Stoneboat Pinotage 2007 is a surprise find in my cellar

Photo:Lanny Martiniuk

Stoneboat Vineyards and its Pinotage wines were included in my 2017 book, Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries. The objective of the book was to identify wines that, in my view, were worth putting into the wine cellar to age. I considered Stoneboat’s Pinot Noir but I had already included a number of Pinot Noirs in the book. At the time, there were only three or four Pinotage producers in British Columbia. Lake Breeze Vineyards was already in the book with a Bordeaux blend and The View Winery & Vineyard, now the largest Pinotage producer, was then still finding its feet. So I chose Stoneboat to represent this red varietal which is not well known outside its birth place of South Africa. Recently, I stumbled across a bottle of Stoneboat Pinotage 2007 in my cellar, covered with dust and a few other bottles of older wine. In Icon, I had quoted another critic who wrote that this vintage was mature. I opened my 16-year-old bottle with some apprehension and got a big surprise: the wine was delicious, with a core of bright cassis and blueberry flavours on the palate. It makes me wish I had cellared more vintages of Stoneboat Pinotage. The current vintage is the 2021 and is available for $32 a bottle.

Here is an excerpt from Icon. (The book is still in print and, in my opinion, is the best of the 20 wine books I have written. Gorgeous photography by Christopher Stenberg strengthened the book.)

The Pinotage grape was developed in South Africa in 1925 when a professor of viticulture at Stellenbosch University, Abraham Perold, pollinated Pinot Noir with a Rhône variety, Cinsault. After the first commercial planting in 1943, it was planted modestly and now comprises just six percent of South Africa’s vineyards. However, the variety has an international following. Peter F. May, a British wine writer and an honorary member of the producers’ Pinotage Association, runs a web-based fan club, The Pinotage Club. The vine was brought to the Okanagan in 1995 by a South African immigrant, Paul Moser, who established Lake Breeze Vineyards. He bought a limited number of Pinotage vines from the University of California (South African vines were not allowed into Canada because of virus concerns). Paul asked Lanny Martiniuk, an Oliver vine propagator, to multiply them. Lanny was impressed with the vines and propagated some that he planted, beginning in 1998, in one of his own vineyards. Five years later, he expanded the planting to another of the Martiniuk family vineyards. Today, the Stoneboat Pinotage blocks total 3.23 hectares (8 acres) and are the largest planting in the South Okanagan. [The View’s Pinotage block in East Kelowna is now larger.]

“Though it originated in South Africa,” the Stoneboat winery commented when releasing the 2012 vintage, “we have found over the past 15 years that Pinotage on the Black Sage Gravelbar expresses itself differently from its counterpart abroad. Usually last to be harvested, in late October. Pinotage never fails to deliver intense, exotically flavoured wines.” “Pinotage is great to work with in the cellar,” said Alison Moyes, Stoneboat’s winemaker until 2015. “It is the complete opposite of Pinot Noir in how we treat it. With Pinot, everything is gentle, with lower temperature fermentation. Pinotage is a bigger animal. I am trying to get more extraction so it ferments with more heat. I don’t extract a lot of unpleasant characters in doing that. Pinotage is not overly prone to bitterness and astringency.”

The winemaking is straightforward. The grapes, after a five-day cold soak, are fermented in small stainless-steel tanks, followed by a short maceration. Then the wine is transferred to oak. The first vintage, in 2005, had just 10 months in barrel. Subsequently, the winery has concluded that the variety needs at least 13 months in barrel “to restrain the variety’s flamboyant wild berry characters and bring forth its rich, plummy undertones.”

The 2021 Pinotage, which had 15 months aging in American and French oak, was made by Stoneboat’s current winemaker, William Adams, who took over when Alison Moyes moved on. Lanny Martiniuk and his family sold the winery in June 2021 to Kyla Richey and Rudy Verhoeff who have kept Pinotage in the portfolio. It is there almost by chance. Lanny had begun propagating vines in 1983 in his nursery near Oliver. Lake Breeze’s Paul Moser asked Lanny to propagate some Pinotage vines. Intrigued by a varietal then unfamiliar to him, Lanny kept one cutting for himself.

