Congratulations to Will and Bryan Hardman of Deep Roots Winery for winning the Trophy for the Best Red Wine of the Year with their Syrah 2014 at the 35th edition of the All Canadian Wine Championships! The ACWC2016 set another record with 1356 entries from 237 wineries, meaderies and cideries which were reviewed by a panel of 19 accomplished judges over three full days in Prince Edward County, Ontario. There was a total of 807 entries from British Columbia which won 313 awards far outdistancing their provincial rival Ontario with 127 awards.
Deep Roots Winery is located on the high bluffs above the picturesque village of Naramata. It is owned and operated by the Hardman family. Will Hardman, the fourth generation to live on this property, is the winemaker. His father, Bryan, grows and maintains the 21 acres of vineyards. The family has continuously farmed at this location for over 95 years – thus the Deep Roots name. They are very proud of their heritage and the wines we produce. The winery was launched only in 2014 with just over 1,000 cases of wine, most of which were sold from the wine shop. The winery has the capacity to produce between 3,000 and 5,000 cases of BC Wine.
The ACWC2016 award-winning wines
Deep Roots Winery Syrah 2014 (Double Gold) Bryan provided the following notes. “The Syrah grows in a very special area. It is on the high bluffs above the lake 2 km north of Naramata. The rocky mountainside comes right down to the planting backing the east side with rocks that absorbs the heat all day and giving back all night. I believe this extra heat allows our Syrah to get a head start in the cooler fall mornings allowing us to grow a super-quality Syrah this far North. We also get what I call lake effect reflected energy from the mirror properties of the lake. In the fall when the Sun is South and low we get a lot of extra heat from the reflection.”
Deep Roots Winery Syrah 2014 (Double Gold) Bryan provided the following notes. “The Syrah grows in a very special area. It is on the high bluffs above the lake 2 km north of Naramata. The rocky mountainside comes right down to the planting backing the east side with rocks that absorbs the heat all day and giving back all night. I believe this extra heat allows our Syrah to get a head start in the cooler fall mornings allowing us to grow a super-quality Syrah this far North. We also get what I call lake effect reflected energy from the mirror properties of the lake. In the fall when the Sun is South and low we get a lot of extra heat from the reflection.”
Now for the wine: Blueberry pie, shortbread, bacon and lots of black pepper on the nose along with plum, paprika and black cherry. The palate is dry, full-bodied with smoky meaty notes, toasty oak, blackberry, blueberry and more black pepper and a savoury dried herb complexity with firm tannins and a long spicy finish.
Deep Roots Winery Unoaked Chardonnay 2015 (Double Gold) A ripe, fruit-driven Chardonnay with intense cantaloupe melon, mango, papaya, peach, pineapple and floral blossom notes. The palate is rich and full-bodied with very ripe stone and tropical fruit and a lush, round texture built on fruit rather than oak.
Deep Roots Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (Gold) Aromas of apple, pear, green garden vegetables and blackcurrant leaf on the nose. The palate is off-dry with crisp acidity and a combination of tropical banana, ripe peach, golden apple, pear and some fresh herbal cilantro and parsley notes in the background with good length.
Deep Roots Winery Pinot Gris 2015 (Gold) Aromas of Asian pear, honeydew melon, ripe golden apple, light floral notes and lemon. The palate is off-dry, soft and quite full with poached pear, mandarin orange, honey and a hint of clove spice with some tropical pineapple notes on the finish.
Deep Roots Winery Parentage White 2015 (Gold) This Muscat blend has an intense nose with lots of floral aromatics, mixed fruit salad, pears in syrup, baked apple and honey. The palate is medium sweet, full-bodied with lots of ripe fruit. There are more floral rose petal and blossom flavours, pear, fresh green grapes, mango and dried apple. A soft, full and sweet wine with a long finish.
Deep Roots Winery Gamay 2015 (Gold) A complex nose showing blueberry, violet, cherry, cinnamon, raspberry and a slight savoury meatiness. The palate is dry, light and juicy, spicy and peppery with crisp acidity and flavours of orange zest, red berry fruit and a hint of black olive and dried herbs with a long finish and good flavour concentration.
If you are in the Naramata area you must stop by Deep Roots Winery and try these award-winning wines before they are sold out.
For a later article on the BC Wine vintages released in the fall of 2016 please visit this post.
Sources: Tasting notes are from the Deep Roots Winery website.