The Stonewell Shiraz is collectible and affordable

Photo: Phil and Sara Lehmann in Vancouver


During the past five years, the price of Grange, Australia’s most iconic red wine has gone into orbit, well beyond reach for all but the wealthiest of wine collectors.

Enthusiasts have been collecting Grange, which was first made in 1951, for almost half a century. It cellars so well that Penfolds, in the fifth edition of The Rewards of Patience, reported that most vintages are still alive. The 2001 vintage can be cellared to 2040.

If only it were affordable!

There is good news, however. Not every collectible Shiraz from Australia comes with a prohibitive price. There is, for example, Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz. The 2002 vintage in this market sells for about $82 a bottle. It is also a stiff price but not so high as to deter laying a few down each year.

A recent Vancouver tasting, hosted by winemaker Phil Lehmann and his wife, Sara, show just how well the wine cellars. Every available vintage of Stonewell was tasted including the first, 1987. The first few vintages have faded slightly but still are sound enough to enjoy. Every vintage of the 1990s was delightful and had lots of life left.

Based in the Barossa Valley, the Peter Lehmann winery now is owned by The Hess Group of Switzerland but continues to be run by Peter Lehmann and his sons (Phil is one).

In the 1970s, Peter was working for Saltram Estates winery, one of the oldest of Barossa wineries. In the late 1970s, a glut of red wine on the Australian market led to a decision by Saltrams not to make any red for a few years. Peter’s role included grower relations. He was ordered to tell growers that Saltrams would not be buying their grapes.

Instead, he gathered a few friends and some money, bought the grapes and began making wine for his own winery, which was built in 1980. Needing cash flow, the winery sold most of its production in bulk for several years.

Then in 1987 Peter and his chief winemaker, Andrew Wigan, decided to make what the Australians call a “show” red – a wine to win competitions. Stonewell was born.

The winery makes a range of Shiraz wines. For Stonewell, it cherry picks the best old-vines Shiraz from the best of the 185 growers that supply the winery. The growers whose grapes make it into Stonewell are honoured by the winery’s own hall of fame. One of the three growers who supplied fruit for the 1987 Stonewell was named Ralph Schrapel. His grapes have been in 12 vintages including the 2002. Perhaps he has now retired because his name has not appeared since. But what a run!

The first two vintages of Stonewell fared well enough on the show circuit but the reputation of the wine was sealed when the 1989 Stonewell won the Jimmy Watson Trophy, the most prestigious trophy on the Australian circuit.

The irony is that the trophy always goes to one-year-old red. I can report that the 1989 Stonewell, while perhaps past its prime, still tastes very good. It has mellowed to become soft and charming, with aromas and flavours recalling plum jam.

Perhaps the three stars of this 20-vintage vertical were the Stonewells from 1996 (huge, almost porty), 1998 (elegantly showing cassis, plums and liquorice) and the 2000 (exceptionally complex). These are wines from three of Australia’s finest recent vintages.

The 2002, which is on the market now, shows the triumph of good grape growing and winemaking in a cool vintage. The wine has good, earthy concentration; the aromas and flavours are still developing. The winery’s own notes suggest that this is an “amazing wine that has a very strong case to be considered the best Stonewell do date.”

Hopefully, the liquor board and Stonewell’s agents here will bring in succeeding vintages so that collectors can lay down these amazing wines. I thought that the 2004 and 2005 Stonewells are every bit as good as 2002, if not more so.

On another note, the Peter Lehmann winery has recently begun packaging its wine in lighter bottles. Working with its bottle supplier, it has reduced the weight of its proprietary bottle by 15% and is now doing the same with its other bottles. The lighter bottles are just as strong as the previous ones.

As a result, the winery will be shipping 800 tonnes less glass around the world each year and that, according to the winery, translates into an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from transportation of about 200 tonnes. Every bit counts.

Howard Soon's Sandhill is winery of the year

Photo: Sandhill winemaster Howard Soon


To those who know Howard Soon’s wines at Sandhill, it is no surprise that Sandhill is this year’s winery of the year at the Canadian Wine Awards.

Sandhill walked away from that competition with 21 medals, including White Wine of the Year (Small Lots 2008 Viognier) and Red Wine of the Year (Small Lots 2007 Syrah). Howard’s title is winemaster and obviously that is no exaggeration.