“I had it in a pot for a couple of years,” Lanny told me in a 2005 interview. “I liked the cluster. And it has a very tough skin, very upright growth characteristics and very strong. So I said, I have got to try this. By then, Paul had sold and Lake Breeze’s new owners did not want to release any wood. I took my one plant and had it tissue-cultured. I think we got about 500 plants.” He was impressed with the wines that could be made from the grape. “I am not a Meritage type drinker,” Lanny told me. “I really like Pinot Noirs. The Pinotage was attractive to me because it is like a really full-bodied, heavy Pinot Noir.” That might well describe the 2007 Pinotage that was almost lost in my cellar.

Mt. Boucherie's The Boss and friends

Photo: Winemaker Jeff Hundertmark

Two of the wines reviewed here bear the brand name “Mandaray” – relatively new for Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery. There is also a new super-premium red called The Boss. Jeff Hundertmark, Mt. Boucherie’s director of winemaking, provided the explanation for these additions to the portfolio.

“I wanted to share a little story about the partnership we have developed with Save-On-Foods,” Jeff writes. “As we all know, they are leaders in promoting BC VQA Wines to British Columbians, so when they approached Mt Boucherie to be part of a special collaboration creating a white blend and a red blend for sale in all the Save-On-Foods stores across the province, we jumped at the chance! A couple of very successful vintages under our belts and last year they asked if we would like to expand the relationship by creating a Rosé for the brand that we jointly market as “Mandaray”.

Jeff continues: “They also asked if we would be interested in working together on an ultra-premium wine for their Reserve cabinet in select stores. With this in mind, our team at Boucherie spent a couple of months tasting through all of our barrels from the exceptional 2020 vintage to sequester away for a blending session with the Wine Directors at Save-On-Foods, Steve Moriarty, Amanda Carnegie and Ray Pighin. “I had a vision of what I wanted this wine to be, stylistically and varietally, but our joint palates came together to create, The Boss. This is an unapologetically masculine wine featuring all the weight and grip of Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), the focus of Malbec (20%), the velvety smooth of Merlot (20%) and the spicy meat of Syrah (20%). Just 5 barrels were selected for the blend and only 100 cases were made. I am confident if you decant this wine for a little while, you will appreciate the care and commitment that went into creating this bottle. It was definitely designed for patience, to hold onto for 10 years from now, but I think decanting, and the right protein accompaniment is key to enjoyment now.”

Mt. Boucherie operates from an architecturally spectacular winery and restaurant that opened a few years ago on its existing site in West Kelowna. One of the advantages that the winemaker has is that Mt. Boucherie gets its fruit from its own well-managed vineyards and from growers throughout the Okanagan and from the Similkameen Valley. Here are notes on those wines and other current releases from Mt. Boucherie.

Mt. Boucherie Riesling 2022 ($24.99). The fruit for this wine comes from a 1991 Riesling planting in the winery’s Lazy River vineyard south of Cawston in the Similkameen Valley. The maturity of the vines shows in the intensity of the wine. It begins with aromas of lemon, lime and petrol. The palate delivers flavours that echo the aromas, mingled with hints of stone fruits. The finish is persistent. 92.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Chardonnay 2022 ($N/A). This wine, from fruit picked in October, was aged 13 months in French oak (50% new). That time line suggests the wine was bottled in late November or early December. My sample was still in bottle shock, with the aromas and flavours not yet expressing themselves. I recommend cellaring this until mid-2024 to allow the latent rich fruit to express itself. It is unfair to score the wine at this stage.

Mt. Boucherie Mandaray Rosé 2022 ($18.99). This wine is 95% Pinot Gris, 5% Pinot Noir. It was aged entirely in stainless steel. The wine has aromas of pink grapefruit leading to flavours of mandarin orange, cherry and spice. The golden pink hue presents well in the glass. 89.

