Pinot's Progress
How They’re Doing - Can B.C. Pinot Noirs Age Well?
One of the questions often asked about B.C. pinot noirs is how long will they keep and improve. The modern wine industry in B.C. being just thirty years old or so, the answer to that question is only really just beginning to come in. Additionally, the actual number of pinot noirs being made grew very rapidly starting about fifteen years ago. And in the last decade and a half, improved winemaking, better technology and accumulated experience is coaxing the best from B.C. pinot noir to make these wines better and better, faster and faster. So there are a number of eras nested inside the grape’s history in B.C.
What is certainly true is that B.C. pinot noirs are mostly opened far too young, usually in the first couple of years. Like their counterparts in the better known pinot noir regions, many need time to develop out fully and show what they are capable of.
In the Pinot’s Progress series, I taste and review wines that are three years old or more (and some will be much older) to see how these older pinot noirs have aged. Here are six to consider.
O'Rourke's Peak Cellars Pinot Noir 2019
In The Glass
Generally rich, dense, darker fruit aromas reside, including dried plums, black mission fig, chocolate, licorice, and prune. Less dense, intense, and alcohol-driven than the nose might indicate, it's supple and balanced with fruit leather, baked cherry, and black Mission fig. The finish is long and well counterbalanced. Made with Lake Country estate-grown fruit. B- to B ~ 91
About the Winery
Dennis O’Rourke is the chairman of Sureway Construction Group Ltd., a company he founded in Edmonton in 1973. Beginning around 2009 he began to purchase farm land in the Lake Country area of the Northern Okanagan. The first property, acquired, Rainbow Gardens is now home to Peak Cellars Winery. After much renovation, the land was converted to vineyard area and the first vines were planted in 2013. The winery opened in 2017. The enormous property includes three hundred meters of circular tunnels and twelve thousand square-feet of cave space to store and age their wines.
There are now just over 104 acres under vine with half dedicated to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the rest to Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner and Gamay Noir. All wines are 100% Estate grown. Nikki Callaway is the head winemaker.
Current Vintage & Availability
Tasted October 14, 2023
Rathjen Cellars Pinot Noir Saison Vineyard 2020
In The Glass
Complex drifts of blueberry, cherry, fruit leather, earthiness and dried clay on the nose. The savoury flavours are very subtle and drifting as well, with dried plum, plum skin, dried blueberries, cherry fruit leather, dried flowers, vanilla, and some baking spices. The texture is light and very ethereal with great fruit clarity, restrained alcohol, and a mellow fruit intensity. The exceptional balance and dreamy harmony of elements here show why the Saison Vineyard is so well regarded. B ~ 92
In The Winery & Vineyard
Made entirely from Cowichan Valley’s Saison Vineyard’s Southern sloping, deep rocky soils, this pinot blends clones 115, 667, 777, 828, all dry farmed since planting in 2009. Cold soaked for 48 hours before a native ferment in open top neutral French puncheons, with twice daily punch downs for a week. This remained in barrels for two years before bottling without fining or filtration
About the Winery
Rathjen Cellars began as a farm-based winery located on the Saanich peninsula, just outside Victoria, BC.. The founder Mike Rathjen was committed to working with 100% Vancouver Island fruit, and worked to bring under-utilized farmland back to health and into production. The winery also had access to vineyards that had previously supplied two Saanich wineries, Dragonfly Hill Vineyard and Starling Lane Winery. These were in addition to his own 2 ½ acre vineyard planted in 2016. Unfortunately, due to Covid, the pressures of weather and wine commerce on small wineries the winery closed permanently in the Summer of 2023.
About Saison Vineyard
In 2009 Frederic Desbiens and Ingrid Lehwald, began planting the Saison Vineyard in the Cowichan Valley. Dry-farmed, the vineyard is planted at a higher density (about 50% greater) than a typical North American site. Dedicated farmers, they work the vineyard meticulously and mostly themselves. They call it “attentive farming.” The plant responds to the growing season, and they react to it. A number of Cowichan Valley wineries have used their pinot noir grapes to make excellent pinot noirs.
Tasted August 22, 2023
Alderlea Vineyards Pinot Noir 2020
In The Glass
The evolution of pinot noir in the Cowichan Valley Sub-GI typically trends towards lighter, ethereal, precision fruit, but Alderlea goes its own way here, showing the scope of pinot noir’s capacities.
The vineyard was planted in 1993 with a mix of Dijon clones 113, 115, 667, and 777, plus Alsace clones 538, Colmar, and 93. The Alsace clones have skins significantly thicker than a Dijon clone and impart more tannin and colour than most coastal pinot noir. Fresh blackberry, loganberry, and marionberry of elevated intensity show on the nose and in the glass and continue laser-like, maintaining well into the finish. Bigger pinot noirs can want acidity or contain compensating winemaking adjustments that compromise balance. However, the edge of acidity and complementary tannins in the wine provide enough back current to keep the fruit from taking over.
It’s a feat to deliver this much fruit intensity combined with such a graceful, echoing balanced finish on 13% alcohol. B- to B ~ 91
In The Winery & Vineyard
The grapes were harvested at 24 brix, with a TA of 6.8 and a PH of 3.4.
About the Winery
Zac Brown and Julie Powell purchased the meticulously tended Alderlea Vineyards in 2017 from one of the valley’s pioneer pinot noir winemakers, Roger Dosman, who was retiring from the business. Both left corporate careers to pursue their dream of a small, quality winery based on standard organic practices. Though not formally trained, they share the winemaking, and both have won national awards for their wines. The vineyard sports a diverse cover cropped, pollinator-friendly and no tilling.
