Quails' Gate extends the Plume label

Photo: Jeff Del Nin, Quails' Gate senior winemaker

Quails’ Gate Estate Winery created the Plume label in 2009 for two wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, that it was making in Napa and subsequently in Sonoma, exclusively for sale in Canada. Quails’ Gate has always reserved the Quails’ Gate label just for wines made only with Okanagan grapes. In 2021 and again in 2022, when Quails’ Gate was able to buy Cabernet Sauvignon from the storied Blind Creek Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley, the resulting wines were released under the Plume label.

The severe cold events in December 2022 and January 2024 devastated production from the Quails’ Gate vineyards, forcing the winery (and many of its peers) to turn to vineyards in Washington and Oregon for grapes. The handy Plume label has been pressed into service for the resulting wines.

“We knew that the 2024 vintage had to be different from any harvest we’ve experienced before,” writes Jeff Del Nin, the senior winemaker at Quails’ Gate. “In March 2024, I reached out to some of my oldest and closest friends in the wine business who work in Washington, Oregon and California. I got in my truck and drove thousands of kilometers to visit vineyard after vineyard.” He continues: “We were searching for standout vineyards that produce exceptional wines. … Unless I could taste wines made from each vineyard, we wouldn’t agree to purchase the grapes. We had to be certain that the wines were going to be premium expressions of their Pacific Northwest terroir.”

Once he had chosen the vineyards, Jeff spent 51 days in Oregon and Washington during harvest. “I needed to see the grapes through to the finish line. I made all the picking decisions on the ground before the fruit could be sent to our cellar. It was exciting and nerve-wracking. Now, having tasted the wines we made, it was all worth it.” The object was to make wines up to the standard of the excellent Distinction Series under the Quails’ Gate brand. After tasting both those wines and the recently released Plume wine, I would say that Jeff and his team succeeded brilliantly.

“This year, a lot of fruit is coming back [in the Okanagan vineyards], a little more than we expected,” Jeff said recently. “But we are going to have to have some American fruit again this year.” The normal production from the Quails’ Gate vineyards has been around 1,200 tons of grapes. Last year’s production was a mere 75 tons, which is why the winery had to look to American vineyards. The rebounding 2025 harvest from Quails’ Gate’s Okanagan sources is projected to yield about 425 tons. While that is an improvement, it is not enough to handle the demand for Quails’ Gate wines.

“Hopefully, this will be the last year when we have to source anything from the United States,” Jeff says. The recent Plume releases, available at the winery and to the Quails’ Gate wine club, are white, rosé and Pinot Noir, along with a 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Blind Creek Vineyard. I anticipate more big reds since Jeff also obtained Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in Washinton State. “If we had not gone to the United States and had no wine to sell, our company would go down,” Jeff says. Here are notes on the Plume wines.

Plume Pinot Gris 2024 ($32). This Pinot Gris was sourced from the Westmount Vineyard near Monmouth, Oregon. The growing conditions here are cool and the resulting wine shows bright acidity alone with aromas and flavours of pear and citrus. The finish is crisp. 90.

Plume Chenin Blanc 2024 ($35). This Chenin Blanc was sourced from vineyards of south-central Washington, from 40-year-old vines planted in 1980 and 1981 in the Horse Heaven Hills, situated in the heart of the Columbia Valley. The wine has aromas and flavours of pineapple and cantaloupe; the texture is generous and the finish lingers. 91.

Plume Rosé of Pinot Noir 2024 ($29.99). This Rosé of Pinot Noir is made with fruit from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The wine presents with a delicate pink hue. It has aromas and flavours of strawberry and raspberry. 90.

Plume Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). This Pinot Noir is in co-operation with Oregon’s Archery Summit Winery, a leading producer in the Willamette Valley. This is a very pretty wine, with aromas of cherry and raspberry that are echoed on the silky palate. 92.

Plume Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($52). This Cabernet Sauvignon, from an outstanding vintage, was grown in the renowned Blind Creek vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. Dark in the glass and full-bodied, it has aromas of cassis and dark cherry. The palate delivers flavours of black currant mingled with dark cherry and hint of mint. 94.