One can have a chicken-and-egg debate: did Howard’s great talent turn Sandhill into a legend or did the superbly-grown Sandhill grapes make a legend of Howard? In this instance, evolution doesn’t help up. I think God created both on the sixth day so that He would have something good to drink when He rested.

All 12 vintages of Sandhill have been made in the sprawling Calona winery in downtown Kelowna. While a spot has long been reserved on Sandhill’s Black Sage vineyard for a winery, Andrew Peller Ltd., which owns Sandhill, has had that project on hold while investing in Okanagan and Similkameen vineyards instead.

Over the years, however, the Calona winery has been upgraded significantly. Howard now has a new red wine cellar, including new fermentation tanks and a vast array of barrels. In one previous vintage he was able to buy a modern press and that resulted in immediate and dramatic improvements in the quality of the white wines. Howard no longer has to improvise to make good wines, as he did in the early years when Sandhill was undercapitalized.

Howard’s winemaking career began at Calona in 1980. He has been there ever since, first raising the quality of Calona’s wines and then taking on Sandhill when that wine project began in 1997.

Sandhill and Calona are sister wineries. Both have been owned by Andrew Peller Ltd. since 2005. As Peller’s senior winemaker in British Columbia, Howard has a supervisory role in the winemaking for Peller, Calona and Red Rooster. He is the full-time winemaker for Sandhill.

Sandhill grows roughly 200 acres of its own grapes on Black Sage Road, adjacent to the Burrowing Owl Vineyard. The wineries were viticultural partners for several years early this decade and, for most of that period, have used the same superb vineyard managers. That is one reason why Sandhill’s wines have shown many of the positive qualities of the Burrowing Owl wines, even though different winemakers ran the respective cellars. Both vineyards were planted at the same time, beginning in 1993 and 1994.

Sandhill also buys grapes from select vineyards whose operators are tightly aligned with Howard’s objectives. Sandhill makes single vineyard wines exclusively – wines that reflect the specific terroir of where they are grown. It assures wines of unique quality. The Phantom Creek Vineyard is owned by veteran grower Richard Cleave while nearby Osprey Ridge is owned by Robert Goltz who, with son Nathan, has managed the Sandhill Vineyard. King Family is a Naramata Bench vineyard operated by Don and Rod King.

Sandhill’s reserve tier wines are released as Small Lots and include, among other offerings, the only varietals of Sangiovese and Barbera currently available from an Okanagan winery. By definition, Small Lot wines are produced in qualities ranging, generally, between 100 cases and 600 cases.

The wines sell quickly but some are held back for later release. Recently, several older vintages of Small Lots wines were released at the Wineshop (in the Calona winery in downtown Kelowna). These are worth looking for; Sandhill reds benefit from a few years in the bottle before being opened.

Here are notes, either from a recent tasting with Howard or of Sandhill samples that came my way.

Sandhill 2008 Sauvignon Blanc /Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($18).
Crisp and tangy with refreshing citrus and gooseberry aromas and flavours. 1,300 cases were released. 88

Sandhill 2008 Pinot Gris /King Family Vineyard ($18). Crisp and clean, with pear and citrus flavours and a lingering finish. 6,300 cases were released. 88

Sandhill 2008 Viognier Small Lots /Osprey Ridge Vineyard ($24.99). A stunning wine with a peachy, tropical aroma, flavours of peach and apricot, a rich texture and yet so exquisitely balanced and refreshing. 514 cases were released. 92

Sandhill 2008 Chardonnay Small Lots /Sandhill Estate Block B11 ($29.99). Elegant and focussed, this 132-case release was fermented in new French oak which is very nicely integrated with the fruit. The wine has notes of apple, pineapple, citrus with a hint of richness from the oak. The finish is crisp (Howard does not do malolactic fermentation). 93

Sandhill 2008 Rosé/Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($18). The winery released only 372 cases of this seriously dry rosé. With an attractive pink hue, the wine has fruity aromas and flavours of strawberry and pomegranate. The wine is made with Gamay and Cabernet Franc grapes. 86

Sandhill 2006 Malbec Small Lots /Phantom Creek Vineyard ($29.99 – but the 107 cases are sold out). Here is a big satisfying wine to take on the Argentines. It begins with an appealing floral aroma; it delivers flavours of cherry, blueberry and blackberry. The long ripe tannins give it a full texture. 89

