The first thing that strikes you about Peak Cellars new releases is the new fresh paper labels.
Before we go to the tasting notes, an introduction to the new wines from the winemaker.
As our vines are now reaching full maturity, many blocks are starting to show their own unique characteristics through the different soil profiles and block-to-block variations, and we really began to explore and exploit these variations with the 2020 vintage.
Why limit yourself to only one style of Riesling or Pinot Gris when you can make many? The vision here is to show the versatility within each variety and the different expressions and international styles that can be made. At Peak Cellars, there is a wine for everyone!
Stephanie Stanley
The New Releases
Peak Cellars Riesling 2020 ($24)
Alcohol 12.0% / pH 2.89/ TA 8.32 g/L / RS 7.5 g/L
The Classic Riesling has a vibrant colour with a beautiful green tint. If you love green apples this is the wine for you! On the nose citrus and green apples with floral notes. There are lively flavours of Key limes, green apples, honeydew melon, honeycomb and a hint of marzipan. A full and round texture with a long mineral-like finish. 91 Points.
The 2019 vintage was a 2020 BC Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards Platinum medal winner.
When it comes to pairings, think FAT – pork belly, sablefish, Peking Duck and more.
Peak Cellars Riesling Block Eleven 2020 ($30)
This wine is made purely from clone 21B Riesling, which was originally imported into North America from Germany’s Mosel Valley. This clone produces wine with more racy acidity, which provides the perfect balance to the naturally retained sugar. The fermentation was stopped with about 13% of the original sugars remaining, to balance the vibrant acidity, providing natural sweetness and flavour.
Alcohol 10.8% / pH 2.76/ TA 9.58 g/L / RS 28.2 g/L
The Riesling is fresh and vibrant, overflowing with tropical aromas of pineapple, mango, guava and passionfruit.
The wine displays fruity flavours of fresh pineapple, canned fruit, Meyer lemon and Key lime delicately framed with some hints of lemongrass and nutmeg and a long finish. The wine is so well balanced that you would never guess that the residual sugar is almost 30 gm/L! 92 Points
2022 All Canadian Wine Championships Silver medal.
Peak Cellars Terraces Dry Riesling 2020 ($30)
The grapes were harvested from Block 20, our only terraced block, and is also a single clone, 21B. The fermentation was stretched out over 5-6 weeks at about 10C, allowing for longer interaction with the suspended yeast, which helped to develop the rich broad texture in the wine.
Stephanie Stanley
Alcohol 13.2% / pH 2.94/ TA 9.73 g/L / RS 1.5 g/L
A lovely pale straw colour, bone dry riesling. On the nose, there are aromas of tropical fruit, green apple and honeysuckle.
The palate has flavours of lime zest, green apple, honeydew melon, green kiwi with a touch of minerality leading to a crisp, lingering finish. The wine has been made to age and evolve. 92 Points
Peak Cellars Sparkling Riesling ($38)
“This traditional method of sparkling wine is 100% Riesling, harvested from Block 4, one of the highest elevation sites in our vineyard. The naturally high acidity of this variety bodes well for making sparkling wine. We choose to make this sparkling in the Crémant-style, which is a lighter and more youthful representation of our fizzy friend. We triaged (bottled with yeast and sugar) the wine in May 2020 (with song and dance) and it was bottle-fermented and aged on its lees in our naturally cool caves for nearly one year. Disgorged in April and May 2021, the dosage liqueur, made from sugar dissolved in a base of 2019 Riesling Block 11 wine, added a mere 5 g/L to the wine, for the perfect balance with the acidity.”
Stephanie Stanley
Alcohol 12.7% / pH 2.91 / TA 9.03 g/L / RS 6.1 g/L
The inaugural Sparkling Riesling has amazing “over the moon” acidity that is perfectly balanced with dosage liqueur. Flavours of unripe pineapple and green apple. A refreshing and dry sparkling wine. 92 Points
Peak Cellars Gewürztraminer 2020 ($24)
Alcohol 13.4% / pH 3.28 / TA 5.65 g/L / RS 6.15 g/L
Alsace dry style with a rich, almost creamy body and acidity to balance the aromatics. Light straw coloured. The first breath from the glass is like a walk in an alpine meadow with freshly blooming wildflowers and classic aromas of lychee, kiwi, and gooseberry.
Meyer lemon, passionfruit, lychee, ginger and apricot flood the palate with a marzipan finish. Medium acidity and a medium finish. 90 points
Pairs well with soft blue cheeses and spicy Asian dishes, like curry, sweet and sour and more. This style of Gew is enjoyable young, and ages with grace.
Peak Cellars Broken Granite Gewürztraminer 2020 ($30)
A lot of inspiration comes from a deep passion for Alsatian wine, especially the oily rich textural expressions of Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. As a tribute, we have crafted a richer and even drier version of Gewürztraminer, which is our Broken Granite. The fruit is harvested from Block 12, which is the oldest planting of Gewürztraminer in the Carr’s Landing vineyard, where the soil profile has more broken granite.
