Cedarcreek Awakens

By that I mean that grape growers, winery owners, barrel and tank manufacturers, label designers and other secondary industries related to the grape are finally getting their due. Tourism Kelowna recently named CedarCreek Winery its "tourism industry leader organization of the year," honoring its contributions to the area's economy and no doubt recognizing the major renovations undertaken at CedarCreek in the past year. Last week I visited the revamped operation to meet with winemaker Tom DiBello, to tour the facility and assess the new wines. DiBello is a seasoned pro who has worked in California (Stags' Leap), Australia (Cape Mentelle) and Washington state. Today he couldn't be happier - with the upgrade of the winery or with his good fortune to be making wine for the Fitzpatrick family in Kelowna since he replaced former winemaker and good friend Kevin Willenborg in June 2000. Among the winery improvements is a large gravity-feed platform that enables DiBello to handle all incoming fruit very gently; no more harsh pumping that can bruise fruit and knock down much of its primary flavours. DiBello is especially proud of his new 4,500-square-foot barrel room (built into the same steep slopes the grapes grow on), where a sophisticated steam system maintains ideal temperature and humidity levels for storage. The changes tourists will notice most are at the front of the winery, where an expanded Mediterranean-style shop and the Vineyard Terrace patio will entice many to relax and enjoy the outstanding views of Okanagan Lake with a glass of CedarCreek wine and specialty tapas prepared on-site. Today's column looks at some of CedarCreek's premium offerings. Keep in mind that because production is limited, finding them isn't easy. Your best bets are to visit the winery, order on-line at www.cedarcreek.bc.ca, or check private wine shops, VQA stores and restaurant wine lists. Here are my notes: The best blocks of fruit from Greata Ranch, at Peachland, go into the Estate Select Pinot Blanc and you can taste it immediately. The entry is round and rich, with a definite lees component followed by a core of sweet melon fruit. This is top-drawer pinot blanc. About 45 per cent of the Estate Select Chardonnay is aged in new oak, while the rest is barrelled in year-old French wood, but you can still expect a fruity entry with lees, honey, citrus and green peach aromas and flavours. There's smoky lees and buttery popcorn in the flavour, but the fruit is lively, and the wine is well balanced. Bright, fresh mineral and citrus flavours mark the Platinum Chardonnay. It's a blend of fruit from four Okanagan vineyards: Mounz (Osoyoos), Black Hills (Oliver), Greata (Peachland) and CedarCreek (Kelowna). Look for creamy nectarine fruit with toasted oak; nothing is out of sync. Round, soft melon and apple flavours highlight the finish. Fine quality. The Estate Select Pinot Noir is blended from grapes grown at the Greata and CedarCreek vineyards, giving it a spicy, earthy character on the nose with hints of Worchester sauce and black cherry fruit. Earthy tobacco and dried-cherry fruit flavours mix with soy in the aftertaste. Drink now. The Platinum Pinot Noir is made from grapes grown at the winery high above Okanagan Lake. DiBello uses all new French oak, the best fruit and, further down the line, the best lots. The spicy cherry-jam nose is similarly jammy on the palate, with round, soft, smoky vanilla in the finish. A dry mid-palate and finish detract from an otherwise fine effort. Spicy, leafy black pepper and bell pepper fruit flavours spring from the Platinum Cabernet Sauvignon, along with cedar, clove and smoke to preview quite a big cabernet. The folks at CedarCreek like this wine, and so do I, but it might have been wiser to release it as top-notch estate selection, rather than try to meet the expectations the "Platinum" signature carries. Made-in-B.C. madeira is hardly believable, but the CedarCreek M is very close in style to the real thing. This blend of varietals includes wines from 1990 to 1995, and it has been cooking away for a decade. Look for intense nutty, rancio (rancid butter and raisins) and butterscotch aromas mixed with a bit of vin santo volatility. The toasted hazelnut flavours are intense. Quite an amazing effort and certainly worth trying as a curiosity. Weekend Wine Tasting: CedarCreek Estate Winery, Okanagan Valley Wine 2000 Estate Select Pinot Blanc Price $18.95* Stock No. 605253 Score 15/20 Remarks Excellent example of well-made pinot. Wine 2000 Estate Select Chardonnay Price $19.95 ($13.95 per 375 mL*) Stock No. 607200; 607226 Score 14.5/20 Remarks Green peach, honey and citrus. Wine 2000 Platinum Reserve Chardonnay Price $27.95* Stock No. 607218 Score 16/20 Remarks Fine creamy nectarine flavours with toasted oak. Wine 1999 Estate Select Pinot Noir Price $24.95 Stock No. 567412 Score 13/20 Remarks Dried cherry, earth, soy and tea leaf. Wine 1999 Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir Price $34.95* Stock No. 585711 Score 14.5/20 Remarks Bright cherry jam, smoke and vanilla. Wine 1999 Platinum Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Price $27.95* Stock No. 607234 Score 15.5/20 Remarks Spicy cedar, clove and pepper. Wine "M" - Madeira Style Wine Price $65 * Stock No. 728170 Score 15/20 Remarks Nutty butter and raisins. * Available at the winery, VQA and private wine shops, and selected restaurants.