Lariana Cellars adds more vineyard

Photo: Lariana proprietors Carol and Dan Scott

The many fans of Lariana Cellars will happy to learn that this tiny Osoyoos winery has found room to plant more vineyard. “It was nice to get those plants into the ground,” says Dan Scott, who operates the winery with his wife, Carol. “Unfortunately, it won’t help us with wine sales until 2029, before that wine hits the market,” he adds with a rueful smile.

The winery and its vineyard are tucked against the Canada-U.S. border, just east of the Customs and Immigration yard. Visitors to Lariana need be alert enough to bear left just before driving into the yard and getting involved with border officers instead of winery owners. Dan and Carol, who built the winery in 2012, took over this 10-acre property in 1989 from her parents, who had been operating an orchard and a lakeside recreational vehicle park since 1968. They replaced the fruit trees on the upper part of the property with vineyard in 2007. However, they continued to run the RV park until two years ago when they closed it to develop more vineyard. “We have done it for 33 years and we just got tired of it,” Dan says. “There was so much more to do here at the winery and in the vineyard that we decided to get rid of one job, instead of having two jobs.”

The former RV park was contoured to create a southwest-exposed vineyard slope running down to the shore of Osoyoos Lake. This spring, they planted about an acre and a half with 1,900 Cabernet Sauvignon vines and 600 Carménère, complementing varietals already producing on the upper half of the property. About half to three-quarters of an acre remains to be planted next year, at which time they will have seven acres under vine. The largest block is Cabernet Sauvignon, with Carménère and Viognier making up the rest. “We have got the heat,” Carol says of the property. “We know we can grow those varieties here.” They buy Syrah, Merlot and additional Viognier from another Osoyoos grower, grapes that are needed to complete Lariana’s blends.

The winery’s total production hovers around 2,000 cases a year, give or take a few hundred cases. Lariana’s wine club and its restaurant clients snap up most of the wines. For that reason, there are no formal tasting room hours; however, the Scotts are always hospitable to casual visitors. The wines are worth searching out. They are made under the guidance of consulting winemaker Senka Tennant, formerly the winemaker who created the Nota Bene cult wine at Black Hills Estate Winery.

The portfolio is tight and disciplined. The Viognier, fermented primarily in concrete eggs, is one of the Okanagan’s best examples of that varietal. There are three red wines – a Carménère, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and the flagship blend which changes its name each vintage. The debut 2012 vintage was called Twelve, followed by Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, and so on, through Twenty, which will be released this fall. During my visit to Lariana this summer, I was also able to taste barrel samples of three wines from 2021: the Carménère, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the blend which, presumably, will be released as Twenty-One.

Here are notes on the wines.

Lariana Viognier 2022 ($29 for 450 cases). This is a stunning wine. Aromas of stone fruit jump from the glass and lead to flavours of pineapple, peach and melon. The bright acidity of the vintage leads to a refreshing finish. 95.

Lariana Carménère 2020 ($55). This is a concentrated wine, beginning with aromas of cherry and red currants mingled with white pepper. These are echoed on the palate. The finish is long. 94. Lariana Carménère 2021 (Not yet released). Again, a wine with a concentrated texture. There are aromas of cherry and spice, with flavours of fig and plum mingled with white pepper. 93. Lariana Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Not yet released). This is bold wine, with aromas of black currants and figs that are echoed richly on the palate. 94.

Lariana Twenty 2020 (Release autumn 2023). This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah. This is a concentrated wine which will need decanting if opened this fall; the structure suggests the wine will age superbly. Now, it displays aromas and flavours of plum, fig, black currant and dark chocolate. 94 Lariana Twenty-One 2021 (For release in fall 2024). This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah. It is a generous wine with aromas of black currant and rich flavours of plum, fig and black cherry. 95.