Sandhill 2006 Petit Verdot Small Lots /Phantom Creek Vineyard ($29.99). This Bordeaux varietal is seldom released on its own but usually is reserved for making elegant blends. This lovely wine is a bit of the blend as well: 87% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec. This is a firm, age-worthy red with spicy aromas and flavours of plums and black currants. 223 cases were released. 90

Sandhill one 2006 Small Lots / Phantom Creek Vineyard ($34.99). This superb wine is 86% Cabernet Sauvignon (three clones) and 7% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot. Deep and rich, the wine begins with aromas of berries and vanilla. The fruit is concentrated, with a lovely core of sweet fruit and hints of cherry and mocha. The finish is very long. 356 cases were released. 92-94

Sandhill two 2006 Small Lots /Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($34.99). This equally superb 428-case release is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 5% Syrah. Dark in colour, the wine invites with aromas of black currants, plums, mocha and delivers flavours of mocha, currants and figs, with a core of sweet berries. Generous in texture, the wine has a long finish. 92-94

Sandhill 2007 Syrah Small Lots /Phantom Creek Vineyard ($34.99). This is a great Syrah, period. It is almost aromatic with an array of aromas from pepper and delicatessen meats to iodine. On the palate, the long ripe tannins support layers of red fruit with complex notes of pepper and minerals. 92

Sandhill 2006 Sangiovese Small Lots /Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($29.99). This 644-case releases remains, so far, the Okanagan’s only Sangiovese. It is almost a classic Chianti, with aromas of violets, flavours of cherries and a backbone of dry tannins. 88

Sandhill 2006 Barbera Small Lots /Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($29.99). This deliciously rustic red is also the Okanagan’s only Barbera. Blood red in hue, it has a brambly aroma with hints of tobacco and oak. The flavours deliver a medley of bright fruit – cherry, rose hip, blackberry – against ripe earthy tannins. In the glass, the wine keeps delivering surprises as it opens up. 90

There are additional Sandhill wines, all worth looking for based on previous vintages. In particular, Sandhill three 2006 Small Lots ($34.99) is an excellent Okanagan answer to super-Tuscan wines. This is a blend of 53% Sangiovese, 18.6% Barbera, 15% Merlot, 13.4% Cabernet Sauvignon and it is a very complex wine.

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards at fifteen years

Photo: Robert Shaunessy (l), Sandra Oldfield, Kenn Oldfield (r)










This is Tinhorn Creek Vineyards fifteenth anniversary. In several ways it has been a momentous anniversary.

To begin with, this year’s releases from the winery – the whites in the spring and the reds this fall – have been among the best ever from Tinhorn Creek.

The releases also included the first new varietal from the winery since its launch: a fine Syrah has joined its portfolio.

As well, the winery committed itself this summer to becoming one of Canada’s first (possibly the first) winery to be carbon neutral. That involves capping the carbon emissions from winery operations and then beginning to reduce its production of greenhouse gases.

The first steps down that road are such common sense measures as replacing overhead sprinklers with drip irrigation; that reduces the winery’s energy consumption, to say nothing of conserving water resources. In addition, the vineyard tractors have been switched to using biodiesel fuel.

There is a delicious irony that Tinhorn Creek, of all wineries, should be leading the pack toward carbon neutral. The winery’s major owner, Robert Shaunessy, is an Alberta oil executive. He is obviously one oilman who is on side with the struggle to contain global warming.

In the immediate term, what matters to consumers is that of Tinhorn Creek’s wines are strong – and reasonably priced. Even the reserve wines, called Oldfield Series, are much less aggressively priced that most reserve wines from the Okanagan.

Oldfield refers to winemaker Sandra Oldfield and husband Kenn, whose focus is on the vineyards.

Currently, the most expensive table wine in the portfolio is the debut Syrah, the Oldfield Series Syrah 2006 ($35). Only 340 cases were released in October. This wine is a blend of Syrah grown at Tinhorn Creek’s Diamondback Vineyard on Black Sage Road; and Syrah grown across the valley at the winery. The wine spent 18 months in French oak barrels and another year in bottle before being released. This is a dark-hued and full-bodied red, as one would expect, a powerhouse with concentrated fruit. The complex flavours of this generous wine include plums, black cherry, liquorice and pepper. The finish lingers. 90

Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Series Merlot 2006 ($28), with 1,551 cases released, has been tweaked for this vintage with the addition of 6% Cabernet Franc and 1% Syrah. The wine also spent 18 months in barrel (French and American) and one year in bottle before release. It is ready to drink now but can also be cellared at least five more years.

