Encountering the wines and wineries of Okanagan Valley (Part 2)

Last week I published the first part of this account of my short visit to Canada’s Okanagan Valley, where I was hosted by fellow-Kiwi and top viticulturist Pete Wilkins. The day had commenced with a tour of the stunning Mission Hill Estate before opening, after which we proceeded to the opposite side of the lake to the equally stunning and distinctive Martin’s Lane Winery. Here, another Kiwi, Shane Munn, the GM and winemaker, crafts outstanding Rieslings and Pinot Noir wines from grapes grown on four specific Okanagan vineyards in a six-level gravity winery nestled artfully within the striking landscape. Shane commenced his winemaking career with a Bachelor of Wine Science in New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay and his winemaking career progressed through Central Otago and Italy’s Barolo before a 6-year stint at renowned biodynamic producer Millton Vineyards in Gisborne. He then spent 3 years at Moutere’s Woollaston Estates known for its gravity fed winery and organic vineyards, before joining Martin’s Lane in 2015.

Designed by Olson Kundig, the winery is a masterpiece of innovative architecture, with the wine production areas stepping down the hillside in precise alignment with the slope, whilst the customer education and tasting areas are cantilevered out over the vineyards to align with the horizon and offer wide sweeping views over the lake.

On arrival, visitors are greeted by an enormous sculpture called “Redhead” which is both a stylised homage to Vincent van Gogh and a representation of the rarity of both red hair and Pinot Noir as genetic mutations representing about 2% of their respective human/grape populations. The head’s sideways position speaks poetically of listening to the soil, whilst the van Gogh reference speaks to the emotional intensity and artistic genius behind the passion and precision of winemaking at Martin’s Lane.   

The Redhead

Visitors enter the facility through a rough formed concrete tunnel, immediately encountering a purpose-designed and built spiral steel staircase which represents the curling sequence of grapevine growth and leads up to the main tasting room and visitor experience areas. Walkways on this level offer glimpses into the production areas including the barrel storage area with beautiful floor tiles and a tasting room with a display library of signature Riesling and Burgundy, including notable Premier & Grand Crus.

The six-levels of wine production space step down the hillside allowing gravity to reduce human manipulation of the grapes, proceeding from grape reception at the top, down to the fermentation and settling areas, down again to the bottling room at ground level and finally to the underground barrel room. Operable celestory windows bring natural light and ventilation into the winery and the barrel room takes advantage of the stable earth temperatures to maintain an ideal temperature and humidity. Together these features make the winery energy-efficient.

Schematic of the winery operation from the architect’s own project description

It was great to tour the wine production area in the middle of the harvest period and to meet Shane.

Pinot Noir grapes in the receiving area feed by gravity to the optical sorter and then down to these fermentation tanks.

The main tasting room upstairs features panoramic views out over the vineyards and lake.

On the tasting table these spittoons have an automated water flushing system. Pete Wilkins is opposite me in the picture.

Following the excellent tour I was eager to taste the wines and was not disappointed, with their precision, focus and depth.

2014 Naramata Ranch Vineyard Riesling.

Wow! What a beginning! Light gold in the glass with intense peach apricot and honey aromas overlaying rich limey citrus fruit and a whiff of petrol. On the palate quite rich-fruited, juicy fresh and beautifully poised, layered, long and refreshing. Made with some whole bunches and skin contact, natural ferment in Austrian oak.

2020 Fritzi’s Vineyard Riesling.

Fritzi’s is in West Kelowna just below Mission Hill. Light lemon in the glass with aromas of lime, yellow flowers and some smoky minerality. Dry, crisp and textured on the palate with lime, and some mango & guava, finishing long with a slightly phenolic grip.

2022 DeHart Vineyard Pinot Noir

Mostly clone 777 grapes from a west facing vineyard on the East Kelowna slopes, fermented in concrete tanks with 60% whole bunches for 32 days, aged in extra-fine grained French and Austrian oak for 16 months. Bright ruby in the glass with cherry and raspberry fruit aromas, light and elegant on the palate with red fruit flavours, silky tannins and lovely acidity, decent length, already drinking well.

2022 Naramata Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir

From two distinct vineyard parcels, Dijon and Pommard clones, spontaneous fermentation in concrete with 70% whole bunch for 28 days then aged 16 months in extra-tight grained French and Austrian oak. Bright ruby in the glass, with spiced earthy, almost gamey aromas over dark cherry fruit. On the palate berry fruit with more savoury & spice qualities, still a little tight with firm tannins and slightly stemmy edged finish.

