Little Engine's no compromise wines

Photo: Proprietors Steven and Nicole French

When a package of samples includes Pinot Noirs from a topflight producer, I invite a friend with exceptional knowledge of Pinot Noir to taste with me. Because a recent selection of six wines from Little Engine Wines included four Chardonnays, we decided in the spirit of Burgundy to taste them as well. It was a good decision. This Naramata Bench winery is an exceptional producer and the wines were a delight to taste, impressing both of us. Here is an excerpt for the 2020 Okanagan Wine Tour Guide to provide background on Little Engine.

The wines of Little Engine have three designated quality tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. In the winery’s first vintage, 2014, owners Steven and Nicole French elevated just 10% to Platinum and left 60% as entry-level Silvers. The intention, however, is to get to 60% Platinum as quickly as viticulture and winemaking can support that quality. “Our family motto is ‘Dreams don’t come true—dreams are made true,’” Steven says. After all, the winery’s name was inspired by the 1930 children’s story The Little Engine That Could.

For Steven and Nicole, Little Engine is a career change from the energy business in Alberta. Both were born in 1969: Nicole in London, Ontario, and Steven in Winnipeg. “We finished university [in London] and moved to Calgary and stayed there for over 20 years,” Steven says. In 2011, they bought acreage near Penticton, where their sons attended hockey school. The following year, when the fruit trees were removed, they began planting Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. Deciding to launch a winery, they made Little Engine’s first two vintages at another winery until Little Engine’s production facility was completed in 2016, amid about 2 hectares (about 5 acres) of vines right beside Naramata Road. To make the wine, they recruited Scott Robinson.

Scott, who was born in New Westminster, earned a degree in kinesiology and worked in that field for several years while his interest in wine grew. By 2005, he began juggling that with part-time work at Township 7. When he decided to commit to winemaking, he went to the University of Adelaide in 2008 and worked at leading wineries in New Zealand and Australia. He returned to the Okanagan to become the winemaker at La Frenz Winery and then, with a partner, to launch Stable Door Cellars in 2014. When that partnership ended, he was snapped up by Little Engine. The owners describe Scott as an “absolute perfectionist.” That fits Steven and Nicole’s philosophy. “We won’t compromise anything,” Steven says. Perfectionism has its price. Little Engine wines are expensive, reflecting the cost of keeping yields very low to produce intensely flavoured wines. The big and bold house style, especially with the red wines, has found such a strong following that many are sold out by the end of the season.

Here are notes on the wines.

Little Engine French Family Release Chardonnay 2022 ($38 for 460 cases). This wine was fermented entirely in stainless steel. It has the crispness and freshness of Chablis, with aromas and flavours of citrus and apple. 91.

Little Engine Silver Chardonnay 2021 ($39 for 634 cases). This wine was fermented 71% in barrel (none new) and 29% in stainless steel; and aged eight months on the lees with battonage. The wine announces itself with dramatic aromas of stone fruit and citrus. On the palate, there are flavours of peach and nectarine, with an intriguing note of salinity on the finish. 91.

Little Engine Gold Chardonnay 2020 ($62 for 755 cases). The vineyards were cropped at three tons an acre, resulting in a wine of great concentration. The wine had a long, cool fermentation in French oak and was aged 17 months in French oak (53% new). Golden-hued, the wine begins with buttery oak aromas. It is lush on the palate, with well-integrated oak framing flavours of stone fruits. There is a long finish with hints of spice. 96.

Little Engine Platinum Chardonnay 2019 (Wine club only; 180 cases). This wine also had a long, cool ferment in French oak barrels. It was aged 17 months in French oak (58% new) with regular stirring. The oak is slightly more pronounced in this wine, framing flavours of overripe apricots. The finish lingers. 94.

Little Engine Silver Pinot Noir 2020 ($47.50 for 805 cases). The destemmed grapes went into one-ton fermenters and were allow to cold soak on the skins for seven days and then fermented with indigenous yeast. Total maceration time was three weeks. The wine was matured in French oak barrels (none new) for 14 months, undergoing spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The wine has intense and vibrant fruit aromas and flavours, including cherry, cranberry and blackberry. There is spice on the persistent finish. 93.

Little Engine Gold Pinot Noir 2020 ($69 for 744 cases). This wine is comprised of eight clones (115, 667, 777, 828, 943, 91, Swan and Mt. Eden, all estate-grown). The grapes are destemmed into one-ton fermenters and, after a six-day cold soak, are allowed to ferment with indigenous yeast. The wine is pressed off near dryness and tank settled before going into French oak (28% new) for 15 months. Concentrated in texture, the wine begins with aromas of plum and fig. On the palate, there is plum and dark cherry mingled with spice on the finish. 95.