This is a rich and well-balanced wine with spicy berry aromas and with flavours of blackberry, cherry and plum. I saved half a bottle for next day and found that the core of sweet fruit flavours had become even more generous and appealing. 90-92.

Tinhorn Creek Merlot 2007 ($19) should be widely available because the winery released 10,442 cases. For obscure reasons, I found myself tasting and re-tasting this wine over five days and I swear that it was better on each succeeding day. It is a sturdy red, tasting of black currants, cherries, vanilla and dark chocolate. The tannins were a touch bitter on the first day but they softened right out, as one would expect. Do yourself and the wine a favour by decanting it. My score started at 87 on the first day and climbed to 90 by the fifth.

Tinhorn Creek Cabernet Franc 2007 ($18). On first impression, this is a rustic, earthy and spicy example of Cabernet Franc, with concentrated fruit and flavours of plums and currants – and the expected zesty lift of this varietal. This is another one to decant and let the fruit emerge. My point score improved over three days of tasting to settle at 88. The winery released 6,444 cases.

Tinhorn Creek Pinot Noir 2007 ($19). If my tasting memory is accurate, this is Tinhorn Creek’s best Pinot Noirs, more full-bodied that some of that rather light examples in previous vintages. The aromas are somewhat jammy but also a touch herbal. On the palate, it is a veritable berry cup of strawberries, raspberries and plums. The winery released 3,650 cases. 87

This fall’s release also include the winery’s Kerner Late Harvest 2008 ($13 for a half bottle). That sample has been set aside for a sweet wine tasting. Previous examples have been appealing, as is this price.

[yellow tail] releases two-nation Sauvignon Blanc

With the latest release here of a new [yellow tail] ® wine, Casella Wines of Australia shows how to handle the labelling of wines with juice from different countries.

The way? Openly. Perhaps this is a lesson for how our big wineries should resolve the Cellared in Canada controversy.

The new [yellow tail] Sauvignon Blanc, a non vintage wine just listed here at $12.99 a bottle, is made with 86 per cent South Australian and 14% New Zealand juice. It says so right on the back label.

It is a pretty successful blend. The comparatively ripe Sauvignon Blanc from Australia likely accounts for the wine’s lush tropical fruit flavours. The New Zealand portion adds the zing (acidity and crispness) to the aroma and the fresh flavours. The wine might use a hair more concentration but that is really a picky point. Like all [yellow tail] wines, this is easy to drink on its own or with food. At $12.99, it is quite good value. I scored it 87 points.

In a press release, winery owner John Casella said that the company could have released a [yellow tail] Sauvignon Blanc years ago but “we were never really happy with the quality” until they hit on the idea of a two-country blend.

Sadly, the release of the wine coincided with the news that John’s father and the winery founder, Filippo, had died at 88. A third-generation grape grower and winemaker from Sicily, he immigrated to Australia in 1957 and established a vineyard two years later. He started the Casella winery in 1964. It sold its wine in bulk for many years.

John took over the business in 1994. Filippo and his wife continued to live on the property even after a huge tank farm grew up around their home with the enormous success of [yellow tail]. The label was launched in 2001 when John Soutter, the company’s former exporter director, bought the label from a label broker in a deal made on the fly in Sydney airport.

Since then, [yellow tail] has taken many markets by storm. In some markets, [yellow tail] has dominated the Australian category almost to the exclusion of other brands.

Why does the brand succeed? Taste this Sauvignon Blanc. The wines deliver good quality for the price point and do it consistently.

Painted Rock makes a strong debut

It did not take long for Painted Rock Estate Winery to create a buzz after owner John Skinner began selling its first wines in September, a mere month after he retired from his previous career as an investment dealer.

By early October, a number of top Vancouver and Whistler restaurants either had Painted Rock on their wine lists or were about to add them. That always works as a placement strategy for a new winery with a super-premium focus because patrons of high-end restaurants also have wine cellars at home and can afford aggressively-priced wines.

Whatever those consumers are buying for their cellars, there’s a good chance they’ll make room for some Painted Rock after tasting the wines. These are right up there with the other trophy wines from British Columbia.

“I don’t come to this with a pedigree,” John says of the wine business. “I come to it with a passion.”

The son of a Canadian Forces fighter pilot, he was born in 1958 on a Manitoba military base. “I moved 20 times by the time I was 20,” he says. He was working his way through college with a job in a lumber mill when he noted that a friend who had become a stock broker was much more prosperous. So he quit university, becoming a broker as well.