2022 Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir

From two north facing parcels on South Kelowna slopes, and Dijon clones made the same way as the Naramata. Purple edged ruby in the glass with a lovely berry fruited nose reminiscent of Central Otago, on the palate more dark berry fruit, quite dense and sinewy, needs time.

2022 Fritzi’s Vineyard Pinot Noir.

From their oldest Pinot Noir vines, all clone 115 on clay based soils, 22 day maceration and 75% whole bunches. Dark ruby in the glass with lovely dark cherry  and berry fruit on the nose, rich fruited and powerful on the palate with firm tannins and a lovely lift on the finish, this was my favourite of the Pinot Noirs and definitely one to cellar!   

2022 Transcendence Pinot Noir

Clone 115 grapes from a select parcel of closely planted vines on the South Kelowna Simes Vineyard, spontaneous ferment and 20 day maceration with 100% whole bunch, 16 months aging as for the others. Ruby tending purple in the glass with a powerful wild nose of dark cherry, sous-bois and stewed tea. On the palate plenty of fruit weight but still quite tight with firm tannins, fresh acidity, some iron mineral elements and long, but not yet harmonious, this will take time to hits its straps but should age well over a decade.  

Following this excellent visit to Martin’s Lane, I had the opportunity to visit the vineyards and viticulture operations areas on the hillside behind the Martin’s Lane and its sister Cedar Creek Estate Wineries.

Martin’s Lane Pinot Noir vines directly up the hill behind the winery

I mentioned in my previous blog the commitment to regenerative agriculture, and it was great to see examples here, including the use of sticky traps for leafhoppers, compost heaps and Highland cattle.

Composting at scale utilising vine prunings, marc, wood chips, animal manure etc

Highland cattle provide manure for biodynamic preparations and compost

The Cedar Creek Estate Winery, immediately adjacent to Martin’s Lane is also nestled into the steep hillside and features a beautiful tasting room with two courtyards and a fine restaurant with views over the lake. The winery is one of British Columbia’s original estates and was founded by Senator Ross Kirkpatrick in 1987. In 2014 it was purchased by Anthony von Mandl and saw significant re-development including the construction of the present winery, tasting room, restaurant and club member facility Aspect House where I was privileged to taste some excellent wines accompanied by carefully matched canapes.

The Cedar Creek tasting room reception area

The prized sites for Cedar Creek are the 50 acres of the home estate around the winery which are now developing vine age. The vines are tended organically with the afore mentioned composting, Highland cattle, and insect traps in abundance. Chickens  scratch between the vines helping to aerate the soil and reducing pests, while also producing eggs for the restaurant.  Cover crops including wildflowers protect the spoil and attract beneficial insects. Beekeeping ensures pollination of those cover crops and wildflowers so essential for maintaining diversity. Worms are farmed, helping to improve the soil. Kestrel nesting boxes provide a safe haven for these falcons which inn turn help to protect the harvest from smaller grape feeding birds during harvest.  Head viticulturist Kurt Simcic is another Kiwi, originally from Christchurch who studies at Lincoln and worked at Marlborough's Rockferry and Giesen Wines before migrating to Canada.

The winemaker, Andres Galvez Pizarro, is Chilean but also spent time honing his craft in New Zealand. The wine selection is organised in three levels: the Estate range providing an accessible representation of the cool climate Okanagan wines, the Platinum Collection  comprising terroir-focused wines from single vineyard sites from East Kelowna to Hayne’s Creek in the South, and the Aspect Collection from the very best blocks viewed as “the culmination of (their) commitment to high-quality, terroir-drive wine". We tasted seven wines as follows:

2023 Platinum Naramata Sauvignon Blanc

Fermented partly in Austrian and German oak, partly in stainless. Lemon-straw in the glass with mellow lime, lemongrass and soft passionfruit and guava aromas. On the palate quite textural and I found the soft guava fruit predominant, good freshness and moderate length, a more restrained perhaps more Bordeaux Blanc style than our typical NZ expression of the grape.

2022 Platinum Lake Country Chardonnay

Barrel fermented and aged. Light gold in the glass. On the nose some distinct flinty reduction and quite a bit of oak showing over ripe grapefruit aromas. On the palate, lemon curd is joined by some peach flavour and wet stone minerality, crisp and dry. A pleasant nuttiness on the long finish.

