The Okanagan's 2012 Vintage

viticulturalists, do not get a lot of media exposure. Although in fairness to most, they are not the type who seek the limelight. It is my experience that grape growers are happiest in the vineyard where they seem oblivious to the day-to-day hustle and bustle of the big city. Frankly, who can blame them? A vine-covered slope in the Okanagan, Similkameen or Cowichan valleys can be a very enticing place to work, and clearly nothing like the hotel ballroom where we convened last week.

The British Columbia Wine Institute enticed a small cross-section of Okanagan grape growers and winemakers to make a rare appearance in Vancouver to speak about the 2012 growing season and the resulting "2012 vintage" about to be widely released in bottle across the province. The panel was a mix of folks, from south to north, that included Sandra Oldfield/ Andrew Moon from Tinhorn Creek, Howard Soon/Nathan Goltz from Sandhill in the Oliver subzone, Rob Van Westen from Van Westen Vineyards on Naramata Bench; Michel Bartier and Theo Siemens from Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland; and Warwick Shaw from Tantalus in southeast Kelowna.

Tinhorn Creek Winemaker and CEO Sandra Oldfield and wine grower Andrew Moon kicked off the seminar suggesting 2012 was an almost perfect growing season before the rain fell late in the season. Rainfall on the cusp of any harvest can be traumatic for grapes still on the vines, causing them to lose sugar via dilution and generally setting back the ripening process. It is not a welcomed event during the cool short days of October that further adds to the angst among growers and owners about when to pick.

Speaking about the 2012 vintage, her 19th in B.C., Oldfield joked a bit that some of the newer producers in the region thought it was awesome coming off three tough, cool years in 2009, 2010 and 2011 but it was the late rainfall Oldfield will remember. It didn't affect the white grapes that were already in the barn, as they say, but the jury is still out on the reds, most of which will not be released for another year.

The big news we learned from viticulturalist Andrew Moon, seconded by Rob van Westen and others is that they are watering less but more frequently and later into the fall. In effect, they are no longer parching the vines, and the results are riper, softer, rounder tannins. This could be a game changer for many red wines in the Okanagan that often bear greener, harder tannins in the finish.

Winemaker Michael Bartier is all about the vineyard. Switchback Vineyard is his home site in Summerland where, together with farmer Theo Siemens, the intention is to make wines in the vineyard and to let the vineyards articulate what they are through the wines. "At Haywire they are farming vines not grapes," says Bartier and embracing naturally low pH numbers (a measure of acidity or alkalinity of water soluble substances). The lower the pH, the higher the acidity - something we can achieve in cool-climate B.C.

Two and half kilometres across the lake, winemaker/grower Rob Van Westen enjoys a similar mid-valley growing season with clay below the main north-south road and rocks above it. The site is milder than Kelowna, but cooler than Oliver/Osoyoos. Van Westen poured a delicious preview of 2012 Viognier, easily one of the best in the valley and told us he watched the rain and people picking, but he waited long into November for his reds. For him, the vintage went from a 9.5 out of 10 before the rain to an 8.5 or 9 after.

There was plenty of talk about acidity led by Tantalus viticulturalist Warwick Shaw, who proudly proclaimed that "acid is our friend." His old and very old vines, mostly Weiss clone 21B planted to different slopes and aspects all following the natural contours of the land, are the envy of the Okanagan. Shaw got the biggest laugh of the day when he suggested that indeed "great wine is made in the vineyards that's why we didn't bring David (winemaker David Patterson) to Vancouver."

Tantalus is all about minimalist vineyard management, a lean canopy. Shaw micro-manages his nutrients and water, dispensing them in minor amounts to barely keep his vineyard alive. The end result is he is growing grapes, not leaves and vines. Shaw loves his 2012 Riesling, calling it textbook, describing it as "more tropical, with even ripening that slowly gets to the mark."

Spending an afternoon talking about an Okanagan vintage may seem like a waste of time to a certain sector of the wine retail business who insist consumers couldn't care less about vintage and site. Too bad you couldn't hear directly from the wineries who couldn't care more about their properties and the vagaries of every vintage they produce, year in and year out.

We learned that 2012 will be a very good to excellent year for B.C. whites and rosé. We are happy to provide a glimpse of what's coming in the next few weeks, along with some late-release 2011s with this week's wine picks.

Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2012, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $19

UPC       624802981024

Score    89/100

Remarks              Tinhorn has hit the target two years running now with this Gris. Freshness and lively acidity makes all the difference when it comes to pinot gris. A razor edge mix of ripe fruit and bright acidity makes each sip fun and refreshing. Look for more citrus, green apple and dried herbs (sagebrush) with some stony minerality in the finish. The fruit is a mix of Black Sage Bench and Golden Mile Bench. Food-friendly and ready to drink all summer.

Tantalus Riesling 2012, East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $23

UPC       626990067412

Score    91/100

Remarks              Never for the faint of heart the Tantalus riesling is at the extreme end of freshness and acidity most years all in a good way. Expect a pureness of fruit with electric mineral floral citrus and tropical fruit notes perhaps slightly tempered in 2012. The attack is crisp the flavours exact and vibrant offering a mix of lemon, honey, lime and tangerine notes. Always a juicy mouth-watering style that excels with food.

Road 13 Seventy-Four K 2011, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $25.00

UPC       626990081388

Score    89/100

Remarks              Seventy-Four K is a 46/45/ m and syrah with viognier, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and mourvèdre from Black Sage Bench, upper and lower, the Golden Mile and Cawston's upper bench. It's a cool vintage but the blend seems to rise above the challenge. The nose is very smoky and showing plenty of oak toast after spending twelve months in French and American Oak. Look for a dark colour and despite more oak and toast a svelte black fruit undercarriage with refinement and balanced. The finish is long and well balanced with dried herbs and chocolate notes. This need five years more age in bottle or you can serve it now with a big piece of grilled meat.

Van Westen Vineyards Viognier 2012, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $25

UPC       626990055747

Score    89/100

Remarks              The latest Van Westen viognier over delivers on the nose with rich tropical tones mixing honey ginger and litchi fruit aromas flecked with orange and rosewater. The attack is juicy and fresh but with creamy lees more ginger, litchi, lemon oil and white flowers. The Van Westen wines always have a sense of finesse and balance that shows itself in the glass. All the fruit comes of two north Naramata sites: Orlando Vineyard and Granite Ridge Vineyard.

Quails' Gate Chardonnay Stewart Family Reserve 2011, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $35

UPC       778856211016

Score    89/100

Remarks              Just released the Family Reserve has risen into the top ranks of BC chardonnay. Look for green apple, sage, guava, spicy garlic lees aromas flecked with vanilla, butter and orange/floral aromas. The attack is dry and fresh with vanilla, honey, garlic, smoky, baked pear flavours. It has excellent fruit and concentration with prominent creamy lees/croissant notes throughout. The majority of this blend is a French clone 95. Drink now or hold for minimum five years.

Clos du Soleil Rosé 2012, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Price      $19

UPC       857088000206

Score    87/100

Remarks              I'm not a huge fan of cabernet sauvignon rosé but if it's ripe and fresh it can be fun. The Clos du Soleil is a medium red coloured rosé, it is cabernet after all, and it is a mix of red cranberry-style fruit with a twist of strawberry. The palate is similar with more of a raspberry fruit character flecked with menthol and vanilla. This is rosé built for food - veal or pork and red pepper brochettes would be a fine choice.

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