Larry Gerelus and Linda Pruegger established the Stag’s Hollow Winery in 1995. Starting with Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and not so mainstream Vidal, a decade later they introduced grape varietals to the Okanagan, typically seen in Spain, Piedmont and Trentino Italy. These vines now produce outstanding Stag’s Hollow wines. The winery now has an extensive BC Wine portfolio of over two dozen wines.
The Stag’s Hollow Winery won eight medals at the 2018 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada.
The Vineyards
The Stag’s Hollow Estate Vineyard
The Stag’s Hollow estate vineyard has a very unique and interesting geological history. Kettle holes are fluvioglacial landforms occurring as a result of blocks of ice calving from the front of a receding glacier and becoming buried by glacial outwash. The Hollow remains after the ice age retreats. The gravel left behind is ideal for growing grapes and creating wines with intensity. The over 20-year-old Merlot and Pinot Noir blocks are on the southwest facing slopes. These two blocks accumulate significant solar radiation that allows for consistent ripening even in difficult vintages.
Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard
This property is steeped in the history of Okanagan Falls. This site was farmed as a hay field for 30 years and home to cattle. Shuttleworth Creek runs along the east edge and cuts through the north side of the vineyard.
Located just 2 km north of the Stag’s Hollow’s home site, the land was selected for Pinot Noir. The heat units, soil geology and air drainage deliver the quality for which Okanagan Falls wineries are known.
Two well known Spanish varieties were planted – Albariño and Tempranillo. Also, two not so well known Italian varieties – Dolcetto (some wine writers describe as the Italian version of Beaujolais) and Teroldego. In each case, the varieties were selected as best suited to the site’s microclimate.
The Winemaker
Keira Le Franc grew up in the Okanagan and got her start in Stag’s Hollow tasting room as her summer job in 2012. Showing an interest in the cellar side of things, after completing a science degree in 2013, she jumped at the opportunity to join the vintage team on the crush pad in 2013.
Keira spent 2 years training and working as a Sommelier in Australia but missed getting her hands dirty in the cellar! She completed a Postgraduate Diploma of Wine Science in New Zealand. She is now back permanently, working hard in the cellar to help create Stag’s Hollow exceptional wines.
2018 Vintage Synopsis
“2018 started off cool and wet in the early Spring. The huge snowpack and some timely downpours in the Spring resulted in flooding at our Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard. Shuttleworth Creek breached its dyke at our vineyard and resulted in flooding in both Okanagan Falls and the north end of our vineyard. An emergency response ensued with major equipment required to rebuild the dyke.
Although bud break was a bit late, a hot May quickly resulted in an earlier than normal bloom date which is the basis for my early prognostication for a vintage. An early bloom date brings the confidence of having a nice ripe vintage. Cooler weather in June did not seem to slow things down perhaps because nights remained warm. A very warm and dry July moved the vines forward quickly to an early veraison.
Then there was smokey August. This year smoke was much more dense, lower and worrisome than in August of 2017. The saving grace may be that this smoke has slowed ripening down to allow maturity to finish in cooler conditions giving us the signature vibrancy we cherish in our northern climate wines. September quickly turned cool and wet. Fortunately, many grapes are very close to being ripe, needing only a few more days of sun and heat to finish them off leading towards a potentially beautiful vintage.”
Larry provided this information.
The Wines
Stag’s Hollow Albariño 2017
The nose shows vibrant notes of ripe tropical and stone fruit, along with mandarin orange and desert sage. It also hints at a biscuity character that is likely derived from the wine’s extended lees contact. The mango, guava and peach flavours from the nose carry through to the palate. It is bright, yet texturally-rich and creamy, with mouthwatering acidity and a long, clean, mineral-driven finish. Stag’s Hollow Albariño 2017 won a platinum medal at the 2018 Wine-Align National Wine Awards of Canada.
Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Pinot Noir 2015
Translucent, dark ruby in colour, the nose is very expressive showing classic aromas of damp earth, strawberries and dark cherries with a hint of white pepper. The palate is full with flavours of cherry, wild strawberry along with bright pomegranate acidity and a hint of oak. A long finish with ripe tannins and natural acidity should ensure a long life ahead for this wine. As has been the house style, this is not a typical Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir. Fans of Pinot Noir wines from the Russian River Valley in California will enjoy. Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Pinot Noir 2015 won a gold medal at the 2018 Wine Align National Wine Awards of Canada.
Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Merlot 2015
Darkest purple core with a bright ruby brim colour. The nose is all dark cherry, cocoa nibs and smoky French oak. The palate is tight but with air exposure, the wine shows flavours of ripe plums, bing cherries, mocha coffee, leather and oak spice. The finish is long with ripe lingering tannins and natural acidity which should help ensure a long life ahead for this wine. Stag’s Hollow Renaissance Merlot 2015 won a gold medal at the 2018 Wine-Align National Wine Awards of Canada.
For the complete portfolio of Stag’s Hollow BC Wines please visit their website.
Future Plans
“With our new vineyard at Shuttleworth Creek maturing, our production currently sits at about 80% estate fruit. Over the next 2 to 3 years we hope to move this to 90% with additional plantings at Shuttleworth Creek. Our adventurous leanings have brought a great sense of pride in their viticultural success and translation into beautiful wines. At the same time marketing these wines brings a different challenge than selling more mainstream wines. Having said this, we are not quite sure what our next adventurous grape might be.
Larry provided this information.
With a new winemaker in place, our objective over the next several years is to continue to raise the bar, establish our new vineyard, and learn more from each vintage about our new grapes and how they express our terroir. Terroir and fruit expression are becoming the mantra in the Industry and we are continuing to move in that direction depending more on concrete tanks and larger format barrels to ensure true expression.”
Source: The Stag’s Hollow Winery provided the Winery and Vineyard information, Photos and BC wine tasting notes.