Mt. Boucherie Mandaray Red 2021 ($19.99). This is a blend of 39% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 13% Syrah, 11% Zinfandel and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged 14 months in a combination of French, American and Hungarian oak (15% new). The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruits and spice mingled with chocolate. The body is full with long, firm tannins. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Blaufränkisch 2022 ($27.99). This may be the only winery in B.C. still growing this varietal, which was planted in its Lazy River Vineyard in 1993.The varietal is more common in Austria. This Canadian example is a tart red, with aromas of raspberry and cranberry, leading to flavours of red plum, sour cherries and cranberry. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Pinot Noir 2022 ($24.99). Made with fruit from the Similkameen Valley, this pretty wine appeals for its good value. It was aged six months in French oak (15% new), just long enough to polish the silky texture without diminishing the aromas and flavours of cherry and raspberry. 91.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Pinot Noir 2020 ($44.99). This wine is made with fruit from a Naramata Bench vineyard. The wine was aged 15 months in French and Hungarian oak (30% new). This is muscular Pinot Noir with aromas of spice and black cherry that lead to flavours of dark fruits mingled with a touch of oak. 92.

Mt. Boucherie Merlot 2021 ($24.99). The fruit for this wine is from vineyards on the Golden Mile, Okanagan Falls and the Similkameen. The wine was aged 14 months in French oak (15% months new). The wine begins with aromas of black currant and dark cherry, echoed in the flavours, along with clove, dark chocolate and event a hint of licorice. 91.

Mt. Boucherie Contessa 2020 ($88.88). This is 44% Merlot, 38% Syrah and 18% Malbec, with fruit from Okanagan Falls and Similkameen Vineyards. The wine was aged 18 months in French, American and Hungarian oak (30% new). The wine is a selection from the finest barrels in the vintage. The wine is bold, with rich aromas and flavours of cassis, dark fruits including fig, and dark chocolate. The finish is very long. 94.

Mt. Boucherie Summit 2020 ($50.99 for 300 cases). This is a blend of 55% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Malbec and 4% Syrah. The varietals were fermented separately for 14 months, mostly in French oak, both new and seasoned. When the selection was made for the blend, the wine was aged a further 12 months in neutral oak. All that time in oak has polished the long, ripe tannins and added notes of spice to the wine. It is a full-bodied wine with aromas and flavours of black cherry and black currant. There is a hint of chocolate on the persistent finish. The wine benefits from being decanted. 93.

Mt. Boucherie The Boss 2020 ($99.99 for 100 cases). The wine gets it name from its bold structure and flavour. It is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% each of Malbec, Merlot and Syrah. The wine, a five-barrel blend, was aged 30 months French oak, except for the Syrah, which was aged in American oak. Some 40% of the oak was new. The wine does strut, with aromas and flavours of spice, dark fruits, dark chocolate. Decant the wine if you must drink it now, but it is built to age for a decade or two. 95.

Terralux Winery: newest premium Okanagan winery

Photo: Terralux winemaker Jacqueline Kemp

New Zealand-born winemaker Jacqueline Kemp joined Terralux Estate Winery in the Okanagan in July 2023, just in time to experience one of the most challenging vintages of her 20-year-long career. To begin with, the damage suffered by Terralux vineyards in the 2022-23 winter reduced vineyard yield dramatically. The winery had just enough fruit to make 5,000 litres of wine.

“All of that was made under very difficult, very smoky conditions,” Jacqueline says. “There was the fire in West Kelowna right behind us; and we had the fire in Cawston right behind our vineyard. We evacuated our winery in Cawston three times. We moved our crew from Cawston to West Kelowna right as the fire hit West Kelowna. It was stressful. It was a different kind of a year. We were sustainably managing our people, moving them sustainably from one place to another.” She continues: “Even though it was a really tough year for winemaking and for volume, it was for me one of the most important years I have had, learning how to do something completely new [removing smoke taint]. There are so many pieces of the puzzle. The research has not begun in some areas.”

However, she believes she was successful in removing the taste and aroma of smoke from the juice she had to work with, applying a New Zealand developed technology new to the Okanagan. “We brought in a machine right at the beginning to remove it,” she says. “It was a complete experiment. No one knew if it was going to work. It worked amazing. The juice is completely clear, texturally and aromatically, and shows how the fruit was in that year.”

