High Note hits the right notes

Photo: High Note's Bert Evertt (courtesy of High Note Estate Winery

There is a good story explaining all of the musical references in the labels of the wines from High Note Estate Winery. High Note opened this summer after taking over the Naramata Bench property that briefly was the Okanagan outpost for Abbottsford’s Singletree Winery. Under High Note’s owner Bert Evertt, the winery is being developed with a combined flair for both Mediterranean wine varietals and classical music. Bert also owns two other Okanagan wineries (Upper Case and gadZook Winery) and has Catherine Schaller, one of the valley’s best winemakers, in charge of the cellars. Trained in France, she was formerly the winemaker at Osoyoos Larose Winery as well as Rainmaker Winery.

The story: Bert was once an opera singer. "I started my opera career in 1960 by joining the Northshore Light Opera company [in North Vancouver],” Bert recounts. “I was 17 years old and we performed a number of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Northshore Light Opera was invited to sing the Peoples Chorus in a Vancouver Opera Company production of Aida in 1963. I auditioned for the chorus of the Vancouver Opera Company that same year. I was accepted and the productions that I was in were La Boheme, La Traviata, Norma and Tosca.”

When Bert went to Riverside, California, in 1965 to attend college, he soon joined the the Riverside Opera Company and was in the chorus for Manon Lascaux. “In January 1966, I moved to San Diego State University and joined the San Diego Opera Company,” Bert continues. “I sang in the chorus of La Boheme with Placido Domingo who later became famous as one of the Three Tenors. I was also in Faust, The Barber of Seville, The Young Lord, Aida again and I cannot remember all of the other ones.”

In 1969, Bert moved to Milan, Italy in September of 1969 and joined the opera chorus of at the famous La Scala opera house. He concluded his opera career when he left Milan in 1971. “In 1989, I resurrected it by auditioning for the chorus in the production of Aida at BC Place,” Bert adds. “The chorus was invited to tour with Aida to Tokyo, Japan.” His favourite opera is Aida, having sung in the chorus at least a dozen times. “My second favourite is La Boheme as I was in at least 10 production nights,” he says.

“I discovered red wine, mainly Barolo, in Milan when I was invited by a friend to join him at a wine cellar in downtown Milan,” Bert recounts. “I have been an Italian wine aficionado for all of the years since 1969." That accounts for both the musical allusions and often the Mediterranean character built into some of High Note’s wines.

Here are notes on four current releases.

High Note Capriccio Riesling 2022 ($28 for 192 cases). “Capriccio is all about feeling,” the winery says. “The music is improvised and free form, allowing the musician to lead the piece with their virtuosity. The same philosophy guides our Riesling. We give room for the varietal to shine, while providing structure from aging in a combination of concrete eggs and stainless steel.” This wine is packed with fruit. There are aromas and flavours of lemon and lime around a spine of minerality. The finish has a lively tartness. 91.

High Note Patter Brut 2022 ($30 for 277 cases). “Patter is about precision, each note exactly where it should be,” the winery writes. “The songs are intricate and fast-paced, following the natural ebb and flow of speech. Lively and finessed, our Patter Brut dances across the palate.” This wine is made in the Cuve Close method, a blend of 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Merlot. The wine presents with fat bubbles and aromas of apple and citrus. On the palate, there are flavours of pear, apple and lemon. The finish is tangy and refreshing. 90.

High Note Verismo Syrah 2021 ($35 for 126 cases). “The Verismo tradition is honest, raw, and uncompromising,” the winery explains. “It reflects a turn inwards, capturing the power of each fleeting moment. Our Syrah follows in that path.” The wine has aromas and flavours of dark berries mingled with leather and earthy notes. There is hint of pepper on the finish. 90.

High Note Cadenza Red Blend 2021 ($40 for 164 cases). “A Cadenza is a culmination,” the winery explains. “The music subsides, as if to slow down time, and the coda belongs to the soloist. The same artistry guides this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon.” The wine begins with aromas of black cherry, blackberry and mocha. Rich in texture, it has flavours of cherry, black currant, blackberry and chocolate. 92.