Meyer wines that are easy on the budget

Photo: Winery proprietor JAK Meyer

The early summer releases from Meyer Family Vineyards feature four of the winery’s most affordable wines. Since Meyer specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, you might ask what is a Gewürztraminer doing here? That varietal, along with several others, was already growing in the McLean Creek Road vineyard near Okanagan Falls when JAK Meyer bought the property in 2009. He had been planning to build a winery on a Naramata Road Chardonnay vineyard when the Okanagan Falls property became available in a bankruptcy sale.

The McLean Creek Road vineyard was redeveloped with a tight focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. However, a block of Gewürztraminer has been retained because the vines are old and because there is a following for the Alsace style crafted by winemaker Chris Carson.

Here are notes on the wines.

Meyer Gewürztraminer 2022 ($17.48 for 450 cases). Fruit for this wine is from a 1994 planting on the estate vineyard. This wine begins with aromas of lemon mingled with ginger, echoed on the richly textured palate. The wine has a dry finish. 90.

Meyer Okanagan Valley Chardonnay 2022 ($20.96 for 2,000 cases). This wine was partially fermented with wild yeast. It was aged six months in stainless steel (80%) and in neutral oak (20%). The result is a fruit-forward Chardonnay with aromas and flavours of peach and apple. 89.

Meyer Rosé 2022 ($20.96 for 377 cases). This flavour-packed rosé is made with Pinot Noir, with 80% of the juice extracted by the saignée method after 12 hours of skin contact. The wine presents boldly in the glass with a dark pink hue, appealing to this of us who dislike the fashion of anaemic-hued rosés. The wine has aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry. 90.

Meyer Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2022 ($24.43 for 2,800 cases). The fruit for this wine was drawn from four vineyards in the central and southern Okanagan. The wine was aged in neutral French oak barrels and puncheons before bottling. It begins with aromas of cherries, raspberries and blackberries. On the palate, the wine is juicy, with flavours of cherries and spice; and with a silky texture. This is a quaffable Pinot Noir. 90.