Terralux is one of the newest producers in the Okanagan. The West Kelowna winery, still under construction, should be opening a tasting room in the spring of 2024. However, the winery has been producing wine since the 2018 at its S’milka Vista Vineyards at Cawston. This was formerly Hugging Tree Winery until it was acquired by the Minglian Holdings Ltd., a Chinese sponsored residential developer with condominiums in the Lower Mainland, Kelowna and Seattle. The 40-acres of established vineyard gave Minglian its entry into the B.C. wine industry.

Minglian has surrounded its project with talent, including two Masters of Wine. Most of the Terralux wines now in wine stores were made by Marcus Ansems MW, an Australian winemaker with extensive experience around the world. He also has his own winery, Daydreamer Wines, near Naramata.

Jacqueline also brings experience and a record of award-winning wines to Terralux. On her LinkedIn page, she writes: “Formally a research nutritional scientist, I put aside my lab coat in 1998 to follow a passion for wine making, and completed a Viticulture & Oenology degree at Lincoln University, New Zealand. In 2000, I began building my practical experience, working multiple vintages in Burgundy, Western Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In my first full time winemaking role at Akarua Winery in Central Otago, New Zealand, I achieved national, and international, recognition for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris vintages which was very exciting and motivating!”

She came to the Okanagan in 2008 when Chris Carson, now her former husband, joined Meyer Family Vineyards. While raising her children, Jacqueline kept her hand in as a very active consulting winemaker. Her clients have included Tantalus Vineyards, River Stone Estate Winery and Privato Vineyard & Winery. She became the head winemaker at Moraine Estate Winery in 2012, where she was involved in the design and construction of a new winery. Just as that project finished, she moved to Therapy Vineyards in 2018 where she was involved in redeveloping the winery and launching sparkling wines. She joined Terralux in July, 2023, bringing a remarkable resume of skills and experience – and having to put them all to work in a difficult vintage.

Here are notes on current releases from Terralux.

Terralux Pinot Gris 2021 ($27 for 319 cases). The grapes for this wine were whole-cluster pressed and fermented cool in stainless steel with selected yeasts. The wine was also aged in stainless steel. As a result, the wine is crisp and refreshing with aromas and flavours of apple and citrus. 91.

Terralux Viognier 2020 ($33 for 256 cases). The grapes for this wine are from the winery’s Similkameen vineyard. The fruit was whole-cluster pressed and fermented at ambient temperatures with indigenous yeast. The wine was matured partially in French barriques and partially in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of peach and orange blossom, with the classically firm texture of the varietal. 90.

Terralux Viognier Reserve 2019 ($39 for 237 cases). This is a ripe and rich wine made with fruit from the Similkameen Vineyard. Fermented with indigenous yeast, the wine was matured in a combination of French barriques and stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of stone fruits leading to flavours of apricot and spice. 92.

Terralux Chardonnay Reserve 2020 ($44 for 166 cases). This wine was made with fruit from the South Okanagan, whole-cluster pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured 11 months in French barriques. The wine has aromas of vanilla and lemon, leading to flavours of ripe apples mingled with buttery notes. The finish is long. 92.

Terralux Syrah 2018 ($39 for 295 cases). The fruit for this wine is from a vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and aged 11 months in French barriques. It is a big wine, with aromas of dark cherry and deli meats mingled with a hint of pepper. These are echoed on the palate, along with savoury flavours of dark fruits. 92.

Terralux Meritage 2019 ($39 for 497 cases). This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. The wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and matured 11 months in French barriques. A big wine with satisfying concentration on the palate, it has aromas and flavours of blackberry and plum with a touch of spice. 92.

Terralux Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($39 for 138 cases). Made with South Okanagan fruit, the wine was fermented with indigenous yeast and aged 11 months in French barriques. A well-structured wine, it begins with aromas of black currant mingled with spice and cedar. On the palate, there are flavours of black currant, plum, and dark cherry. The finish lingers. 93.

