vineyards.)

 

 

To understand Teroldego, I resorted to Wine Grapes, the authoritative book by Jancis Robinson (and two colleagues), which was published in 2012. “Teroldego is a very old variety from Trentino in north-east Italy, where the wine was first mentioned on 18 January 1480 in Gagnolo … in a sales contract,” the authors write. They cite DNA work to suggest the varietal is an “uncle/aunt” of Syrah.

 

They continue: “Wines are deeply coloured, lively and fruity … When yields are restricted and grapes reach full maturity … the rich black-cherry fruit is well-supported by ripe tannins, the acidity is mouth-watering rather than eye-watering …” That pretty much nails the Stag’s Hollow Teroldego.

 

The variety was nearly extinct when a few Italian winemakers rescued it in the latter years of the 20^th century. It has gained a foothold in California and, now, in a few other vineyards around the world including Australia.

 

I also looked up the grape in another authoritative source: Native Wine Grapes of Italy by Ian D’Agata, published in 2014. He says Teroldego is “the most important red grape variety of Trentino.” For many years, the wine has been used a bulk blender because its dark colour and its perfume can add character to lots of blends.

 

“Over the last thirty years, however, Teroldego production has improved immeasurably and very fine wines are here to stay,” D’Agata writes.

 

One applauds Stag’s Hollow for producing another fine example of Teroldego from its Shuttleworth Creek vineyard, which is just at the southern edge of Okanagan Falls. It is, unfortunately, a very modest planting because the winery only has released 96 cases from the 2018 vintage.

 

Dolcetto vines are also planted in Shuttleworth Creek. This is another ancient Italian variety planted in Piemonte (northwest Italy). According to D’Agata, the acreage has been declining because the varietal is being displaced by higher value varietals such as Barolo. The only other producer in the Okanagan with Dolcetto is Moon Curser Vineyards.

 

“… It remains a difficult variety to grow as the buds are fragile and break easily,” D’Agata writes. “What’s more, it grows low to the ground, requiring backbreaking vineyard work. It has poor vigor, and tends to give scrawny vines.” And he goes on to diss Dolcetto for several more sentences.

 

That does not mean it is necessarily a poor choice for the Okanagan. “… To my surprise,” D’Agata writes, “I have found the variety does very well in slightly warmer New World microclimates … The key is large day-night temperature differentials.”

 

Shuttleworth Creek is one of Stag’s Hollow’s two vineyards. It just a mile or so south of the estate vineyard. However, the soil and other conditions governing terroir are different. This showed up in the differences between the two Pinot Noirs.

 

Here are notes on current releases.

 

 

Stag’s Hollow Albariño 2019 ($24 for 340 cases). The wine was fermented primarily on

concrete, with some in second-use oak barrels. It spent six months aging on the lees with frequent stirring to build texture. It has appealing tropical fruit aromas (guava, mango and grapefruit) leading to flavours of melon, pineapple and guava with a hint of herbs on the finish. Bright acidity leaves the wine refreshing. 91.

 

Stag’s Hollow Shuttleworth Creek Pinot Noir 2018 ($27 for 470 cases). This wine is a
blend of six Dijon clones, with clone 115 taking the lead at 39%. The clones were all fermented and aged separately (13 months in French oak) before the final wine was assembled. The result is a wine of considerable charm, with aromas of cherry, raspberry and spice leading to vibrant flavours of strawberry and raspberry. The texture is silky and the finish is persistent. 92.

 

Stag’s Hollow Stag’s Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018
($22 for 385 cases). The fruit
for this wine comes from 26-year-old vines. This wine is made with equal parts Clone 115 and 667, co-fermented and aged in French oak. The more masculine structure reflects the maturity of the vines. The wine begins with aromas of cherry and raspberry. On the palate, there are notes of cola and bright berry flavours. The wine merits cellaring for several more years. 91.

 

Stag’s Hollow Dolcetto 2018 ($24 for 658 cases). This a joyful wine – perhaps Italy’s
answer to Beaujolais. It is fruity and bright, both on the nose and on the palate, with flavours of cherry and cranberry, and with soft tannins. 90.

 

Stag’s Hollow Teroldego 2018 ($42 for 91 cases). Dark in colour, the wine begins with

aromas of spiced dark cherries and mocha. With breathing, the texture develops a pleasing fullness. The wine delivers flavours of plum and cherry with bright acidity. Decanting is a must to help the wine open and display the flavours and aromas. 90-91.

 

Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Merlot 2017 ($35 for 130 cases). This is a cellar-worthy red which will get better and better over the next decade. It also has 2.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and
2.4% Cabernet Franc in the blend. The wine was matured 18 months in French oak. It begins with aromas of cassis, blackberries and dark cherry. The wine is rich on the palate with flavours of dark cherry, chocolate and spice. 92-94.