2024 Open Claim Rose

Owing to the 2024 frost wipeout this wine was made from Pinot Noir grapes sourced from Willamette Valley. Mostly stainless ferment but a small portion in concrete egg to add texture. Light salmon in the glass. Aromas of strawberry, red apple and pomengranate with a faint coriander edge. On the palate strawberry, grapefruit and rhubarb flavours with a nice balance of freshness, fruit weight and textural complexity.

2022 Aspect Pinot Noir

From lower slopes of the East Kelowna Home Block vineyard, predominantly Block 1. Medium ruby in the glass. Black raspberry, dark cherry fruit aromas with a hint of violets. On the palate still tight and brooding with a firm tannic grip, black raspberry and plum fruits, and hint of dark chocolate and some spice, this needs time.

2022 Aspect Pinot Noir Block 4

From higher slopes on the same vineyard, stonier soils this really hit the mark for me with distinctly mineral edged red fruit aromas and a little sous-bois. An elegant, almost delicate mouthfeel with fresh acidity and a distinct mineral edge to the bright cherry fruit, a bit of rhubarb and some lovely earthy notes on the long finish.

2022 Platinum Jagged Rock Syrah

Inky purple in the glass, with distinct aromas of violets, black pepper, blackberries and Doris plum, a slight hint of game meat  as well. On the palate quite sweet dark berry fruited with smooth fine tannins, that slight gamey note and a bit of black pepper grip on the long finish.

2022 Platinum Haynes Creek Syrah

Quite a contrast from the Jagged Rock, even more inky in the glass with brown spice accompanying the black pepper notes over the black and blue fruit aromas. On the palate this has a lovely sweet dark fruit with some Christmas cake spice predominant over the black pepper but also some game and tobacco, just a hint of orange peel as well. Rather moreish!

We returned to have dinner at the Cedar Creek Home Block Restaurant. I enjoyed three glasses of wine but made no notes. The food was delicious as was my first ever ice wine!

Our next visit in the afternoon was to Quails’ Gate Winery, situated in West Kelowna, which has a rich family history going right back to 1908 when Irish horticulturist, Richard Stewart settled there, establishing a successful nursery. In 1961 his eldest son Dick switched to growing grapes and together with his son Ben and wife Ruth established the winery in 1989. Over the following years the entire Stewart family has developed the company to become one of the leading producers of British Columbia VQA[1] wines.

Quails’ Gate has 160 acres of land located on a sloping bench of land below extinct volcano Mount Boucherie, with silty clay loam and silty clay soils on the lower bench and some volcanic soil as well on the upper bench. They have a strong commitment to sustainable management utilising cover crops between vine rows and use of compost and organic fertiliser to maintain healthy soil. They also have vineyards in Osoyoos and in 2013 purchased Lake Sonoma Vineyard in California, launching the Plume label which includes a Napa Chardonnay, Alexander Valley and BC’s Similkameen Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, and since this year an Oregon Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley.

There are three people in the winemaking team, led by Jeff del Nin, senior winemaker, with Kailee Frasch as winemaker and fourth generation family member Rowan Stewart as Assistant Winemaker. Jeff studied chemistry at Queens University in Ontario before completing his winemaking diploma and his early wine making experience in South Australia. Kailee is a Kelowna native who after completing a Microbiology degree at UBC, studied Oenology and Viticulture at Brock University before honing her skills in New Zealand’s Central Otago. Rowan completed his winemaking and viticulture studies in New Zealand before working in California and Niagara Peninsula wineries.

Quails’ Gate also has an award-winning restaurant called Old Vines with both indoor and outdoor dining overlooking the vineyards down to the lake. Experiencing the food here is high on the list for my return visit! It was also good to know that cellar door staff are well-trained, going through their own wine academy with knowledge pitched between WSET 2 and 3. Our visit was hosted by their wonderful senior sommelier Louise Dabisza pictured with me below, and we enjoyed a generously comprehensive tasting.

2024 Plume Chenin Blanc

Handpicked grapes from 40-year-old vines grown in Washington’s Columbia Valley, whole cluster pressed, fermented in concrete egg (40%) and neutral oak (30%) for texture, the balance in stainless to retain aromatics. Pale lemon in the glass, bright apple and pear aromas with a hint of jasmine. On the palate citrus and green kiwifruit flavours are supported by a juicy acidity with a slightly phenolic ginger and nut edge on the long finish.

