Red Rooster shakes things up with fun wines

Photo: Red Rooster winemaker Elaine Vickers

The current releases from Red Rooster Winery push the boundaries; not radically but surprising from a winery that has been owned by Andrew Peller Ltd. since 2005. There is a cloudy Chardonnay, a carbonically-fermented red and the only sparkling wine in British Columbia made with Malbec. And there is a promise of more wines that do not always follow the beaten path.

The winemaker who is stirring things up, at least a little, is Elaine Vickers, a one-time professional player of extreme frisbee. She joined Red Rooster in 2019 after previous experience at Black Hills Winery (also owned by Peller) and Blasted Church Vineyards. Peller has backed her initiatives in making what she has called “fun” wines. “It was to keep with our image of being a fun winery that does some bold things,” she explains. “It is fun for me. It makes harvest interesting. And we are getting some good feedback for the wines. It is also to keep the consumer engaged and interested with what we are doing as well.”

That a big producer like Peller is giving her leeway is remarkable. Yet this is a group with lots of marketing expertise, which would know when or if Elaine is meandering off the rails. “Andrew Peller has fully supported the Red Rooster rebranding,” she says. “Every time I have asked for a new concrete tank, they have said yes. When I said I want to make a cloudy wine, they have said yes. This is exciting as a winemaker because you are able to make a whole bunch of new things.” Future releases may include Viognier fermented and aged on the skins; Pinot Noir fermented in concrete; Syrah fermented on the skins; Gewürztraminer fermented in oak puncheons; and Sémillon patterned on the classic, age-worthy Sémillons made in Australia’s Hunter Valley.

One can overstate just how radical some of these wines will be. Sparkling Malbec is unusual but sparkling red wines are not. Australian wineries have been making sparkling Shiraz for a long time. Sumac Ridge has made a few vintages in the Okanagan. Any producer of natural wines in British Columbia has released slightly cloudy white wines with success. Little Farm Winery at Cawston has even had some consumers complain that wines were not cloudy enough. Cloudy wines are made by maturing wines on lees to obtain richer flavours. The wines are not filtered aggressively before bottling so as not to sacrifice flavour. The haze in Red Rooster’s Chardonnay Sur Lie is barely perceptible while the flavour is excellent.

Carbonic fermentation is a technique well understood in red wine making. When done well, it turbocharges the fruity flavours. The Red Rooster example is well-done. There is nothing unusual about a single varietal Petit Verdot. It is seldom seen on its own because the little that is grown in the Okanagan generally is used to add backbone of red blends. This is the first release from Red Rooster. “I like 100% Petit Verdot,” Elaine says. “I like to keep some of the violet flavours in there if we can.”

Here are notes on the wines.

Red Rooster Sur Lie Chardonnay 2021 ($22.99 for 345 cases). This wine is made with fruit from the Hidden Terrace Vineyard near Oliver. Half was fermented in stainless steel, half in large format barrels – and all with natural yeast. The time on the lees allowed the wine to develop a rich texture. The wine has aromas and flavours of citrus and apple. 90.

Red Rooster Sparkling Rosé NV ($30 for 177 cases). The blend for this traditional method sparkling wine is primarily Malbec with a dash (less than two percent) of Pinot Noir and Syrah. The wine was en tirage for a year. The wine presents with an appealing rose petal hue and active mousse. Fruity aromas lead to flavours of strawberry and raspberry. Total production was 6,500 bottles but at least has been held back for further year of aging. 92.

Red Rooster Carbonic Maceration Merlot Malbec 2020 ($28.99 for 583 cases). Carbonic maceration is a technique for accentuating the fruitiness of this wine, which is 60% Merlot and 40% Malbec. The Malbec grapes were dumped whole cluster into the fermentation tank. A layer of lightly crushed Merlot was placed on top of the Malbec. The latter fermented inside the individual grapes. The Merlot was inoculated with yeast. The Merlot was punched down carefully so as not to disturb the Malbec. When fermentation finished, the blend was pressed and then aged 10 months in French oak (13% new). The wine is delicious with aromas of cherry, plum and blackberry that are echoed on the palate. The texture is generous and the finish persists. 92.

Red Rooster Petit Verdot 2020 ($39.99 for 150 cases). This is a bold, dark-hued varietal. The winemaking ensured extracting the maximum color and flavour by punch downs on the skins for 27 days. The wine was aged 18 months in a variety of French oak vessels. Full-bodied, the wine begins with aromas of dark fruits, tobacco and spice. The palate delivers plum, blackberry, dark cherry and coffee. The wine benefits from being decanted. 93.