Upper Bench wines for summer 2021

Photo: Upper Bench's Gavin and Shana Miller

Anyone who believes that wines and cheeses are meant to be consumed together will have discovered Upper Bench Winery & Creamery at the edge of Penticton. There, Gavin Miller makes excellent wine while his wife, Shana, makes top flight cheese. Here is an except from The Okanagan Wine Tour Guide for more background on the winery.

The winery has undergone a profound transformation since 2011 when Gavin, backed by a silent partner, a businessman named Wayne Nystrom, acquired what was then known as Stonehill Estate Winery in a bankruptcy court auction of the winery and its 2.8-hectare (7-acre) vineyard. The partners started almost from scratch, including a new name, turning the page on the struggles of previous owners. German brewmaster Klaus Stadler originally planted the vineyard in 1998. He launched Benchland Winery three years later to such a lukewarm reception that he stopped making wine after the 2002 vintage and returned to Germany, selling the winery in 2004 to orchardist Keith Holman. Renamed Stonehill, it specialized in port-style wines before slipping into bankruptcy in 2010 with the other six Holman wineries.

Rebranding the winery, which is within Penticton’s city limits, has enabled Gavin and Shana to make a new beginning with high-quality wines and cheeses. “I am really pleased we got this winery,” Gavin says. “I always thought it had good bones, this place. It was never used to its potential.” Born in Britain in 1965, Gavin was a sales manager in London when he came to Penticton on vacation in 1995 and met Shana. They lived in London for a year before returning to the Okanagan in 1997. Drawn to wine after a year as a sign maker, Gavin took Okanagan University College courses. That launched him on a career that began in the vineyard at Lake Breeze, the cellars at Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards, the tasting room at Sumac Ridge, and then winemaking, first at Poplar Grove and then at Painted Rock, where he made award-winning wines before leaving after the 2010 vintage. Shana, a Nova Scotian, was working in Montreal when, on a whim, she decided to move to the Okanagan. “I was 25 at the time and had a pretty stressful accounting job, which I hated,” she recalls. Travelling with four cats, she needed to stay on a farm. Ian and Gitta Sutherland, who were just planting the vineyard for Poplar Grove Winery, welcomed her. When Poplar Grove subsequently added a cheese plant, Shana learned the art of cheese making.

Here are notes on this summer’s releases.

Upper Bench Pinot Blanc 2020 ($22 for 660 cases). There is four per cent Muscat in this blend, just enough to tweak the aroma without taking away from the purity of Pinot Blanc. This wine has the classic green apple flavours of the variety, with minerality on the backbone. 90.

Upper Bench Estate Chardonnay 2018 ($35 for 98 cases). Half of this wine was fermented and aged three months in French oak (30% new); the other half was fermented and aged in stainless steel. The wine begins with buttery and citrus aromas. There are flavours of peaches, ripe apples and orange marmalade in this ripe and complex wine. 91.

Upper Bench Chardonnay 2019 ($27 for 407 cases). The wine is all made with Naramata Bench fruit. Half the wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel. The other half was fermented and aged three months in French oak barrels (30% new). The wine presents in the glass with a lightly golden hue. It has aromas of ripe apple, and orange zest, mingled with butter and vanilla. Bright acidity delivers vivid fruit flavours on the palate. The finish lingers. 90.

Upper Bench Riesling 2020 ($24 for 530 cases). This delicious was a gold medal wine at the All Canadian Wine Championships and may well be sold out. It begins with aromas of lime and lemon that are echoed intensely on the palate. The finish is quite refreshing. 92.

Upper Bench Yard Wine 2018 ($33 for 185 cases). This is 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). The wine begins with aromas of cherry, cherry cola and cassis. On the palate, there are flavours of black currant, plum, blueberry and spice. The finish is long. 92.

Upper Bench Merlot 2018 ($30 for 610 cases). The winery recently has been discounting this wine at $20, which means it likely is sold out. The wine begins with aromas of cherry and blueberry mingled with spice and mocha, likely the result of aging the wine 18 months in French oak (30% new). There is dark fruit on the palate: dark cherry with black currant. On the finish, there are supple but still firm tannins. The wine benefits from decanting. 90.

b>Upper Bench Estate Merlot 2017 ($40 for 84 cases). This is a robust wine that was aged 21 months in French oak (33% new). There are aromas of vanilla, oak and dark fruits. The palate is quite concentrated with black currant and plum. 91.

Upper Bench Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($40 for 164 cases). This wine, with five percent Merlot in the blend, was aged 21 months in French oak. It has aromas and flavours of black currant, black cherry, vanilla and leather. 90.