Fitzpatrick: sparklers and friends

Photo: Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards winery and tasting room

It is no surprise to taste an exceptional sparkling wine among the current releases at Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards. This Peachland winery was developed to produce a portfolio crowned with sparkling wines. For background on the winery, here is an except from The Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.

The visitor experience at this winery, where about 100,000 bottles of sparkling wine are maturing in vaulted underground cellars, is meant to be “luxury at play.” The president Gordon Fitzpatrick or winemaker Sarah Bain often gives personal tours and tastings. The resort-like winery has a bistro and a patio where visitors relax with a glass of wine while taking in views of the vineyard or Okanagan Lake. This is the second winery established here by the Fitzpatrick family. Senator Ross Fitzpatrick, Gordon’s father, purchased this lakeside property south of Peachland in 1994. Formerly a renowned orchard called Greata Ranch, it was redeveloped as a 16.2-hectare (40-acre) vineyard to supply the senator’s CedarCreek Estate Winery across the lake. From 2003 until 2014, the Fitzpatricks also operated Greata Ranch Vineyards winery here. The sale of CedarCreek in 2014 led them to focus entirely on Greata Ranch.

“We had always bemoaned the fact that Greata did not get the attention we thought it deserved,” says Gordon, who had also been CedarCreek’s president. “My main focus was the brand at CedarCreek, and most of the [Greata Ranch] grapes went into CedarCreek wines. With our winemakers, we discussed what they thought Greata’s best suit was. They came back with no reservations to say sparkling. We have all of this Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Given the site and the acidity, that would be a natural.” The vineyard is a cool site planted to varieties well suited for the sparkling wines. The Greata Ranch winery was closed for three years to develop a new 8,000-case winery and to age an inventory of traditional bottle-aged sparkling wines. Gordon had begun the preparations in 2012 when he asked Darryl Brooker, then CedarCreek’s winemaker, to make the 380 cases of sparkling wine with which the new winery opened in 2017.

“It is not just a wine brand,” Gordon says. “I want to create a little bit of a lifestyle brand as well. That is why there is emphasis on what we are going to be doing on site, and the restaurant and the food, and the way we present. I want to see if we can cross over and create what I call luxury at play.”

Here are notes on the wines.

Fitzpatrick Runabout White 2020 ($16.50 for 1,474 cases). This is a blend predominantly of Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, with smaller amounts of Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Ehrenfelser. It would be hard to find a better value summer white that this. It has aromas and flavours of apple, peach and citrus, ending with a crisp and refreshing finish. 90.

Fitzpatrick The Mischief Pinot Blanc 2020 ($18.50 for 760 cases). This wine was fermented in stainless steel; 40% was aged in neutral oak. Crisp and fresh, it has aromas and flavours of apple and pear. 90.

Fitzpatrick The Unwinder Ehrenfelser 2020 ($19.50 for 424 cases). The Fitzpatrick family began championing the Ehrenfelser grape at CedarCreek Estate Winery and have continued to do at Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards, calling “fruit salad in the glass.” It has aromas and flavours of nectarines, ripe apple and a hint of ripe pineapple. A touch of residual sugar adds flesh. 90.

Fitzpatrick Fitz Brut 2017 ($32.99 for 4,980 cases). This is 73% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir and 2% Pinot Meunier. It was aged about 24 months on the lees. The wine is crisp and dry, with fine active bubbles. It has aromas and flavours of green apple with slight hints of brioche. 91.

b>Fitzpatrick Fitz Brut 2016 ($38.50 for 3,390 cases). This is 66% Chardonnay, 26% Pinot Noir, 6% Pinot Blanc and 2% Pinot Meunier. It was aged on the lees a minimum of 24 months; a small volume was aged an extra 24 months on the lees to add texture and complexity. It is an elegant and sophisticated wine, creamy on the palate with aromas and flavours of brioche and citrus. 93.

Fitzpatrick The Elusive Pinot Noir 2019 ($26.50 for 235 cases). This was fermented with 23% whole bunches. It was aged in French oak (10% new). This is a bright, fruity wine with aromas and flavours of cherry and raspberry. The silky tannins support concentrated flavours. 90.