Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery is located in Okanagan Falls, overlooking picturesque Vaseux Lake. The winery is named for the noble varieties of grapes grown and the ridge that divides the land on which they thrive.
Jim and Leslie D’Andrea began their winery in 2001. For more background see – Noble Ridge Sparkles.
The Noble Ridge vision is BE NOBLE.
- Share and enhance life experiences
- Responsible stewardship of our planet
- Premium quality wines
Jim and Leslie have instituted a NOBLE CAUSES program whereby Noble Ridge staff pick a few charities to support annually.
A portion of the tasting fees is given to these charities, along with the proceeds from other fundraising activities. They also encourage the participation of their team in charitable and public service activities. Here is a link to the charities that are supported.
With this introduction, let’s go directly to the value priced wines we recently tasted.
Noble Ridge Stony Knoll Chardonnay 2019 ($22.99)
Whole cluster pressed, cool fermentation. 94% fermented in stainless steel tanks, 6% barrel aged in 1 year old barrels.
Alcohol 13.4% | pH 3.51 |TA 5.7 gm/L|RS 1.1 gm/L
A dry light straw coloured Chardonnay. Aromas of pear, white peach, ripe apples and vanilla. A luscious mouthfeel with medium acidity. Flavours of crisp red apple, lemon zest, a hint of butterscotch and Chablis-style minerality on the finish. 91 Points
Food Pairing – Shellfish, Paella, Cordon-Bleu Chicken and soft cheeses.
The 2018 vintage won a bronze medal at the 2020 All Canadian Wine Championships.
Noble Ridge Reserve Pinot Grigio 2019 ($19.99)
Pinot Grigio Block 5-6 – the clone is unknown. Whole cluster pressed, cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks.
Alcohol 13.5% | pH 3.36 |TA 6.5 gm/L|RS 1.9 gm/L
A dry vibrant fruity Pinot Grigio, crisp and refreshing. Aromas of citrus, apricot and pear. Flavours of Mandarin orange, poached pears and honeydew melon. Beautifully balanced acidity that elevated the fruit flavours and extends the finish. 92 Points.
Silver medal winner at the 2020 All Canadian Wine Championships.
Noble Ridge Noble Meritage 2018 ($21.99)
Nothing like a $22 Estate Meritage to peak your interest. You definitely won’t be disappointed!
83% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot – clone 118 (planted in 1986), unknown (planted in 1999), Cabernet Sauvignon – unknown (planted in 1986, one of the oldest blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Valley)
De-stemmed and crushed and cold-soaked for 3 days. Fermentation kept between 25°C and 28 °C, 12 months in barrels, 75% French, 25% American; 20% new oak.
Alcohol 14% | pH 3.73 |TA 5.6 gm/L|RS 2.2 gm/L
A wonderful bouquet of ripe blackberry, blackcurrant with dark chocolate and coffee. Medium-bodied and creamy texture and velvet-smooth tannins. Flavours of blackberry, red plum, dark chocolate with a hint of pepper in the long finish. 92 Points
Good value for money. Similar wines usually cost 32% more.
Vivino
Makes me wonder how much better the King’s Ransom Meritage might be?
You can order these excellent BC wine from the Noble Ridge website.
Harvest 2020
Here is a sneak previous at the Noble Ridge 2020 vintage.
“What stands out in this vintage so far is the most amazing month of September. It really helped to bring out the fruit and flavour development. I’m a happy guy!”
Benoit Gauthier, Winemaker
“Harvest is an exciting time in the vineyard. The product of the growing season and hard work of the vineyard team comes to fruition. This year, the grapes were beautiful, the quality excellent and the yield was approximately equal to last year (which is extraordinary given that many vineyards experienced a drop in production of 10 – 30 %). Great job vineyard team!”
Jim D’Andrea, Proprietor