I attended “10 Years on: A Rollingdale Tasting 2004 – 2013” at The Hamilton Street Grill last week. Rollingdale is an unassuming farm gate organic winery in West Kelowna owned by Steve and Kirsty Dale. It lies on the western shore of Lake Okanagan just a short drive from downtown Kelowna. They use organic practices in their cellar and strive to only use the very best fruit available. I really enjoyed meeting Steve and Kirsty and learning more about the dream they have pursued, which has taken them from Ontario to Europe and back finally to BC. Also in attendance was Kyp Rowe, their vineyard manager who has an unbounded passion for Pinot Noir.
I started off with a selection of their Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay wines. Some were, as expected, a little past their prime due to their age. Not many white wines are still good after ten years in the bottle, though there are exceptions to the rule. Then it was onto the Pinot Noir (my favourite) flight. It was hard to pick a favourite here, since they were all good to very good and each one had its own unique character. A blend of the best of them would have been quite outstanding – I’m thinking the Stoney Slopes 06/07 with a little of the reserve 07 and 09 to round it out. Unfortunately, Rollingdale hasn’t made any Pinot Noir since 2009 due to sourcing problems. I’m sure looking forward to when they add it back into their line-up.
Next, was a journey through ten years of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a couple of Marechel Foch thrown in to keep it all interesting. The wines showed that they could age quite well. Particularly good were the 2006 Blue Terrace Merlot and the 2009 “La Gauche” Cabernet. The “La Droite” Merlot wine series pays respect to the right bank Merlot dominated wines of Bordeaux while their “La Gauche” (left bank) wines are Cabernet based.
Besides seeing how the various years compared to each other, it was interesting to note how the various vineyards: Rosebud, Blue Terrace, Iversen, and Stoney Slopes all showed their own terroir.
The Hamilton Street restaurant staff kept bringing yummy appetizers around while I was hard at work tasting, making notes and spitting.
Finally, it was on to the collection of ice wines, made from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Icewine is a specialty at Rollingdale. One of my favourites was the 2012 Organic Chardonnay Icewine.
Thanks so much to Steve and Kirsty Dale for digging into their private stock for this rare opportunity and hosting the event. Give their wines a try and stop by the winery when you are touring the Okanagan. Visit their web site to find out more: http://www.rollingdale.ca/