2023 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay

From hand-picked grapes grown on the volcanic soils of Mt Boucherie, whole cluster pressed aged in French oak (25%) new for 9 months with a partial malolactic conversion and regular batonnage. Lemon-straw in the glass, with peach, poached pear and toast aromas and a lick of butterscotch.   On the palate it is rich, creamy and full-bodied with ripe stone fruit supported by some lemon curd, vanilla and spice, and a long dry toasted brioche finish.

2022 Rosemary’s Block Chardonnay

Grapes from Rosemary’s Block on the north side of Boucherie Road considered to produce some of the best Chardonnay in Okanagan. Whole cluster pressed, fermented & aged in French oak with a full malo and regular battonnage. Lemon straw in the glass, presents immediate aromas of poached pear and baked apple, followed by toasty oak. Rich full-bodied and creamy, on the palate ripe yellow peach and nectarine flavours predominate over some lemon curd and butterscotch, the wine has a bright acid spine and the toast and nuts finish is long and satisfying.

2023 Estate Pinot Noir

This entry level wine is light ruby in the glass and presents with cherry and rose aromas and just a hint of sous bois. Light, fresh and elegant on the palate with fresh cherry fruit flavours and moderate length, this is an easy drinking style with no great complexity.

View from the Tasting Deck

2022 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir

From grapes hand-picked from premium Pinot Noir blocks in West Kelowna – some of the vines established in the ‘90s. Destemmed, five-day cold soak in stainless then 12-18 days on skins before aging 15 months in French oak (34% new). Medium ruby in the glass with dark cherry, garrigue and spice aromas. Dark cherry, sous bois and cocoa flavours on the rather firm palate, the finish is long, gripping and spicy.  A big step up from the Estate, this is a serious Pinot Noir but needs time.

2022 Richard’s Block Pinot Noir

Clone 115 and 777 grapes grown on this premium block on Upper Boucherie Road, barrel aged in a combination of new and old French oak. Ruby in the glass with distinct aromas of cherry, sous bois, smoke and spice. On the elegant palate, the tannins are fine and silky, with juicy flavours of cherry, plum, star anise and sous bois, finishing long. My favourite of the Pinots, drinking beautifully now but should go for another 5-7 years.

2023 Plume Pinot Noir

From Pommard and Dijon clones sourced from high elevation Oregon’s Willamette Valley, fermented in a mix of stainless and large format wood, and aged for 16 months in French oak. Light ruby in the glass, with an initially shy nose, delicate aromas of raspberry and mushroom, on the palate the tannins are silky and smooth with red berry, sous bois and earthy mushroom flavours but a slight sharpness in the acidity.  

2022 Queue

This Rhone meets Bordeaux blend is from handpicked Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes chosen from the best parcels of the Estate Vineyard in West Kelowna. Destemmed, fermented separately with 10-16 days on skins before aging 18 months in 100% new French oak, then blending and bottling. Dark ruby in the glass with distinct aromas of black fruits, brown spice and chocolate. On the palate it is quite rich with firm but supple tannins, Doris plum, blackberry and dark cherry flavours prevail through the long finish. Slight shades of Barossa?

2022 Boswell Syrah

This Syrah honours the maternal side of the family business and is from one of the Okanagan’s most northerly Syrah plantings. Grapes were destemmed and fermented in stainless on the skins for 17 days before racking to French oak for aging 18 months. Ruby, tending purple, aromas of violets, blackberry and blueberry laced with black pepper leap from the glass. Black pepper spices the rich and juicy Doris plum and dark berry fruit on the palate with supple tannins and excellent length. Lovely now but will get better over the next decade.

Ailm Connemara 2021

Ailm Estate is a separate label of the family based on a vineyard established in 2015 on the family’s South Kelowna former tree nursery. The label, including this wine and a Reserve Brut sparkling were launched in 2024. Connemara is a right bank styled Bordeaux blend of handpicked 61% Merlot and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which were destemmed and fermented in skins for 7-10 days before racking to French oak for 18 months aging. Dense ruby in the glass with cassis, tobacco and already some mature forest floor aromas. The palate is firm and structured, the tannins fine grained, and has layers of dark berry fruit with a surprising mature quality of old leather and bay leaf, finishing long.