I waited with great anticipation after Debbie Woodward advised she would be forwarding two new Woodward Collection wines.
My first opportunity to taste and write about Privato Vineyard & Winery was in 2017. For the winery background, please see the earlier post – Privato a Hidden Gem in Kamloops.
The Privato Wines
Here are the tasting notes for the just-released Chardonnay and the spring released pinot noir.
Privato Woodward Collection Tesoro Pinot Noir 2016 ($34.69)
“Tesoro” means treasure in Italian and exemplifies the elegance and finesse of the flagship Privato Pinot Noir. The grapes were harvested by hand from BC vineyards in Lake Country, Naramata and the Rise Vineyard that is located on a ridge just west of Vernon, with a sunbathed southern exposure.
The wine ages 18 months in French oak before resting an additional year in the bottle.
13.7% Alcohol. You can tell by the quality of the cork that John Woodward takes great pride in his premium wines. The young dark ruby wine improves with aeration. The wine is still tight and if you have the time I would suggest leaving open several hours before drinking. On the nose, the pinot is a symphony of black cherry and ripe raspberries on a background of toasty oak and a hint of earthiness and baking spice. A soft, silky mouthfeel complements the layers of long-lasting black and red fruit flavours. Enjoy the wine now or age for up to seven years. 93 Points.
2019 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Platinum Award Winner.
Food Pairings
Pinot Noir is the best varietal for food pairing because of its flexibility. The winemaker’s favourite is Rib Eye Steak but it is also perfect with Christmas Turkey or Thanksgiving Ham. My preference for Pinot Noir is Alberta Lamb or Duck.
Privato Woodward Collection Chardonnay 2017 ($26.99)
Harvested from 28-year-old vines on the Naramata Bench the 2017 Chardonnay was gently pressed, barrel fermented and aged in French Oak for 7 months. As with all Woodward Collection wines, this wine is aged for an additional year in the bottle.
13.5% Alcohol. Aromas of peach blossom, ripe apple, pineapple and citrus are married with a hint of toasty oak. The palate is rounded with well-balanced acidity and has an effortless elegance that makes you love this wine! Flavours of apple, citrus, nectarine, vanilla and butterscotch. Showing excellent fruit intensity and finesse. 92 Points
Food Pairings
This Chardonnay pairs beautifully with rich dishes like steak bearnaise, creamy risotto or eggs benedict with Hollandaise sauce. Equally as nice is BBQ chops with a selection of summer fresh red peppers, butternut squash and fresh baby potatoes with a hint of dill. Also works well with seafood such as Dover Sole with a crab sauce.
For the complete portfolio of Privato Vineyard & Winery’s BC wines please visit the winery website.
Thompson Valley GI
The Kamloops area wineries now belong to the Thompson Valley GI, created in July 2018. GI stands for Geographical Indications – BC’s appellation.
The Thompson Valley GI roughly follows the outline of the Thompson Basin ecosection capturing the lowland along the Thompson River and up to include the watersheds that drain into the Thompson River.
The GI includes Kamloops, Cache Creek and Ashcroft, cutting off at Chase in the north-east portion of the region. A semi-arid region, the Thompson Valley has hot, dry summers and cold winters. The constant movement of the North and South Thompson Rivers creates airflow to help moderate temperatures providing many options for winemakers to shine with winter-hardy hybrids and vinifera varietals like Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Recent Highlights
“Privato enjoyed many accolades for the previous vintage 2015 Tesoro Pinot Noir, winning Gold at the National Wine Awards, Double Gold in the All Canadian Wine Championships and Gold in the Okanagan Wine Festivals.
Debbie Woodward – Privato Vineyard & Winery
We have built our event gardens for special music events and weddings and we will be having music in the vineyard every other Friday night beginning in June.
Our sons Ben Adam and Tim (engineers) have begun Woodward Cider Co. which will be set to launch and open with their first 3 ciders in a tasting room at the same property as Privato on the long weekend in May.”