During his years as a broker, he developed a taste for wine that became a desire to have a winery. He had started looking at French vineyards when, about 2001, he noted the dramatic improvement in Okanagan wines and began looking closer to home. He thinks he made 25 to 30 trips to the Okanagan, looking for vineyard sites and sometimes looking at wineries for sale.

The available wineries, he concluded, “all had hair on them.” He decided to start from scratch. “I just didn’t want to fix something.”

He found his vineyard site in 2004. It is on a bench on the east side of Skaha Lake south of Penticton, backing up against the famed climbing bluffs. Once an apricot farm, it had been fallow for 17 years. He planted in 2005 and 2006 and now has roughly 25 acres under vine, all of it Bordeaux reds or Syrah except for a block of Chardonnay. On the advice of consultants, he has planted multiple clones of every variety, giving his winemaker good blending options.

The first vintage, 2007, was made at the Poplar Grove winery by a team that included Poplar Grove proprietor Ian Sutherland and his assistant winemaker at the time, Gavin Miller; and Frank Gigliotti, the owner of Vancouver’s California Cult Classics.

In 2008, when the wines were made at Stag’s Hollow, Gavin Miller became Painted Rock’s winemaker. He is making the 2009 vintage at Painted Rock’s recently completed winery.

Painted Rock also retained French consultant Alain Sutre (who works with Osoyoos Larose and Burrowing Owl in the Okanagan, along with clients elsewhere in the world). Alain, who comes about five times a year, has brought a lot of sage advice regarding the vineyard and the winery equipment. Most important, Alain had a major role in blending Red Icon, Painted Rock’s flagship wine.

John hasn’t cut any corners here. The winery equipment is state of the art. The barrels are all new French oak. The labels were designed by one of the leading designers in Napa. The winery’s name, by the way, is inspired by pictographs on the property.

The winery’s initial release is about 750 cases each of Red Icon and Merlot, 800 cases of Syrah, 320 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and (from 2008) 175 cases of Chardonnay. John’s target for full production is about 5,000 cases a year.

These are the debut wines.

Painted Rock 2007 Red Icon ($55). Alain Sutre started to build this blend on a base of Petit Verdot. The final blend is 33% Cabernet Franc, 20% Petit Verdot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 15% Malbec. This is a radical blend among Okanagan Meritage wines, most of which are built on Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. However, thinking out of the box produced a delicious wine. It begins with spectacularly lifted aromas of black currants, plums, blackberry, vanilla, mocha. All of these elements follow through to the taste. The long, ripe tannins contribute to the wine’s elegance and power and ageability. 92-94.

Painted Rock 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon ($40). Svelte and polished in texture, this wine has aromas of spicy berries and red liquorice. On the palate, there are flavours of black currants, black cherries, and chocolate. The ripe tannins give the wine a good backbone for aging. 90.

Painted Rock 2007 Merlot ($40). Dark in hue, this wine begins with appealing aromas of red fruit, leading to flavours of plums, black cherries and mocha. The oak is fairly bold, with notes of vanilla on the nose and palate, and the structure of the wine is firm. This will cellar well. 88-90.

Painted Rock 2007 Syrah ($40). Also dark in hue, this wine announces itself with aromas of sweet fruit and pepper. Full-bodied, it has earthy flavours of plums and cherries, with both pepper and classic gamy notes. 89-91

Painted Rock 2008 Chardonnay ($30). This is an elegant premium Chardonnay aged in new French oak (like all of Painted Rock’s wines). The toasty and vanilla notes are very subtle, with the fruit – crisp, bright citrus flavours – being showcased. The bright acidity guarantees the wine will develop very nicely over several more years. 90-92

How about tasting nothing but Chardonnay?

There is only one thing to say to the misguided self-declared consumer of “anything but Chardonnay” – that leaves more for those who know better.

The aversion to Chardonnay goes back a decade or so when there were too many over-oaked Chardonnays on the market, especially from Australia. In recent years some producers have gone to the other extreme by offering unoaked Chardonnays.

That often reduces a great white wine to a cocktail party beverage, although there are exceptions. The great Chardonnays are almost always made and/or aged in barrels, but not excessively. And many British Columbia wineries are now dialling in such great Chardonnays.

