Caroline Schaller joined the Osoyoos Larose winery in July 2017 as the Executive Manager and Winemaker. Osoyoos Larose is well known for it’s iconic Le Grand Vin Bordeaux red wine. Here is an excerpt from John Schreiner’s recent book: Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries.
Osoyoos Larose turned the Bordeaux formula on its head with Le Grand Vin, launching it in the 2001 vintage as the premier wine from the estate, not as the second label. It was a surprise because one of the two partners behind Osoyoos Larose (and now the sole owner) was Groupe Taillan of Bordeaux.
John Schreiner
Vineyard
The vineyard was planted in 1999, a partnership between a Canadian Company Vincor and Taillan. Today the sole owner is Taillan which operates several Chateaux in Bordeaux, including Château Gruaud-Larose, a distinguished second-growth winery in Saint-Julien, created in 1725.
The vineyard is located on an arid, west-facing, 80-acre bench overlooking Lake Osoyoos in the South Okanagan. It is planted with the 5 traditional Bordeaux grapes varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
The Winemaker
Caroline enjoys drinking wine and food pairing. It’s always a pleasure for her to discover new recipes and share them with friends and family. Here is a summary of her wine industry experience.
- 2017: Executive Manager & Winemaker – Osoyoos Larose
- 2004-2017: Executive Manager & Winemaker – Domaine d En Segur, Tarn France
- 2009-2017: Wine Tasting Teacher– Prodegustation, France
- 2003: Assistant Winemaker – Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon, France. Assistant Winemaker Vina Leyda, Chile
- 2002: Winemaker – Groupe Plaimont Madiran, France
- 2000-2001: Cellar Worker/ Lab Worker – Pine Ridge Winery, Napa USA ( Just as a side note Pine Ridge Winery makes one of the best value Chenin Blanc wines, sold through Costco in the USA)
2017/18 Vintages
Caroline provided these comments on her first Okanagan vintage.
“I arrived from France, end of July and discovered a beautiful vineyard with a wonderful view, and then the smoke. I was nervous about it because I saw some crazy things in Chile with burned eucalyptus close to the vineyard. Fortunately, there was no damage from the fire or smoke.
Vineyard managing and winemaking are very challenging here in the Okanagan, the temperatures are very high. In Osoyoos we are in a desert, I couldn’t believe that, but we are surrounded by sage and sand. The conditions are very good for red wine.
Fall was sunny with lower temperature, so perfect for tannins. We started to pick our Merlot at the end of September. We wait for each variety to reach the best maturity. An amazing thing here is also the difference of temperature between night and day, which preserves the aromas. 2017 ended with the Petit Verdot, and the snow, it was the first time I finished harvest in the snow! Now all the wine are in barrels, waiting!
For 2018, I discovered pruning with the snow. Sometimes you do not even see the vine under it! Spring is hard for us because the vines grow so fast, we had a lot of water which is good for the plants, but then summer with very high temperature. Vine loves that, so do we!”
Osoyoos Larose Wines
Osoyoos Larose ‘LE GRAND VIN’ 2014
Merlot 68%, Cabernet Franc 11%, Cabernet Sauvignon 8%, Petit Verdot 8%, Malbec 5%.
The grapes were hand sorted, destemmed and crushed at the winery. Fermentation occurs in custom-made cone-shaped tanks. Each lot is tasted every day to adapt the skin contact time to the vintage and wine feature.
Short pump overs regularly each day to extract only fine tannins which give elegance and structure to the “Grand Vin”. The skin contact lasts around 25 days until the wine reaches a “Grand Crus” concentration and complexity level.
The wine shows great concentration, bold and robust with very expressive fruit, great range and elegance. The nose shows lively and intense black fruits, with hints of caramel and spices. Soft and silky up front, it has ample length and definition on the finish.
Osoyoos Larose Pétales d’Osoyoos 2016
Merlot: 81%, Cabernet Sauvignon: 10%, Cabernet Franc: 7%, Petit Verdot: 1%, Malbec: 1% . Pétales 2016 is a very fruit-forward Merlot dominant Bordeaux blend that hits above the price point. Cherry aromas with a touch of vanilla and toasty oak. The palate is well balanced with flavours of red berries, cassis, vanilla, smooth tannins and a long finish. 92 Points.
Best to enjoy Pétales d’Osoyoos within three years of its release.
Enjoy this wine with grilled meats and the company of many friends!
For the complete portfolio of Osoyoos Larose wines please visit their website.
La Maison Osoyoos Larose B&B
This summer Summer Osoyoos Larose will welcome their first customers at La Maison Osoyoos Larose B&B. Wake up surrounded by lakes, mountains and vineyards, this is a pleasure when you book the “Sémillon” room.
From the comfort of your room, you can admire the blossoming apple trees in the orchard surrounding the B&B which make the Okanagan so special. For more info, email bnb@osoyooslarose.com.
Future Plans
“We are working hard to build a new winery and a tasting room. We have such a beautiful vineyard and view, so we will enjoy to share it with wine lovers. Harvest is the best time of the year for the winemaker, its hard, but here with the unbelievable weather conditions you can only enjoy working every day with such beautiful fruit, and you know that good wine comes from good fruit!”
Caroline Schaller
Source: The Osoyoos Larose Winery provided the Winery and Vineyard information and tasting notes for Osoyoos Larose ‘LE GRAND VIN’ 2014.
Note: Original Article was updated June 2020 to include B&B information.