Garagiste North was held again at Sperling Vineyards. Another sellout crowd. The event orchestrated perfectly again by Jennifer Schell and Terry Meyer Stone.
With the temperature well above 30 C and hardly a cloud in the sky, it was really a day for Whites and Rose´s.
A number of wine enthusiasts who looked a little “tired” after participation in the BC Pinot Noir Celebration the previous night. Yes, a great weekend to be in Kelowna if you love BC Wine.
Over the last four years, I have made some good friends with the “small guys” winemakers. This year I missed Bradley Cooper /Black Cloud, Daniel Bonterin / Bottega Wine Studio and Daniel Bibby / Nighthawk Vineyards as they had moved on to other BC Wine challenges.
It was good to see a large number of new Garagistes this year (highlighted in Bold). Here is the complete list:
- Anarchist Mountain Vineyard
- Anthony Buchanan
- BC Wine Studio
- Black Market Wine Co
- Burnt Timber Estate Winery
- Dames Wines
- Four Shadows Vineyard
- Giant Head Winery
- Lariana Cellars
- Lightning Rock
- Marionette Winery
- MOCOJO Wines
- Nagging Doubt Winery
- Origin Wines
- Red Bird Estate
- Ricco Bambino
- Rigour & Whimsy
- Schell Wines
- Scorched Earth Winery
- Tall Tale Wines
- Truck59 Ciderhouse
- Winemakers CUT
Now to the Garagistes and their wines.
Anarchist Mountain Vineyard
Terry was pouring 2016 Mayhem a Merlot/ Cabernet Franc (33% Cabernet Franc) blend. Lush red fruit with flavours of tobacco, pepper and leather. Smooth tannins and a long finish. In the future, Terry and Andrew Stone will be moving their red blend over to their other brand – Mayhem Wines. You can read more about the Mayhem wine portfolio here – Mayhem Wines – Aromatic whites and Smooth reds
BC Wine Studio
Mark Simpson was in fine form pouring a great selection of his Siren’s Call wines. With all Mark’s outdoor activities I’m not sure how he finds the time for winemaking! He was also able to “reverse the tables” by asking me to deliver a short video on his new Syrah, Malbec and Viognier blend.
Siren’s Call Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon 2018 is an elegant and refined classic white blend. Grassy herbal notes and a pleasant floral aroma from 76% Sauvignon Blanc, balanced with tropical notes of pineapple, lemon, lime and guava from 24 % Sémillon which was aged in French Oak for extra depth and character.
Please check out Mark’s website for details on his other wines.
Black Market Wine Co.
Rob and Michelle were pouring a large selection of Black Market Wine Co. wines. I visited their new winery site earlier this summer and you can find information on the wines they were pouring here.
Rob is now a full-time winemaker and has relocated from Calgary to their vineyard in Kaledon. He can now spend more time on his tractor working his 5-acre vineyard!
The work on the new winery tasting room is taking a little longer than expected but he still hopes to open the tasting room before the end of the tourist season.
Burnt Timber Estate Winery
Burnt Timber is a neighbour of one of the other new Garagistes I have written about – Scorched Earth Winery. The winery is located in the Okanagan Mountain Park in East Kelowna. Noelle Starzynski was pouring four of their Bordeaux style red wines.
Burnt Timber Cabernet Franc 2014. The Mama D Vineyard Cabernet Franc is grown in the desert vineyards on the west side of Osoyoos Lake. A burst of raspberry and cherries coupled with a subtle, earthy finish and pleasantly soft tannins.
Burnt Timber Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Monarch Vineyards planted Clone 214 Cabernet Sauvignon on the Osoyoos East Bench. This southwest facing vineyard benefits from a long season of extended sunlight exposure. This is a fruity rich and lush cab loaded with dark fruit, smooth tannins and a long finish.
Burnt Timber Merlot 2014 Monarch Vineyards Merlot was planted in 2008 in sandy soils on the north side of Oliver. Ripe blackberries and deep savoury notes with oak, earth and spice.
Four Shadows Vineyard
Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery is located on the busy Upper Bench Road in Penticton BC on the Naramata Bench. The new tasting room opened this spring. Joka Borren was pouring many of the wines I had tasted earlier this month. See this article for details – Four Shadows Vineyard & Winery opens Tasting Room.