A great Chardonnay is a wine where the aromas and flavours of the fruit are paramount; but the potential complexity of the variety is enhanced by fermentation techniques (a touch of wild ferment, sometimes) and by subtle use of oak. Barrel-fermented Chardonnay integrates the oak much better than a wine that is merely barrel-aged. There may be a touch of malolactic fermentation which, in addition to softening the acidity, imparts richness to the flavour that recalls butter. By letting only a portion of the wine in the blend to go through ML, some winemakers preserve acidity that gives the wine a bright, crisp finish. The structure of the wine enables great Chardonnay to age in the bottle at least five years.

In short, there are many steps involved in growing and making great Chardonnay. This is the reason why the wines are unlikely to be cheap (but bargains can be found).

I have gone through my tasting notes for this season to highlight some examples. Since I have not tasted every Chardonnay, there will be some omissions. Please add your discoveries in the comment section at the bottom of this blog.

Here are my notes.

Arrowleaf 2008 Solstice Chardonnay ($23). By fermenting a third in barrel, the rest in tank, the winery produced what it calls, quite rightly, a “bright, nervy, cool climate Chardonnay.” It begins with attractive aromas of apples and citrus fruits, continuing to flavours of citrus with a touch of buttery richness, yet with a crisp finish. 90

Blue Mountain 2007 Chardonnay ($21). The style here is restraint and elegance. The wine has a core of sweet fruit subtly framed by very restrained oak. The finish is crisp and dry. 88

Blue Mountain 2006 Chardonnay Reserve ($26). A wine of finesse, like a white Burgundy, with the structure to age and bring out more richness on top of the citrus and apple notes. 90

Burrowing Owl 2007 Chardonnay ($25). The wine begins with a toasty aroma that it picked up from the barrels in which it was fermented. The wine has good weight on the palate, with citrus flavours and with a long finish. The wine is sealed with a synthetic stopper. Because this is a problematic closure for aging, you should enjoy this elegant wine within the next nine months. 88

CedarCreek 2007 Platinum Reserve Chardonnay ($30) The wine begins with biscuity, toasty and apple notes in the aroma, leading to flavours of apple and citrus with a delicate hint of hazelnuts and butter. Elegant wine with a long finish. 90-91

Cerelia Vineyards & Estate Winery Chardonnay MMVIII ($18.90). An unoaked Chardonnay, this wine is crisply refreshing with notes of citrus. 88

Gray Monk 2008 Unwooded Chardonnay ($17). A pretty wine, with clean fruit flavours. The finish is refreshing. A wine by the glass Chardonnay. 88

Foxtrot Vineyards Chardonnay 2008 ($49). This is the first Chardonnay from a tiny Naramata Pinot Noir specialist with a cult following – and the wine is a great success, beginning with a medley of tropical fruit aromas and flavours subtly framed by oak. The bright acidity makes the wine zesty and refreshing but also gives it the potential to age well. The flavours linger so long on the palate that the finish lasts for minutes. 95

JoieFarm 2007 Reserve Chardonnay ($30). Although the wine was just released in September, it was entered this spring in the Lieutenant Governor’s competition and won an award of excellence. If it was good in June, it has developed gloriously over summer. It begins with rich, honeyed aromas of tangerine. On the palate, there are flavours of honey, citrus fruits, a hint of butter, with a backbone of minerals and bright acidity. The finish of this elegant wine goes on and on. 93-94

JoieFarm 2008 Unoaked Chardonnay ($20.40) is modeled on the unoaked Chardonnays of Macon in Burgundy. This elegant wine is pristinely fresh in its aromas and flavours, hinting of newly sliced apples and freshly baked bread, perhaps reflecting nuanced lees treatment. The wine has good weight, with a tangy acidity to give it a crisp finish. 90

Kettle Valley 2005 Adra Station Reserve Chardonnay ($30). Partially barrel-fermented in French oak, this wine was held back to mature into a richly-textured Chardonnay. The flavours suggest baked apples and apricots with a hint of spice on the finish. 88-89

Kettle Valley 2008 Chardonnay ($22). This winery has changed the style of its white wines in recent vintages so that wines are fresher, lively, less alcoholic. This wine is fresh and juicy, with flavours and aromas of apricots, peaches and citrus. 88

La Frenz 2008 Chardonnay ($20 – and sold out). Winemaker Jeff Martin describes his style of Chardonnay as “peaches and cream.” That is spot on for this lush, tropical fruit version of Chardonnay, with a finish that is crisp and refreshing. 90

