Pentâge Winery reaches into a deep inventory

Photo: Paul Gardner and Julie Rennie

At Penticton’s Pentâge Winery, Paul Gardner and Julie Rennie grow 19 varietals in the 15 acres of their two vineyards on a bench overlooking Skaha Lake. It enables them to offer quite interesting blends alongside distinctive single varietal wines.

Over the years, the winery, which opened in 2003, has built up an inventory of well-cellared wines, as the vintages reviewed here suggest. Not many producers still are able to offer wines from the 2018 vintage unless it is a library release. The deep inventory appears to be pulling the winery through the production losses in the 2024 vintage due to the January 2024 freeze. Fortunately, the Pentâge vineyards are likely to produce a reasonable harvest this fall.

“Out in the vineyard, things are developing beautifully,” Julie wrote in a recent online post. “The vineyard is looking healthy this season, with a heavy crop load developing across most blocks. To ensure optimal ripening and preserve quality, our vineyard crew is currently fruit thinning — a vital step that balances yield to promote phenolic development and flavor concentration in the fruit. This week, we’ve started to see veraison in the Gewürztraminer and Gamay — an exciting milestone where the grapes begin to ripen, bringing us one step closer to harvest. It’s shaping up to be a promising vintage, and we look forward to seeing how it unfolds as the season progresses.” So are this winery’s many followers. Here are my notes on four recent releases.

Pentâge Roussanne Marsanne Viognier 2019 ($30.43). This is 50% Roussanne, 30% Marsanne and 20% Viognier. The wine was aged 11 months in French oak puncheons and barriques that were three or four years old. It is a terrific wine, beginning with honeyed aromas of guava and citrus. The rich palate delivers flavours of ripe peach and apricot, with a persistent finish. 92.

Pentâge Cabernet Franc 2022 ($30.43). Grown in a top vintage, this wine was aged 15 months in French oak (25% new). Dark in hue and full-bodied, the wine begins with aromas of blackberry, dark cherry and spice. On the palate, flavours of plum and dark cherry are mingled with notes of chocolate and oak. 92.

Pentâge Pinot Noir 2020 ($30.43). This wine was matured 18 months in French oak barrels and puncheons (30% new). This is a masculine style of Pinot Noir, dark in colour, firm in structure. There are aromas and flavours of dark cherry mingled with spice and oak. 88.

Pentâge GSM 2018 ($34.78). The blend is 47% Grenache, 43% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah. Each varietal was aged in oak barrels (20% new) for 15 months. The wine won a gold medal last year in a national competition, deservedly so. Aromas of dark fruits and pepper just bound out of the glass. On the palate, flavours of cherry and raspberry mingle with subtle notes of pepper and oak. 94.