Visiting Liquidity Wines and a Dividend Club™ Vertical Wine Tasting

What is the Dividend Club™?

Sounds intriguing and I was curious to see what it was all about so I contacted Stephen Judge, Wine Club Manager, to arrange a visit.

Tasting in the stand alone Dividend Club™ Tasting Room is the opportunity to experience a “vertical” tasting. Wine Spectator explains “in a vertical tasting. Different vintages from the same winery are tasted, with the idea of highlighting the differences between various vintages.”

Liquidity has introduced the Dividend™  Club: offering more of what their Premium Customers are looking for with exclusive access to their limited inventory wines.

Members receive 12-bottles from their reserve collection every year. This includes two bottles of each of their six reserve wines as a pre-release. Dividend™ members will be given an opportunity to purchase from the reserve portfolio before they are released to the public. With such limited inventory of these exclusive wines, they anticipate this will mean the Reserve releases will be sold solely through the Dividend™ Club. A bonus for Dividend™ Club members who get the opportunity to win a Liquidity VIP Getaway in the exclusive Executive Suite including a Chef’s dinner and wine pairings.

The actual structure that houses the Club is quite nondescript on the exterior but inside it is like walking into a different world. Not surprisingly the interior is mainly white with subdued but tasteful furnishings and as you might expect from Liquidity it feels and looks like a modern art gallery. Very zen and a fabulous space to taste and compare reserve and library wines.

The day we were there it was quiet and still early which might explain why we had this wonderful space to ourselves. We chose to sit at the bar that runs most of the width of the room. It is a good spot because it means you sit directly across from rows of wine as a backdrop while Stephen is explaining the wines as he pours,  keeping you focused on the tasting.

The room is so lovely I think I may have found it distracting if I had been seated at one of the tables spaciously set about the room, interspersed with beautiful artwork and sculptures. During the time we were there the art on display was from the Philip Jarmain American Beauty exhibit and sculpture pieces by Jim Kazanjian. The works alone are worth a visit. Note: there is more art displayed in the main building which houses a tasting room and the Liquidity Bistro.

While Judge set up our glasses for the vertical tasting we enjoyed a splash of the Liquidity 2018 Rosé. A delicate pink tone with fruity notes and more flavour than the colour may suggest. Always very popular and among the first wines to sell out. Rosé lovers would do well not to wait.

This beautifully pink wine has aromas of strawberry yogurt, rhubarb, hibiscus, cranberry and a hint of Campino candies. On the palate this dry rosé offers bright acidity, light tannic structure and flavours of red currants, pink grapefruit, strawberry and crab apple, with a hint of spice.

Now it’s time to begin:

2014 Reserve Chardonnay 

Toasty notes and a rich nose of vanilla cream, pear, honeysuckle, lemon curd, apple peel and caramel, the creaminess on the palate gives way to mineral tones and a lovely tension between the fruit and the acidity. Flavours of Anjou pear, lime zest, lemon butter, nectarine, white currant and honeycomb linger in a long complex finish.

A perfect couplement to lemon parmesan risotto, full fat cheeses, creamy pasta, grilled pork, shellfish or roasted summer vegetables.

This chardonnay gave aromas of grandma’s armoire, higher acidity, heavy oak scents, as well as aromas or brandy and caramel. Pleasant and lighter than I expected. This wine was started by the previous winemaker and finished by winemaker Alison Moyes. A transition wine of a sort. 56 cases $42.00

2015 Reserve Chardonnay 

This elegant Chardonnay has layered aromas of lemon shortbread, pineapple, peach, and a hint of white floral notes. A rich creamy mouthfeel and bright acidity frame the complex, well-balanced flavours of baked apple, pear, lemon curd, nectarine, buttery brioche, hazelnuts, with hints of spice on the long finish.

This wine is a perfect complement to roasted pork loin, creamy seafood pasta, lobster, raclette, lemon roasted chicken, or a light summer salad.

A very light nut scent with light oak, more new oak was used than in 2014. A raw wood aroma with a nice mild taste. Very nice, not sweet, with mild flavour and a fruity taste. A light new wood essence. As it sits it becomes a bit tart and lighter. It is paler in colour than the 2016. $42.00 (This was my overall favourite of the three Chardonnays)

2016  Reserve Chardonnay

This elegant Chardonnat has layered aroms of toasted almond, pear, peach, and a hint of liquorice. This complex wine is round and creamy, featuring well-balanced flavours of lemon curd, pineapple, canteloupe, hints of hazelnut and an intense minerality with a long finish.