Lake Breeze 2008 Seven Poplars Chardonnay ($24.90). Totally barrel-fermented, with subtle oak notes well integrated with the wine’s buttery tangerine flavours. The finish is long. 89

Laughing Stock Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay ($26). Here is a barrel-fermented Chardonnay partly done in the larger puncheons which subdue oak flavours. This wine, tasting of pineapples and lemon zest, has bright acidity and a steely backbone of minerals. This wine will age well. 89

Le Vieux Pin 2008 Chardonnay ($35). The wine is made from the Chardonnay Musqué clone, noted for its spice and intense fruitiness. To preserve that unique flavour profile, half the wine was fermented in tank, the rest in barrel, and the entire lot was barrel-aged. The wine is crisp, with a backbone of steely minerals. It tastes of baked apples and citrus. 90

Meyer Family Vineyards Micro Cuvée Chardonnay 2007 ($65)- of which only 141 cases have been released - resulted from tasting and selecting the six best barrels of Chardonnay in the cellar that vintage. This wine is the match of a fine Burgundy, with intense flavours of citrus framed by toasty oak. The wine is finished with commendably bright acidity, giving it a crisp, fresh finish as well as the ability to age. The winery says three to five years. 94

Meyer Family Vineyards Tribute Series Chardonnay 2007 ($30) represents the remaining 399 cases of this vintage. It shares the flavours, aromas and crispness of its big brother, with a texture that seems a bit leaner. Again, the acidity, which is not at all overdone, lifts the fresh fruit flavours and gives the wine ability to develop in the bottle. 90

Mission Hill Five Vineyards Chardonnay 2007 ($13.99) is a very nice Chardonnay at this price. The wine is fruit-forward because it was cold-fermented in stainless steel and spent only seven months in American oak barrels. The result is a refreshing wine with citrus flavours and very subtle oak, with a crisp, clean finish and an appealing lightness in weight. 88

Mission Hill 2007 Perpetua Chardonnay ($35). The winemaker stayed away from malolactic fermentation in order to keep the fruit flavours fresh and lively. This wine begins with clean, delicate aromas of citrus, pineapple and tropical fruit, carrying through to the palate with citrus flavours and with a fine mineral structure. Extended lees aging added to the fullness of the wine on the palate. This elegant wine is drinking well now but has the potential to development further complexity and richness over the next two or three years. 92-94

Nk’Mip 2007 Chardonnay($17). Here is one of those good values. The wine presents a medley of buttery, toasty, tangerine flavours and aromas with an astonishingly long finish. 89

Nk'Mip QQ Chardonnay 2007 ($24.99). This is a variety that benefits from complex winemaking techniques - fermenting and aging in barrels, using some wild yeasts, adding a buttery or honeyed profile to the acidity with malolactic fermentation. All of these tricks and others are employed here. The wine begins with aromas that are toasty, showing notes of bacon fat and oak. On the palate, the wine is rich in texture, with flavours of tangerine and orange rind. The finish lingers. 90-91

Orofino Vineyards Chardonnay 2008 ($24.90). This wine was 30% barrel-fermented in new oak, 70% in stainless steel, achieving a complex balance between the fruit and the subtle oak. The wine has a lovely core of tropical fruit flavours with a long finish of spice and citrus and with bright acidity. 90-91

Painted Rock 2008 Chardonnay ($30) From a new Okanagan winery comes this elegant premium Chardonnay aged in new French oak The toasty and vanilla notes are very subtle, with the fruit – crisp, bright citrus flavours – being showcased. The bright acidity guarantees the wine will develop very nicely over several more years. 90-92

Quails’ Gate Stewart Family Reserve 2007 Chardonnay ($30). The wine begins with appealing aromas of citrus framed by the delicate toastiness that comes from barrel fermentation in good French oak. It is a surprise that the wine completed full malolactic fermentation because it still presents lively, tangy acidity, giving the wine a refreshingly crisp finish. On the palate, the wine is rich, with abundant flavours of lemon and lime and subtle spice, likely from the barrels. This Chardonnay will develop additional character with a year or two of cellaring if you can keep your hands off it. 90-92.

