We wanted to share some of the very best B.C. Pinot Noirs we have tasted recently
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As you read this, the 46th Vancouver International Wine Festival is in full motion at the Trade and Convention Centre. Expect a final roundup of what happened inside the tasting room, including thoughts on what attending producers think about the future of wine in next week’s column.
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Today, we examine the fortunes of Pinot Noir in B.C. and its place among the intense international competition. Burgundy remains the eternal home of Pinot and its famed original patchwork of climats (single vineyards and blocks) on the Cote d’Or. It’s the subtle facets of its terroir that make Burgundy unique, but that position once seemingly safe, if not at times unassailable, is losing momentum due to relentlessly rising prices and the global competition chipping away at the market one region at a time.
Those prices have created plenty of room for the competition to get into the game, which is needed, given the challenges of working with a grape known as the heartbreak grape. The notoriously fussy variety has a spotty history of success outside Burgundy because, frankly, it’s been a struggle to duplicate that Pinot’s ethereal nature. Still, in the last 20 years, some parts of the world have made exceptional progress in turning out quality Pinot Noir. First-time drinkers usually succumb to Pinot’s silky, juicy fruit. At the same time, veteran swillers admire the concentration, complexity, and depth of flavour that spring from this mysterious red, as fickle as the wind.
Among Burgundy’s challengers, many now in their third or fourth decade include Central Otago, Martinborough, Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough in New Zealand; the Sonoma Coast, Russian River, Carneros, Monterey and Santa Barbara County in California; Leyda, Casablanca and Limarí in Chile, the island of Tasmania, Yarra Valley in Australia and parts of coastal South Africa. Closer to home Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Prince Edward County and the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and finally, just around the corner, the Okanagan Valley and the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island.
At a time when many have enjoyed the best-on-best hockey at the Four Nations Tournament, we wanted to share some of the very best B.C. Pinot Noirs we have tasted recently. A few names are missing, but we only report on what we taste, and release dates vary widely. Given the explosion of top labels from B.C., we can only list the names here. You can read full notes at gismondionwine.com. Before you email me, we do not set the prices and you get what you pay for.
• 90 Meyer Pinot Noir 2023 Okanagan Valley $26
• 89 Orofino Pinot Noir Home Vineyard 2021 Cawston $32
• 90 Moraine Pinot Noir Sophia Vineyard 2022 Naramata Bench $33
• 89 Code Wines Estate Blend Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Falls $34
• 92 Blue Mountain Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Falls $35
• 90 Blue Grouse Pinot Noir 2021 Pinot Noir Cowichan Valley $36
• 89 Spearhead Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Valley $36
• 91 Unsworth Vineyards Pinot Noir 2022 Cowichan Valley $40
• 90 Van Westen Vineyards Di Bello Wines VD Pinot Noir 2023 Naramata Bench $40
• 93 Blue Mountain Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Falls $45
• 91 Spearhead Pinot Noir Cuvée 2022 East Kelowna Slopes $46
• 92 Quails’ Gate Dijon Clone Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Valley $49
• 91 Lightning Rock Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 Summerland Bench $50
• 91 Lightning Rock Reserve Pinot Noir Canyonview Vineyard 2022 Summerland Bench $50
• 94 Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Block 14 Gravel Force 2022, Okanagan Falls $55
• 93 Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Block 9 Wild Terrain 2022 Okanagan Falls $55
• 92 Liquidity Reserve Pinot Noir 2020 Okanagan Valley $60
• 91 Liquidity Reserve Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Falls $61
• 92 CedarCreek Platinum Pinot Noir 2022 East Kelowna Slopes $67
• 93 Unsworth Vineyards Pinot Noir Saison Vineyard 2022 Cowichan Valley $76
• 90 Little Engine Vineyard Selection Pinot Noir 2022 Okanagan Valley $90
Weekend wine picks
Meyer Pinot Noir 2023, Okanagan Valley
$25.30 I 89/100
UPC: 00808755007172
There wasn’t much wine made in 2023, with as much as 50 per cent of the crop suffering winter damage across the region, but Meyer Pinot Noir fans can breathe easy. There will be a good supply of the regular Meyer Family Pinot (1,822 cases), a valuable touchstone for folks who want a well-made Pinot Noir they can drink that won’t sink the budget. At a modest 13.5 per cent alcohol, this earthy, juicy cherry raspberry red with spice has everything you could want under $26, including less than 1 gram per litre of residual sugar. Winemaker Chris Carson does little to these wines, leaving them to tell their story in the glass. The fruit is hand-picked from four vineyard sites found in Naramata, Osoyoos, Kaleden, and Okanagan Falls and aged in neutral French oak barrels and puncheons while leaving no discernible oak. It is ready to drink and a terrific, juicy value, too.
