Naramata Bench Spring Release - Part 2

Part 2 of our coverage of the 2010 Naramata Bench Spring release trade tasting:

Lake Breeze Vineyards
Lake Breeze has a full flight of wines including reds, blends and a premium "Seven Poplars" line but it's their whites that have made them a 'must' to visit on the Naramata Bench. Of course, their sun-drenched patio bistro helps too.

2009 Gewurztraminer - $17.99
The Lake Breeze Gewurztraminer is all about the balance of acidity to fruit concentration to residual sugar and they handle this beautifully. Classic lychee fruit, floral notes and spice. 90pts

2009 Pinot Blanc - $16.99
A light, tasty treat of a wine. Light citrus and orchard fruit on the light nose with solid fruits on the palate. Touch of residual sugar with a long finish. 89pts
Full Review

2009 Pinot Gris - $17.99
Nice touch of toasty oak balanced with crisp acidity. Smooth, full mouth feel with a long finish. 88pts

2007 Seven Poplars Pinot Noir - $24.99
Aromas of caramel cream, red berries and earthy notes on the nose. Palate is warm and smooth with both fruit and earthy flavours. Good tannins and acidity but with a bit of an aftertaste. 86pts.

Laughing Stock Vineyards
David and Cynthis Enns have created a winery known as much for its clever branding as for the wines they produce. That is not to say solid craftsmanship isn't at work. It is. Beyond the branding are some very good wines.

2008 Chardonnay - $26
A major oak butter-bomb that may be tough for the ABC crowd but for Chardonnay lovers who like toasty aromas and cream on the palate along with their fruit and minerality. Good complexity. 89pts

Poplar Grove Winery
The Naramata firm has one of the best views of Okanagan Lake (and the bench). They have lovely wines and cheeses to match the view. Second label, Monster Vineyards, makes quality wines closer to the $20 price point where as the Poplar Grove red wines can get pricey.

2008 Chardonnay - $22
Only 17% oaked but that 17% goes a long way to add toasty notes and creamy texture to this tasty Chardonnay. Good complexity of flavours with orchard fruits, minerality and citrus acidity. 88pts

2006 Cabernet Franc - $35-40
A great example of one of BC's increasingly popular red varietals. Cabernet Franc ripens well in BC and avoids green aromas and flavours. This dark garnet coloured wine has a big nose and palate to match. It has been well aged at the winery and tastes sublime. 91-92pts

2006 Legacy - $50
Merlot-heavy Meritage blend (think Bordeaux's Right Bank) with a good amount of Cabernet Franc which shows nicely on the nose and a splash of Cabernet Sauvignon. An absolutely lovely wine that has been built to age. 92-93pts

Therapy Vineyards
The 2009 vintage white wines are the first to be released that were solely under the direction of Therapy's new winemaker Steve Latchford. We'll be watching the firm's progress with its new talent eagerly. In the past the clever marketing has, on occasion, been more charming than the wines. Their impressive Merlot shows promise.

2009 Freudian Sip - $18.99
A pleasing white blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Muscat delivers bright fruit flavours on the palate and nose with a touch of honey notes. Off-dry with a medium finish. Could use a bit more acid to truly round out the balance. 86pts

2008 Chardonnay - $23.99
A full-bodied oaked Chardonnay with good crispness. Citrus notes and ripe orchard fruit flavours with toasted oak and butter notes. Wet stone minerality adds complexity. 87pts

2008 Merlot - $25.99
Great tannins and texture are a happy surprise with this Merlot that tastes of chocolate and dark berries. Wine lovers who find Merlot boring should definitely give this one a try. 88pts

2007 Freud's Ego - $15.99
Recently discounted down from $20, this is a bargain Bordeaux blend that needs food to bring out the flavours. On its own it falls a bit flat. 85pts

Van Westen Vineyards
Winemaker Robert Van Westen makes all-natural, no additive, no nonsense wines. He doesn't filter or manipulate in anyway. This produces wines that can be very exciting and even a bit intimidating with strong tannins on the palate (that is the case for his red blend called Voluptuous - but we love it all the same). This Spring he has three new whites on offer and each one is impressive and worth a taste.

2008 Vino Grigio - $18.90
This is Pinot Gris done as an Italian Pinot Grigio which is to say un-oaked and full of fruit intensity. A perfect wine for a hot deck on a sunny day - very refreshing. 88pts

2008 Vivacious - $18.90
Two words describe this wine accurately: "Yum" and "Eee". Actually, you can't improve on the name. Pinot Blanc never tasted so complete and fulfilling - it does have a touch of Pinot Gris added to help round out the flavour and texture. Excellent fruit concentration. 89pts

2008 Viognier - $24.90
Definitely one of the best Viognier in the Provence currently on offer. This varietal is growing in popularity and anyone jumping on the bandwagon should try Robert's. Good crispness of citrus acidity with a healthy nose and full-ish palate of tropical fruits. 90pts

