I have always loved Pinot Noir. Ever since my first bottle of Bass Phillip, I enjoyed with Phil Jones at his Leongatha vineyard Downunder many, many years ago.
Pinot Noir is the star grape in Burgundy’s red wines and Champagne. It is grown throughout Europe and in the New World. With 277,000 acres (112,000 hectares), it is the fifth most planted red grape variety in the world.
By comparison, British Columbia has only 1,100 acres planted.
Key Trends
Here is my list of 8 unpretentious BC Pinot Noir you can enjoy for under $30. Sadly the list grew smaller this year!
Horseshoe Found Pinot Noir 2021 ($26)
2021 Pinot Noir was harvested from our Cawston vineyard on September 17, after the historical heat dome with temperatures rising above 45°C in June-July. Some fruit was lost due to these extreme weather elements. The wine was fermented for 11 days with its own natural yeast and then aged for 18 months in new and neutral French Oak barrels. It was bottled on April 23, 2023, unfined and unfiltered. Natural, vegan-friendly wine with a total production of 145 cases.
Alcohol 14.0% / pH 3.87 / TA 6.8 / RS .60
The pinot opens with aromas of cherry and raspberry with floral and oak notes. This wine has a medium body with medium plus acidity. Complex flavours of red cherry, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate and forest floor with soft ripe tannins and a long finish. 92 Points
Gold Medal at 2023 All Canadian Wine Championships.
Four Shadows Pinot Noir 2020 ($28.99)
14.2% Alcohol / pH 3.5 / TA 6.3 / RS 2.35 146 cases were produced.
Aromas of cherries, raspberry and a hint of violets and herbs. Flavours of red cherry and cranberry with toasted French oak and a hint of the forest floor. A well-balanced medium-bodied pinot with smooth tannins and a long finish. 92 Points.
Paired perfectly with slow-cooked Moroccan leg of lamb.
Eau Vivre Pinot Noir 2018 ($29.05)
The grapes are 100% Similkameen Valley. The Pinot Noir was aged in neutral barrels and oak staves were added to the barrels resulting in 35% new oak for 6.5 months. 3 weeks before bottling it was stored in a steel tank to bring out the fruit and was bottled on May 5, 2019. 12.6% Alcohol.
Spiced black cherry, licorice and violets along with mushroom exhale from the glass. On the palate, there is more cherry, red plum, fig, cocoa and just a hint of oak. The medium-bodied wine is silky smooth with ripe tannins and a long finish. 92 Points
Gold Medal Winner at 2020 All Canadian Wine Championships.
Pair with roast lamb and beef bourguignon.
Therapy Pinot Noir 2018 ($29.99)
The 2018 Pinot Noir grapes are grown on the Naramata bench and from a high elevation vineyard in Summerland. The grapes were cold-soaked for up to a period of 10 days prior to inoculation and were fermented in small batch fermenters. The small fermenters allowed the pinot noir to be pushed and pulled in different directions aiding in the overall complexities of this wine. Once fermented and pressed the wine rested in French oak barrels, 46% new oak, and was then blended and bottled.
13.1 % Alcohol / pH 3.72 / TA 6.8 / RS 1.8
Vibrant aromas of red cherries, cranberries, raspberries, and rose petals. A medium-bodied Pinot with flavours of red cherry, raspberry, mellow oak tones with a hint of the classic forest floor. The bright acidity adds freshness and balance. 92 Points
Arrowleaf Pinot Noir 2021 ($29.10)
2021 was one of the hottest and driest years on record in British Columbia. The early part of summer brought the highest temperatures ever recorded in the Okanagan followed by prolonged drought that lasted well into the fall. This resulted in a smaller than average crop of very ripe, concentrated grapes. Harvest started in early September and was finished by mid October. All in all, it was an extreme growing season that has created the potential for some truly unique wines.
Rich cherry and raspberry aromas combine with subtle notes of vanilla, leather and forest floor. This Pinot Noir has a rich, silky texture and interesting complexity. 91 Points
Recommended food pairings are chicken, duck, wild mushroom risotto or Gruyere.
Ancient Hill Pinot Noir 2019 ($22.96)
Medium-bodied and delicately oaked. Unique to the microclimate of Ancient Hill. Delicate aromas of violets and cherry, with spicy overtones. This fruit-forward wine has flavours of black cherries with hints of earthy forest floor and well-rounded tannins. 90 Points
The Pinot Noir pairs well with BBQ or baked Salmon, lamb, turkey dinners and soft cheeses.
Cassini Pinot Noir 2019 ($28)
The grapes for this wine came from the Osoyoos East Bench. The Pinot Noir was harvested on the third week of October, destemmed and lightly crushed into open-top fermentation tanks. Temperature control during the fermentation, extended skin contact and Pneumatage cap management twice a day give this wine rich colour and extraction with great complexity and balance. Half of the wine was aged in stainless steel tanks and the other half in 3 years old French barrels.
Alcohol 13.9%, RS 7 g/L, PH 4.01, TA 5g/L
Don’t let the light ruby red colour fool you, the fruit is ripe. A light to medium-bodied wine with aromas of black cherry, smoke and sage. Interesting palate with blackcurrant, black cherry, stewed rhubarb, leather, cedar and earthy undertones. Subtle tannins make this a very drinkable pinot noir with a lovely long finish. 93 Points.
Dirty Laundry Pinot Noir 2021 ($28.99)
“With this years vintage of Pinot Noir we did very minimal amounts of cap management as we wanted to gently extract tannin, colour and flavour from the delicate Summerland fruit. What this means is that we turn the cap with forced air rather than doing punch downs during fermentation. Juice was pressed off skins after 2 weeks of initial fermentation.
We aged this Pinot Noir for 13 months in 25% new French oak and 75% neutral French oak. We then racked it out of barrel and finished it off in tank.”Mason Spink
Alcohol 13.21% / pH 3.68 / TA 5.8 gm/L / RS 2.43 gm/ L
An easy drinking and fruit-forward pinot noir. Medium garnet in colour. Aromas of cherries, raspberries and a hint of clove and cedar. On the palate, black cherries, ripe raspberries, and plum with a hint of herbs. Silky smooth tannins lead to a lingering finish. 91 Points.
For other excellent wines from Dirty Laundry see Dirty Laundry – The first of the 2022 vintage and more.
Notes:
- Prices are without taxes and can vary between wineries and liquor stores.