Giant Head Estate Winery
Giant Head Estate Winery‘s winemaker and owner John Glavina was pouring a selection of his wines.
The 2016 Blanc de Noir is made with Pinot Noir grapes. This dry, crisp sparkler shows a finesse of texture wrapped in green apple, preserved lemon and vanilla. It’s light and bright. One of the few sparklers at the event, this one was a real crowd pleaser!
The 2017 Pinot Noir has classic flavours and aromas. Ripe raspberries, black cherries, vanilla, spice with a hint of violets.
Lightning Rock Winery
Owner Ron Kubek was pouring a fine selection from Lightning Rock Winery in Summerland.
Lightning Rock Pint Noir 2017 The Elysia Vineyard is a mature vineyard on a south-east facing slope with limestone laced soils over granite bedrock planted with 3.5 acres of pinot noir. A pale crimson colour, raspberry, bramble, cherry jam, forest floor, some subtle spices, and minerality. Dry, medium-high acidity, medium-low tannin. An excellent BC Pinot Noir.
MOCOJO Winery
The owners Kon and Dianne Oh were pouring wines from their vineyard on the Naramata Bench planted over three decades ago.
MOCOJO Long Stem Rose´ 100% Estate Pinot Meunier. A dry, crisp rosé. Notes of tea leaves, orange zest and floral rose petal. Juicy flavours of rhubarb, baking spice, apple and pear with a long finish of strawberry and dried thyme.
MOCOJO Viognier 2017 A dry floral Viognier with aromas of jasmine and vanilla and flavours of mango, peach and apricot with a well-balanced long finish.
For more background on the winery see MOCOJO Wines and Pinot Meunier
Nagging Doubt Winery
Rob and Abbey were pouring my favourite Nagging Doubt wines. Rob mentioned that he was spending more time in his vineyard this year as the weather was more favourable to powdered mildew problems.
Nagging Doubt Siegerrebe 2018 The wine is made from estate vineyard grapes that were harvested in September. The Siegerrebe wine greets your nose with a floral bouquet from the concentrated aromatics and baking spice! Ripe peach, pink grapefruit, honeysuckle, with citrus notes and soft acidity.
Nagging Doubt The Leap 2016 Blueberry and blackberry aroma with lovely floral notes. The wine has great fresh juiciness to the taste from the Malbec with smooth tannins and a soft palate feel from the extra ageing. Flavours of black cherry, plum and blackberry.
For more information on the wines please link to Nagging Doubt takes “The Leap”
Red Bird Estate Winery
First time at Garagiste, Remi Cardinal had three wines to share. For background on the winery – Red Bird Estate Winery in the Kootenays.
Red Bird Pinot Gris 2018 Light, crisp and fresh. Aromas of fresh peach, nectarine and citrus. on the palate white peach, green apple, honeysuckle, hints of lime and subtle minerality. Refreshing citrus flavour and zesty acidity. Great when served chilled.
Red Bird Rose´2018. The is fabulous rose´ made from Gamaret (a cross between Gamay and Reichensteiner) grapes. Flavours of ripe strawberries, rhubarb and watermelon with just a hint of spice. Hard to beat on a hot day.
Scorched Earth Winery
Great to see Anita and Peter again. Last week I had visited their winery to taste their newly released Syrah.
Scorched Earth Syrah 2016 – An elegant medium-bodied elegant Rhone-style wine. Grapes are from a Black Sage Bench vineyard. Medium-bodied with flavours of blackberry, blueberry, chocolate and mint with a hint of white pepper on the smooth finish.
For information on other Scorched Earth wines see Scorched Earth Winery for Pinot Noir.
Winemaker’s CUT
It had been a long day of tasting when I reached Viviane and Michal. They were pouring all five of Winemaker’s CUT excellent new releases.
Winemaker’s CUT Gruner Veltliner 2018 – A light straw colour. A wide range of apple aromas with roasted almonds, marzipan and pepper. Flavours of white peach, citrus and honey with a gentle dusting of white pepper. A fabulous white to end a hot summer day at Gargiste North.
You can find details of Michal’s other fine wines here – WineMaker’s CUT New Releases
My apologies to the Garagiste’s I was unable to visit. So much wine, so little time, but then there is always next year!