In a very general conclusion, the Naramata Bench Wineries Association's Spring release event was highlighted by some incredible 2009 vintage whites. Not to say there aren't some fantastic reds coming out, but the '09 whites stole the show. The long , hot Okanagan summer of 2009 seems to have produced intense aromas and flavours and allowed for full ripeness on the early ripening white varietals. A sudden and strong Fall frost may have caused some problems for 2009 vintage reds, time will tell.
- By Liam Carrier

2009 BC Vintage Report

The following notes and quotes have been collected from numerous BC Wine industry contacts (as noted) describing what seems to have been an above average growing season, albeit a condensed one. - LC

Laughing Stock Vineyards: (Sep 29th)
"If you had asked us this spring, when snow still covered the vineyard, as to how the season would end, we would have been rather pessimistic with the latest bud break we've ever had thanks to the late arrival of spring. Coupled with the TSX at 7,500, things were looking pretty dire, with nature and the market obviously in cahoots. Fast forward 6 months, the TSX is over 11,000 and in the past 90 days of Okanagan sunshine, we've only had 2 days of rain, resulting in the earliest harvest ever at Laughing Stock."

From Burrowing Owl Estate Winery: (Oct 1st)
"Following an almost picture perfect grape growing summer the harvest has come upon us early. There is a good chance that you will see the action when you visit us during The Okanagan Wine Festival. Chardonnay (pictured here) and Pinot Gris were harvested Sept 21 & Sept. 22. Look for a spectacular vintage to result from this year's harvest. The quality of the grapes coming in are fantastic."

Road 13 Vineyards & Winery: (Dec 3rd)
"In the Okanagan Valley, cool climate viticulture is defined by its compressed growing season, which is possible with the long daylight hours that southern regions miss. 2009 was, hands down, the most compressed vintage that we’ve ever seen in the Okanagan. Bud break began almost 3 weeks late yet, despite the late start, the vines easily caught up with little rain and perfect temperatures for uninterrupted growth. We started into harvest well ahead of schedule which was fortunate because we were about to get hit with some unseasonably cold weather much earlier than normal. The growing season ended about 2 weeks early with a leaf killing frost (albeit on generally ripe grapes). We were fortunate for our ripeness to have caught up the way it did!
Obviously the weather conditions will have an impact on the flavours and textures of the wines, which will reveal themselves over time. Nobody honestly knows if the impact will be positive or simply “different”. The star wines that we have noticed so far in the cellar are definitely Chardonnay, which is showing excellent intensity and balance, and Merlot and Syrah, which are showing very good intensity as well as excellent tannic structure. Overall, we’re excited for the new vintage to be released and can’t wait to share them!"

Averill Creek Vineyard: (Dec)
"Averill Creek had a wonderful year in 2009 with a bumper harvest of very good quality, ripe fruit. We were expecting 65 tons of grapes and ended up picking 92 tons. The quality of the Pinot Noir was exceptional and we have great hopes for making a reserve which would be available in 2011. We will have good volumes of Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer for 2010 and we will be releasing a new wine made in a Beaujolais style from our Marechal Foch."

Wild Goose Vineyards: (Dec 8th)
"Anyone who thinks that farming is not exciting should have lived through the 2009 growing season! It started after one of the coldest winters that we had ever experienced in our 25 years of growing grapes. Although there was tremendous damage to vineyards throughout the entire valley, Wild Goose fared rather well in that we suffered only small losses to our crops, both at our vineyards and at those selected vineyards which grow for us. Many Okanagan grape growers suffered huge losses to plants and crops. The harsh winter slowed the start of spring, but things picked up in June when the sun began to heat our valley. Once things warmed up, the heat never let up! The intense heat led to one of our earliest harvests on record. The harvest came so fast that our Wild Goose Riesling was harvested in September, the only time in our history that we picked Riesling in September!! Every variety appeared to ripen at the same time. We proceeded to pick one variety after another, with no breaks in between. Fortunately most of our grapes were harvested when the entire valley was hit with -10 C temperatures on October 10. Many locals who live in the Okanagan say they had never experienced cold temperatures like this so early in October. Any grapes that were still hanging when the freeze occurred were unaffected by the frost because the grapes were already ripe and were just waiting their turn to be picked and processed. After this freeze the valley experienced seasonally normal temperatures. So what was the result of all of this strange weather on the wine industry? One of the best harvests we have ever experienced!! Lovely clean fruit with vibrant flavours and beautiful crisp acidity. 2009 will certainly be an excellent vintage to watch out for when the wines are released in mid April!"

Black Hills Estate Winery: (Dec 9th)
"As you may have heard, the 2009 vintage could well be one of the most outstanding of the decade! Mother Nature delivered unto the South Okanagan a beautifully hot growing season from June to late September. Lots of warm days to enable full ripening of the fruit and cool nights to help capture the acidity in the grapes. This resulted in a harvest that started two weeks early than normal and kept our vineyard crew hopping throughout September.

When an early frost hit the Okanagan Valley on Oct. 7, 8 and 9, the impact was nominal to us as most of our grapes had already been picked. What grapes were on the vine were quickly harvested and processed with no impact on their quality. All in all, our winemaking team is very excited by what is shaping up in the tanks and barrels. The flavor profiles are incredible!"