Quails’ Gate Dijon Clone Pinot Noir 2022, Okanagan Valley
$49 I 92/100
UPC: 778856222425
The Dijon Clone Pinot Noir is an exclusive mix of Clones 828, 777, and 667 plantings first brought to Canada by founder Ben Stewart. At 15 years of age, the vines planted in sandy volcanic soils are reaching the end of their youth and settling in for the long run. The style is focused on dense black cherry and plum fruit, with a pinch of dried wild herbs and desert scrub. Savoury and round, with just a hint of sour cherry in the back end to heighten the acid and its appeal, this is a complex, showy, winner. It is barely ready to drink but will thrill drinkers through 2028 and beyond under screwcap. Recommended with Asian spiced duck, venison, or a Moroccan tagine leg of a lamb.
Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Block 14 Gravel Force 2022, Okanagan Falls
$55 I 94/100
UPC: 626452571228
Block 14, named Gravel Force, nods to the numerous small, round stones mixed into light clay sitting over a dry old riverbed. It faces west and south, giving the 35-year-old 115 and 667 clones a hefty dose of Okanagan Falls sun. The result is an opulent, riper style, almost muscular, with hints of Bing cherries and plums, all mixed with a round, cola, savoury finish à la Central Otago. The tannins are polished and silky, making it a pleasure to sip. A more hedonistic wine this year will only attract more buyers — big value.
Liquidity Reserve Pinot Noir 2022, Okanagan Falls
$60.99 I 91/100
UPC: 626990456049
A stone’s throw from Blue Mountain and not far from Meyer Vineyard, Liquidity’s Allendale Vineyard is planted to several Pinot clones, of which Burgundy’s 667 (lush red fruits with rich texture), and 115 (earthy savoury, damp forest floor) make it to this blend. The nose is a savoury affair with hints of cedar and smoked meat. The fruit is dark and muted with mushrooms and a dusting of toasted oak. The texture is rich, and the flavours are dry with muted plum and cherry notes. Think Oregon North. Drink or hold through 2029.
CedarCreek Platinum Pinot Noir 2022, East Kelowna Slopes, Okanagan Valley
$67 I 92/100
UPC: 778913801556
East Kelowna Slopes refers to the gently sloping land formed by Mission Creek in the last ice age. A large outwash fan of glacial debris formed in East Kelowna, leading to a wealth of variable soils. The distance from Lake Okanagan allows the slopes to warm during the day, leading to dark fruit flavours and dense tannins in the local Pinot Noir. Expect a brooding style of dark cherries, plums, and even a whiff of cassis. While firm and present, the structure isn’t overbearing, and the tannins are supple. If you like the generous New World style, this is for you. There is no rush to drink Pinot, clocking in at only 13 per cent alcohol; it will only expand in the bottle through 2023 — another level.
Calendar items
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Decanter Magazine reports that Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers, has urged California growers to speed up vine removal across the Golden State to align with declining demand. Bitter’s latest plea is for large-scale vineyard reductions in coastal regions.
“Everybody needs to chip in. We’re recommending our clients take out approximately 10 per cent of what they’re currently farming, depending on the age and health of the vineyard.” The oversupply of California grapes collides with declining wine consumption, shifting demographics, health concerns surrounding alcohol, rising competition from cannabis and other beverages, and wine’s higher per-serving cost. Add in inflation, rising interest rates, lower consumer confidence, and a weak dollar, and well, you get the point. Most would agree in the end, the reality is that this is not a supply problem but a demand problem, one that, in the end, will result in some people having to get out of the business.
B.C. wine of the week
Terravista Proyecto Terruño Sparkling Albariño 2024, California
$35 I 89/100
UPC: 626990449362
One of many new wines that will appear in B.C. this year and in the years to come is Proyecto Terruño, made by Naramata-based Terravista Vineyards, using fruit from outside Canada, in this case, California. Terravista worked with Albariño from Grand Island Vineyard in Clarksburg, California, picked and pressed on Aug. 12, trucked to Terravista to be fermented in a mix of concrete and stainless steel, and processed using the Charmat method. The secret to its success is four weeks on lees, adding more gravitas and a pleasing, creamy texture. Look for a refreshing, perfumed nose reminiscent of pear, mandarin, and kiwi. Crisp and just off-dry, it is a delicious expression of sparkling Albariño and one I have never seen in California. The back label reads: Made in Canada from imported ingredients, following CFIA regulations: “If Made in Canada is printed on the label, the claim must be qualified to indicate that it is manufactured in Canada from imported ingredients or a combination of imported and domestic ingredients.”
Value wine of the week
Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo 2022, Piedmont, Italy
$31.99 I 91/100
UPC: 8028981037091
Burgundy-trained winemaker Davide Rosso is the man behind one of Barolo’s more interesting producers. The Rosso family is farming according to organic and biodynamic practices, with minimal intervention. The wines are fermented in cement tanks with native yeasts and aged for several months in large oak vats, releasing a mix of red fruits, spice and intriguing savoury notes. A rising star in this market is the Langhe Nebbiolo. Fresh, elegant, and made to drink early, it can overwhelm you with its fragrance and flavours. An actual baby Barolo at a bargain price.