Current Vintage & Availability
Tasted August 20, 2023
Little Engine Gold Pinot Noir 2020
In The Glass
The nose is slight, light plum and chocolate, a whiff of Mission fig, Seville orange, rich mulberry, loganberry, and more. In the glass, ample red berry fruit, mission fig, oak involvement, and dried fruit. It is a little weighty and bigger bodied, with some alcohol heat and tannic friction at this point, but the wine carries it all with grace. The finish is lengthened and flavourful. C+ ~ 88
In The Winery & Vineyard
Sourced exclusively from estate vineyards, the involved clones are 115, 667, 777, 828, 943, 91, Swan, and Mt. Eden. The yield is about 2 tons per acre. The grapes are destemmed into one ton fermenters and undergo a 6-7 day cold soak before a natural fermentation. The wine matures in the barrel (28% new French puncheons, balance in 2nd fill) for 15 months with no racking until pre-bottle blending. Unfined and unfiltered.
About the Winery
Steven and Nicole French purchased their first Naramata bench property in 2011 and converted the existing land to vineyard. They later bought a second property on Naramata Road that included existing vines and a winery. In total, they own or control about twenty-five acres of Naramata Bench vineyards. The winery focuses mainly on chardonnay and pinot noir.
Current Vintage & Availability
Tasted October 16, 2023
Blue Grouse Estate Pinot Noir 2020
In The Glass
A delightful assemblage here of savoury cherry, raspberry, pomegranate and some forest floor, along with restrained alcohol and fine grained tannins. This Cowichan Valley sub-GI blend has a small percentage of Saison Vineyard fruit. A fine example of how far pinot noir from this area has evolved. The takeaway here is the clarity of fruit, a finely tuned balance, and a very agreeable tension between all elements. B- to B ~ 91
In The Winery & Vineyard
These pinot noir vines were planted between 1992 and 1994. The aspect is South facing on a slope of about 6ºC. 100% organically farmed using no/ minimal till cover crop rotations, minimal irrigation, full leaf stripping and crop thinning. TA 7.2 Harvest Date: October 15, 2020 – Brix 20.5
The winery whole cluster fermented a portion in terracotta amphora to achieve a large percentage of carbonic maceration and maintain a fruit forward profile while keeping tannins in check. It was then fermented slowly over three weeks before pressing. The wine was finished in Amphora, 500 L new French puncheons and neutral French oak barrel for 12 months before blending. Un-fined and un-filtered, the wine was bottled and further aged for 6 months prior to release. Production 225 cases
About the Winery
Blue Grouse, the second Vancouver Island winery to receive its license, was begun by Dr. Hans Kiltz in 1992, and he made pinot noir as part of his lineup. It was subsequently purchased by Paul Brunner and his family in 2012. They were thinking big, as their efforts included building a spectacular new winery tasting room and accommodations and two rounds of new vineyard plantings, including pinot noir. The quantity and quality of the wines over the past decade at Blue Grouse has steadily risen.
A second Blue Grouse change in ownership came in December 2022 when the winery was sold to a group from the Jackson family.
Current Vintage & Availability
Tasted August 20, 2023
Unsworth Vineyards Pinot Noir 2020
In The Glass
Scented with notes of undergrowth and savoury light blackberry and mulberry. Lighter and less intense on the palate than some previous vintages, but more complex and subtle than ever with great balance and precision of fruit. B- to B ~ 91
In The Winery & Vineyard
A mix of clones is used: 115, 667, 777, 828, as well as a clone whose origin is unknown
The blend here is 76 percent Saison vineyard fruit with 16 percent Unsworth estate fruit and 8 percent Zanatta Vineyard pinot. The fruit is destemmed and then whole berry fermented in stainless before spending one year in barriques, of which 10 percent are new.
About the Winery
Tim Turyk was vacationing near the Cowichan Valley in 2009. He made an offer on a piece of land he had spied. And so the let’s-build-a-family-winery retirement project began with his son Chris as overall manager.
Since it began, the winery’s reputation has grown via a range of impressive wines, including whites, sparkling, rosés and reds. On the pinot noir front, early on, they were able to supplement their two acres of estate pinot noir with fruit from the Saison vineyard - a great piece of luck.
The wine world eventually took notice. In June 2020, Unsworth was sold to Americans Barbara Banke and Julia Jackson of giant Jackson Family Wines. As admirers of what Unsworth was doing, they left the entire management and staff in place, bringing instead financial resources and industry expertise to extend and deepen what the winery was already doing. Their new vineyard plantings alone could see total pinot noir acreage in the Cowichan Valley increase by fifty percent.
Current Vintage & Availability
Tasted July 12, 2023
Some Thoughts
Although this tasting was just a small sample, of slightly older wines, I think a few things shone through.
The wines were scored according to how they tasted on the day and the average score was close to 91 points, with the wines coming from three distinct areas, Naramata, Lake Country and the Cowichan Valley. B.C. is crafting elegant, flavourful high quality pinot noirs from a range of vineyard sites in the province.
With the exception of the wine from Little Engine where they continue to cast oak as a protagonist in their pinot noir productions, the wines did not have wood or tannic scrims masking the fruit components. The primary and secondary aromas and flavours were quite accessible. This showed that waiting even a few more years before opening, allowed the wines to assemble their flavour components helped make a difference in how well the wines presented.
The Pinot’s Progress series is ongoing so stay tuned for tastings of older B.C. pinot noirs. Have a look at the first article in the series on a Blue Mountain pinot noir from 2017 tasted twice, four years apart.