Quails’ Gate Chardonnay 2007 ($18.99). Two-thirds of the blend was fermented in barrel (20% new French oak as well as American oak) and that comes through on the palate with buttery and honeyed marmalade flavours. The one third that was tank fermented adds the fresh and crisp citrus notes. The texture is rich and the finish is lingering. 88

Red Rooster 2007 Reserve Chardonnay ($22). This wine was barrel-fermented and aged in American oak for five months. The oak combines with the wine to bring a sweet note to the aroma and a note of corn amid the bright citrus flavours. This is a different take on the variety but it succeeds. 88

Road 13 2007 Jackpot Chardonnay ($35). The aromas begin with subtle mingling of oak and fruit. On the palate, this is a richly flavoured wine – tangerine, vanilla, butter – with good weight and with a lingering finish of fruit flavours and cloves. 91

Robin Ridge Winery Chardonnay 2007 ($18.90). From a winery that opened just last year, this is a full-bodied Chardonnay with buttery flavours of citrus and pineapple. 88

Sandhill 2008 Chardonnay Block 11 ($30). Only 132 cases were made of this Small Lots wine. The fruit flavours are pure and focussed, with notes of apple, pineapple, citrus and minerals with a rich texture. 93

Seven Stones Winery Chardonnay 2008 ($24.99). This winery, which opened in 2007, still sells half of its grapes to Okanagan wineries. They are lucky: George Hanson is a superb grower and it shows in the quality of Seven Stones wines. This wine is a complex Macon-style Chardonnay, with tangy flavours of citrus and tropical fruits. The Macon echo comes from the earthy minerality of the wine. This wine deserves to aged a few years. 90

Therapy 2008 Chardonnay ($25). This is a delicious wine with citrus flavours and a tangy finish but also with richness and a note of butterscotch produced during fermentation and barrel-aging. 88

Tinhorn Creek Chardonnay 2008 ($18). The style is fruit forward. Only 20 percent of the wine was aged in new French oak, and just for two months. The finished blend has a touch of oak in the aroma and taste. The wine tastes of citrus, with a good core of minerals. 88

Township 7 2007 Chardonnay ($20). Barrel-fermented in French and American oak, this wine shows flavours of citrus and peaches with the light nutty/buttery note that malolactic fermentation brings. 88

Laughing Stock Portfolio 2007 - no rebate needed

In an inspired piece of marketing last February, Laughing Stock Vineyards owners David and Cynthia Enns pegged the price (in part) of the winery’s flagship Portfolio blend to the stock market index when offering the wine for future delivery.

The Toronto index then stood about 9000. It had been as low as 7,600 in the earlier market crash and there was no assurance of recovery in the near term.

So David and Cynthia offered a deal. The futures price of Portfolio was $35 a bottle – but if the market tanked again by the time the actual wine was released in September, there would be a further discount. Buyers could get rebates that would take the price of the bottle as low as $28 in what the winery called “recession-proof pricing.”

Well, you know what happened to the market. The index currently is around 10,500. There are no rebates going out to those who paid for their orders in February.

Portfolio 2007 has now been released with a retail price of $40. Those who took a chance in February at $35 are not complaining, since they already got the wine at a reasonable discount. In any event, their mutual fund statements are so much healthier these days that they can think about buying wine again.

Whether you bought futures or are paying full price, you are getting a wine worth every penny being asked for it.

Many of those ordering futures had taken the option of directing rebate cheques, if any, to charity. Even though there are no rebate cheques, David and Cynthia, on their own initiative, have sent the amount that would have been rebated – had the market tanked – to the capital campaign for the Naramata Centre.

It seems to me that everyone has come out a winner.

The vintage in 2007 turned out to be quite good in the Okanagan even after a rainy three weeks in September (very unusual) caused much concern. But when the sun came out again, the weather stayed fine to the end of October. The Bordeaux varieties had lots of time to ripen and develop great flavour.

Laughing Stock produced 2,750 cases of Portfolio 2007. The wine is a blend of 56% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. You might ask why bother with just one per cent of Petit Verdot. The answer is that the variety adds an important hint of spice to the aroma and flavour. Any winery making a Bordeaux blend will use all five varieties if they are available.

This wine spent 19 months in French oak barrels, 60% one year old, 40% new, a mix that prevents the oak flavours from overwhelming the wine.

This is a bold wine. It is drinking well now but it has the structure to develop well for the next seven to 10 years.

The wine begins with aromas of plum, chocolate and mint. The fruit flavours are vibrant, showing currants and cherries set against complex tones of chocolate and tobacco, with long ripe tannins that lend richness to the weight. This wine delivers its power with elegance. 90