This wine pairs well with roasted pheasant, pork loin, la cheese plate, salmon dishes, creamy pasta or risotto with butter-basted scallops.

Gold medal Top Chardonnay in the World by Chardonnay du Monde 2018.

This one was toasty with almond and walnuts. The darkest colour of the three Chardonnays as well as mellower, soft, delicious and with good colour. After it sits I am coming around to it more but still my #2 to the 2015.

2014  Reserve Pinot Noir

This elegant wine has a nose of dark cherry, earthy notes, chocolte, black currant, some nuttiness, smoke and warm spice notes. Well balancd with silky tannins and flavours of blueberry, damson plum, lingonberry, pomegranate and a hint of black forest cake with some subtle smokiness and a long finish.

Pair with duck rillette, roasted wild game meats, mushroom ragu on fresh pasta, Comté cheese, grilled trout or roasted chicken will pair beautifully with this reserve wine.

Light with liquorice, berries, dark fruit and a wonderful aroma. A clear ruby colour with scents of raisin, some tannins but mild. $42.00

2015 Reserve Pinot Noir 

This elegant Pinot Noir has aromas of ripe berries, plum, cherry and cardamom. Its medium body and smooth tannins give way to bright acidity and flavours of black cherry, strawberry preserves, cola, plum, and hazelnut, with earthy and spice notes.

This wine will pair well with charcuterie platters, venison roast with blackberry sauce, muchroom risotto or grilled halibut with a roasted hazelnut crust.

Heavy, jammy aromas. Slightly deeper in colour than the 2014. Taste of cherries with a slightly perfume scent. $42.00

2016  Equity Pinot Noir

This age-worthy Pinot Noir has an elegant nose with aromas of ripe red berries, black cherry, violets, red plum and a hint of earthiness. Bright acidity,  fuller body and ripe velvety tannins open up to layered flavours of black cherry, raspberry, liquorice, rosehips and black tea, with a lingering finish.

This will will pair beautifully with roasted duck breast, crown pork rib roast, roasted beet salad or peppery greens. 

A slightly darker colour than the 2015 which in turn was deeper in colour than the 2014. Smooth and silky, rich and full bodied. Outstanding. $56.00

Visits to the Dividend Club™ are by appointment. Please contact the winery in advance to book a tasting time for the Dividend Club™ at tastingroom@nullliquiditywines.com or 778-515-5500, ext 2

STEPHEN JUDGE – Wine Club Manager

Stephen was born and raised in Montreal and prior to moving to the Okanagan he worked for a precious metals dealer there. In 2013, he and his partner Catherine moved to the Okanagan so that she could help her parents start their new winery in Oliver, VinAmité Cellars. Stephen also jumped into the wine industry at that time, beginning with the tasting room at Inniskillin and then working at Black Hills Estate Winery for a few years, where he gained experience with wine clubs and the Direct-to-Consumer market. He continues to help out in the wine cellar at his partner’s family winery.

Stephen joined the Liquidity team in the spring of 2017 to look after the tasting room and to grow our new Liquidity Wine Club. When Stephen is not in our tasting room or out at wine club member events, he loves to play golf. Also, as a diehard Habs fan, so his social schedule is often planned around game nights.

Welcome to Liquidity

GROWING AND PRODUCING INTERNATIONAL AWARD WINNING WINES FOR OVER 20 YEARS

We use sustainable and time-tested viticultural practices to provide the finest growing environment for our vines. Great wines begin with great grapes. The land of Liquidity Wines is rich in history, just as it’s soils are rich in the perfect minerals to grow a range of varietals. 10,000 years ago, glaciers covered the landscape deposited sand and gravel soils onto the south-facing property, creating the ideal growing conditions for fruits.

Our Tasting Room is now open daily from 11am to 6pm.

Tasting notes (in italics), Stephen Judge bio, Welcome to Liquidity, and feature image courtesy of Liquidity Wines. All images, except as noted, MyVanCity. I received a complimentary tasting for myself and one guest in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

 

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