Intrigue Winery adds reserves to its portfolio

Photo: Roger Wong of Intrigue Wines

Recently, I have enjoyed the first live music concerts in two years, obeying the mask mandate by wearing an attractive mask from Roger and Jillian Wong’s Intrigue Winery in Lake Country. To the best of my knowledge, Intrigue is one of two Okanagan wineries (Burrowing Owl is the other) that produced a limited number of masks last year. I also have a Burrowing Owl mask which is also worn on occasion. Other wineries may also have masks for their patrons, given their promotional value. It was no surprise that Intrigue had masks. Jillian works for Doctors of BC and would be finely attuned to the value of mask wearing during this endless pandemic. I can report that the Intrigue mask is comfortable – no small thing when sitting through an hour or two of music or on the many other occasions when masks are now necessary.

Wearing the mask reminded me that I tasted Intrigue’s wines this summer. Somehow, my notes were overlooked amid the crush of other samples. I apologize to Roger if some of his wines are now sold out. This year’s releases from Intrigue included several reserve wines. For the decade since the winery opened in 2009, the portfolio has consisted primarily of value-priced wines. It could be that Roger also had his hands full making wine at Gray Monk Estate Winery. He severed that relationship two years ago and now devotes himself entirely to Intrigue and its expanding production. It could also be that Roger has been able to source more premium grapes. The grapes in the Reserve Red are from a vineyard in Oliver. The Lake Country vineyards farmed by Roger and his partners, Ross and Geri Davis, are dedicated to varietals other than the big reds that come from Oliver.

Here are notes on the wines.

Intrigue Social Rosé 2020 ($17 for 3,776 cases). The blend is astonishing for its complexity: 37% Riesling, 25% Pinot Gris, 15.4% Gewurztraminer, 12.2% Merlot, 8.2% Rotberger, 2% Pinot Noir, and 0.2% Malbec. The wine is fashionably pale, beginning with delicate aromas of raspberry and watermelon. On the palate, there is fruit salad: strawberry, raspberry, watermelon and grapefruit. The acidity balances the residual sweetness. 88.

Intrigue Focus Riesling 2020 ($20 for 215 cases). This is a fresh, crisp Riesling with aromas and flavours of apples, lime and stone fruit. The grapes are from the Wong Vineyard near Oyama. 90.

Intrigue I Do 2020 ($20 for 2,537 cases). The blend is 52% Riesling, 29% Gewurztraminer, 15% Merlot, 2% Pinot Gris, 1.7% Kerner, and 0.6% Ehrenfelser. This is a fun wine – pink in hue with active bubbles. It has aromas of grapefruit and raspberry and flavours of strawberry and watermelon. The bubbles give it a pleasant creamy texture. 88.

Intrigue Rotberger Rosé 2020 ($21). Rotberger is a rare German varietal specifically for rosé. The colour is delicate. On the nose, there are aromas of raspberry and watermelon which are echoed on the palate. The finish is dry with a tangy refreshing note at the end. 91.

Intrigue Reserve Chardonnay 2020 ($23 for 300 cases). Sixty per cent of the wine was fermented in French oak and the remainder in stainless steel. Partial malolactic only, preserving the focussed fruit that makes this a refreshing wine. It has aromas and flavours of apple, melon and white peach with a light buttery note. 90.

Intrigue Reserve Red 2018 ($45 for 430 cases). The blend is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Petit Verdot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec, 8% Syrah, 5% Merlot, with all the fruit from Oliver area vineyards. The wine was aged 18 months in barrel. This is a ripe, full-bodied red, beginning with aromas of black currant, spice and vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry, plum, fig and spice with a hint of dark chocolate on the finish. 93.