MAY 2022 FEATURED PREMIUM WINES
WINE ONE: DAYDREAMER JASPER
About: This cuvée comes from a vineyard in Osoyoos, farmed without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. It is a blend of Merlot (61%), Cabernet Franc (23%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (16%). The grapes are fermented on skins for ten days before being pressed off into both new and neutral barrels. It is bottled after eighteen months with minimal SO2. 3.81 pH, 6.3 g/L TA
Taste: This wine is deep ruby-purple in the glass. The nose is quintessential with aromas of cocoa nibs, cassis, graphite, dried violets, black plum skins, vanilla bean, eucalyptus, and cedar. The palate is just as classic with rich dark fruits balanced by velvety tannins and modest acidity. It is a gentle giant, not unlike Marcus, its maker. You’ll find further flavours of clove, blueberry, sweet tobacco, oxalis, sweetgrass, saskatoon berry, and mahogany.
Pairing: I know the weather is getting nice, but I’d love this wine with some braised beef cheeks. Get a little more inventive with your mash - parsnips, celeriac, cauliflower! I’d also suggest sauteed greens instead of a fresh salad; creamed spinach is always a favourite but I’d also be more than happy with some collards.
WINE TWO: ECHO BAY CABERNET FRANC
About: Echo Bay Vineyard is located right above Skaha Lake, minutes north of Okanagan Falls. This steeply sloped site faces southwest from within a large gully. Farmed organically with additional biodynamic preparations by Kelsey and her family, the vines are getting healthier each year. This year, Kelsey bottled almost every grape variety she works with as a monovarietal offering, showing of the breadth of their small farm; in this case, we have Cabernet Franc. The grapes were destemmed, crushed, and fermented in open top tank. The wine spent fifteen months in barrel (40% new) before being bottled with 30ppm of sulphur. 152 cases produced.
Taste: This wine is deep ruby in the glass. The nose is comforting and familiar with aromas of red plum flesh, strawberry coulee, damp roses, sage, dark chocolate, sandalwood, tonka bean, and fresh bay leaf. The palate follows suit with voluminous silky tannins, a rich texture accentuated by alcohol warmth, and a satiating and prolonged finish. It’s a wine to wrap yourself in. On the finish, you’ll find flavours of pomegranate, Costa Rican coffee, water mint, redwood, and rooibos.
Pairing: I’m not normally a tender steak kind of guy but this Cabernet Franc almost demands Filet Mignon. If you’re feeling ambitious, I’d suggest making a Sauce Foyot - it’s essentially a hybrid of Hollandaise and Demi. The combination is so decadent you’ll definitely need a post-meal nap. Mark (my business partner) suggested a creamy mushroom sauce and I can’t disagree.
WINE THREE: POPULIS SAUVIGNON BLANC
About: There are less than 10 acres of Cabernet Pfeffer left in the world. Ryan believes it may be Bordeaux’s long-forgotten Mourtaou/Mancin, but there are so many origin stories floating around in the literature, we’re not sure what to believe anymore. The grapes were grown in San Benito County at a few old vine vineyards including Wirz. The grapes were fermented in open-top redwood fermenters with roughly two-thirds stem inclusion. After two weeks the wine was pressed off into old barrel for a ten-month élevage. 245 cases produced. 6.3g/l TA, pH 3.79
Taste: This wine is deceivingly pale in the glass -transparent ruby with bricky edges. The nose is perfumed, the aromas waft, like essential oils or incense. You’ll find notes of red currant, cedar, cubeb, dried rose, blood orange, red plum skins, black tea, cinnamon sticks, and warm sandstone. The palate is equally paradoxical. It is medium-bodied but with sturdy tannins that immediately remind me of Barbaresco. The acidity is fresh but balanced by delicate fruits and a resinous finish. You’ll find additional flavours of sandalwood, gardenia, blonde tobacco, cranberry, cascara, patchouli, and nutmeg.
Pairing: I usually try to keep my pairings local, but in this case, I can’t help but suggest Carbonara. Something about this wine feels so Italian to me even though it’s made from a French grape grown in California. I’d replace the guanciale with lamb belly if you can find it; the extra bass notes and umami will lift this wine even further. Don’t cheap out on the cheese here; you want something old that has a nutty sweetness, again, allowing this wine to really shine.