Stephanie Stanley
Alcohol 13.7% / pH 3.38 / TA 5.61 g/L / RS 3.6 g/L
Broken Granite is a leaner, drier and more mineral version of Gewürztraminer. A long, slow pressing allows the grapes to press out almost under their own weight. It was fermented in a combination of stainless steel and about 40% in 2-year old French oak barrels. The nose delivers classic aromas of lychee and rose petals. The palate has a rich mouthfeel with sweet and savoury flavours of lychee, candied ginger and spice, with a mineral backbone and long elegant finish. This is definitely a wine to cellar for a few years. 92 Points
Peak Cellars Grüner Veltliner 2020 ($24)
“Blocks 4 & 19 were harvested first and fermented in four 1-yr old French oak barrels and the balance in stainless steel. Block 35 came in a couple of days later and was fermented in four 1 and 2-yr old French oak barrels and the balance in the oak tank.
After fermentation, the lees were stirred weekly to develop more textural richness from the mannoproteins that are released during yeast autolysis (1 month in the oak tank and 2 months in the barrels). In January, all of the batches were blended together in stainless to begin the next stage of ageing.”
Stephanie Stanley
Alcohol 13.4% / pH 3.28 / TA 5.7 g/L / RS 1.05g/L
The bone dry Grüner Veltliner has a light straw colour. Soft aromas of orange, pineapple and fine herbs entice the nose. Flavours of melon, gooseberry and honey, beautiful minerality, and a touch of white pepper and marzipan. The wine is amazingly smooth and well-rounded. A fabulous white for a hot summer day. Do not over-chill to taste the subtle fruit flavours. 91 Points
The perfect summer wine to complement cold cuts and potato salad.
Peak Cellars Goldie White 2020 ($22)
Harvested from the Goldie Road vineyard and Block 26, this wine is already blended in the field. 46% Pinot Gris, 38% Riesling and 16% Gewürztraminer.
Alcohol 13.0% / pH 2.97 / TA 7.87 g/L / RS 4.2g/L
Goldie White displays fruity aromas of stone fruit with delicate floral notes of jasmine and other white blossoms.
The palate has a medium body and acidity, flavours of lime, white peach, pineapple, apples and pink grapefruit balanced with savoury salinity and sensations of cedar plank and fresh-cut grass. 90 Points
Peak Cellars Unoaked Chardonnay 2020 ($24)
The fruit was harvested from Blocks 8, 21 and 27 of the Carr’s Landing vineyard. Two of the three Chardonnay clones that are planted in these blocks are known to be more aromatic, complex and concentrated (clones 76 and 548); the third clone, 95, provides freshness and tension. The juices from all three blocks were combined in a stainless steel tank before fermentation. After fermentation, the wine was stirred weekly on its lees for four months to add textural richness.
Alcohol 13.4% / pH 3.39 / TA 6.1 g/L / RS 1.1 g/L
This is a clean, easy-drinking, dry Chardonnay. The wine opens with aromas of lemon, apple, pineapple and a whiff of tarragon. The wine is full of orchard fruit on the palate with lime zest to liven the lean mouthfeel. The long finish is accented with notes of green tea. This is a youthful wine to be enjoyed now. 92 Points
Peak Cellars Skin Kissed Pinot Gris 2020 ($30)
A whimsical expression of Pinot Gris, we wanted to illustrate that this variety actually has darkly pigmented skins, and with the subtle mix of the other varieties, we believed there could be some interesting character development. The whole clusters were loaded into the press and allowed to soak overnight (approximately 16 hours), slowly pressing out under their own weight to burst some skins and extract a bit of colour. We then pressed the next morning using a gentle sparkling wine program, to minimize the production of grape solids and to ensure we didn’t over-extract colour or phenolics.
Stephanie Stanley
Alcohol 13.7% / pH 3.39 / TA 5.6 g/L / RS 1.4 g/L
A gentle amber Pinot Gris with a splendid peach skin hue. Aromas of jasmine, orange blossom and honeysuckle. Flavours of juicy red apple, white peach and apricot with a fresh French tarragon hint on the finish. A perfectly balanced wine with just the right amount of skin contact to not overpower the wine. 93 Points
Peak Cellars Pinot Noir Rosé ($24)
The grapes were whole bunch pressed after about 18 hours of skin contact, using a Champagne press program, to minimize the crumbling rotations inside the press and extract only minimal colour. The juice was cold settled, then racked and fermented (to dryness) like white wine, preserving the natural Pinot Noir flavours.
Alcohol 12.3% / pH 3.19 / TA 6.18 g/L / RS 1.6 g/L
Gorgeous salmon hue. A beautiful floral nose. A dry fruit salad on the palate, watermelon, cranberry and pink grapefruit with enough body to complement the food. 91 Points
Peak Cellars Pink Granite Rosé 2020 ($30)
The grapes were harvested from block 30, planted entirely with clone 828 Pinot Noir. The grapes were whole bunch pressed after about 18 hours of skin contact. The juice was cold settled, then racked and fermented to dryness.
Alcohol 12.4% / pH 3.36 / TA 6.83 g/L / RS 1.05 g/L
The aromas are delicate, pink grapefruit, wild strawberry with a hints of herbs. This is a mouth watering dry Rosé with flavours of ripe strawberry, watermelon, grapefruit , cranberry and a long finish. 92 Points
For the complete portfolio of Peak Cellars BC wine please visit the winery website.
For previous Peak Cellar’s releases see – Peak Cellars – A Tale of Two Rieslings & Aromatic Whites