Terralux Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2019 ($65 for 341 cases). This wine blends fruit from the Similkameen Valley with grapes from the South Okanagan to produce an elegant and powerful wine. Aged in French barriques, the wine begins with aromas of cassis. On the palate, there are flavours of black currant, blackberry and spice with a very long finish. The full, rich tannins will support long-term aging of this wine. For early consumption, decant the wine. 94.

Church & State masters multiple terroirs

Photo: winemaker Arnaud Thierry

Church & State Wines was founded in 2004 at Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island. That location, with a small vineyard, is now where the winery makes and cellars its sparkling wines. Traditional method sparkling wines found their way into the portfolio because the Brentwood Bay terroir is best suited to wines of that style. As well, Arnaud Thierry, Church & State’s winemaker since 2017, was trained in Champagne. He began making a traditional method sparkling wine in Canada soon after joining Church & State.

Born in Normandy, Arnaud had extensive experience in both Champagne and Bordeaux before coming to the Okanagan with his wife, Caroline Schaller, now the winemaker at Uppercase Winery. Church & State has 85 acres of vineyard in the south Okanagan and 10 acres at Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island, where the winery originated in 2002 as Victoria Estate Winery. It was acquired two years later by lawyer Kim Pullen, who renamed it. At the recommendation of his consulting winemaker at the time, Californian Bill Dyer, he moved production to the south Okanagan a few years later rather than transporting grapes to Vancouver Island. The Brentwood Bay vineyard now produces Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris grapes just for sparkling wines, a very sensible use for grapes from this cool site. (Kim Pullen sold the winery in 2017 to Sunocean Wineries and Estate, a Vancouver company owned by a low-profile Chinese businessman.)

Arnaud says that his approach to winemaking is simple and traditional. “I am very attracted by tradition, and the respect of the fruit,” he says. Winemaking is very classic: a good expression of the fruit and freshness in the whites; and volume, fruit and spice in the reds. “I want to have the varietal specificity of the grapes each time.”

Here are notes on current releases.

Church & State Blanc de Gris 2019 ($25.75 for 770 cases). This traditional method sparkling wine was aged at least 12 months on the lees before being disgorged. Made with Pinot Gris fruit from the Brentwood Bay vineyard, this wine’s active mousse propels aromas of brioche and fruit. The palate is packed with flavours, including pear and citrus, which linger on the refreshing finish. 92.

Church & State Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature 2018 ($33.75 for 1,019 cases). This wine is made with Chardonnay grown, the winery says, in a Black Sage Road “terroir that ripens Chardonnay perfectly for this method of winemaking.” The wine was aged 30 months in bottle on the lees “at our sparkling wine house in Brentwood Bay.” This wine begins with an active mousse and aromas of brioche and citrus. On the palate, the flavours are clean and fresh, with citrus and apple mingled subtly with brioche. The finish is crisp. 92.

Church & State Gris de Noirs 2020 ($33.75 for 102 cases). The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir from Vancouver Island and Osoyoos East Bench, fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged on the lees for 12 months. The delicate pink hue gives eye appeal to the wine, which has a lively mousse and fruity aromas. There are hints of strawberry on the palate. The finish is crisp and tart. 91.

Church & State Trebella 2020 ($24.25 for 300 cases). This Rhône-inspired white is a blend of 33% Roussanne, 33% Marsanne and 34% Viognier. The wine was fermented for three weeks in barrel and then aged eight months in French oak. The texture is rich. The wine has aromas and flavours of guava, apricot and vanilla with a very long finish. 90.

Church & State Estate Series Syrah 2019 ($35 for 660 cases). The grapes were fermented and macerated in stainless steel for 20 days. The wine was aged 12 months in French oak barrels. The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruits, deli meats and pepper. 91.

Church & State Estate Series Cabernet Franc ($32.50 for 1,000 cases). Fruit for this wine is from vineyards on the Osoyoos West Bench and on the Black Sage Bench. The grapes were fermented and macerated 20 days in stainless steel. The wine was then aged 12 months in French oak barrels (25% new). The wine begins with the classic brambly aromas that gives Cabernet Franc such easy appeal. The blackberry aromas lead to flavours of cherry, raspberry and spice. 92.