“This series features both the BC Wine new vintages and a few favourites”
Exclusive. Rare. Limited. Delicious. Describe these limited edition wines from Coolshanagh. Originally a provider of grapes to other wineries in 2012 owners Skip and Judy Stothert launched their own wine made exclusively from grapes grown on their unique property.
CHARDONNAY 2016
Coolshanagh is a celebrated vineyard located north of Naramata between what was the ancient west coast of North America and Okanagan Mountain. Distinct regional flavours emerge from this fertile calcium carbonate loaded soil comprised of fractured glacial bedrock.
TASTING NOTES
As determined by Parra, each block of Chardonnay grapes is hand-picked at a different time, with the first picking taking place in mid-September and the last in early October 2016. Each section was treated differently to optimally express each unique vineyard location. For 11 months, a percentage of deeper, clay soil sections were whole cluster pressed into new oak puncheons to ferment, with the remainder being fermented in a concrete egg.
The wine underwent minimal handling and had lees stirring and bottling without fining or filtration. The idea was to create three separate parts that were uniquely represented in the whole wine. Alone, the parts showed the different sections and together the entire vineyard and all its nuances are brought into balance. This elegant wine exhibits aromas of straw, green apple and lychee, with a rich and layered texture. All flavours and textures
2017 Reserve Chardonnay
Limited edition; only 100 cases produced.
As determined by terroir consultant Dr. Pedro Parra & the winemaking team, each of the three pick blocks of Chardonnay grapes were hand-picked and separated based on must flavour, vineyard ripeness and site topography, as well as many other factors taken into consideration. The picking took place over October 9th,10th & 11th 2017.
Each pick block was whole cluster pressed separately to optimally express each unique vineyard location. Only the purest free run juice from the three individual press batches was selected, blended and separated out into two new 500-liter French oak puncheons for fermentation.
The wine underwent minimal handling with lees stirring every month and went to bottling without fining or filtration. The idea was to create three separate parts that were uniquely represented in the whole wine. Alone, the parts showed the different sections and together the entire vineyard and all its nuances are brought into balance. This New World Chardonnay was 100% French oak barrel fermented and aged which leads to aromas of butterscotch candy with nuances of tropical fruit, orange peel, caramel and grilled hazelnut.
15 months of gross lees contact in barrel lends a rich oily texture and combines richness and power with classical elegance. This wine has a classic Okanagan mineral streak on the palate and the stylish oak is well integrated with the rich ripe fruit flavours. Bottled March 2019. Limited edition; only 100 cases produced.
2017 Pinot Noir
Only 75 Cases Produced
As determined by Parra & the winemaking team, the single block of Pinot Noir grapes were hand-picked and separated based on must flavour, vineyard ripeness and site topography, as well as many other factors that are taken into consideration.
The picking took place on September 17th 2016 and fermentation over the last few weeks of September and the beginning of October. This Pinot Noir was fermented using 50% whole cluster in two 600 litre vinification barrels before basket pressing and neutral oak aging. Coolshanagh wines always undergo minimal handling and intervention, this wine was treated no differently. Our wine always go to bottling without fining or filtration.
The idea is to create separate parts of wine that uniquely represent themselves in the whole wine. Alone, the parts show the various terroirs of the vineyard but together the entire vineyard and all its nuances are brought into balance. The resulting blend of the two small batches offer a balanced wine awash in silky tannins. This textured pinot is abundant in fresh plum flavours, bright acidity and length and a long persistent, mouth-filling finish. The palate shows great depth of flavour and complexity from its steep and rocky terroir.
A meeting place for family and friends
“Coolshanagh” is a Gaelic word that means a “meeting place of friends.”
Coolshanagh was the name Judy Stothert’s family, which has roots in Scotland and Ireland, used to identify their homes. This went on for multiple generations in celebration of the friendship between family and friends. Winery owners Judy and Skip Stothert love celebrating family traditions, so when they started their vineyard in the Okanagan, they named it “Coolshanagh”.
The first hectare of Chardonnay was planted in 2004. Planted almost entirely to Chardonnay, with small amounts of Pinot Noir, Coolshanagh Vineyard sits seven kilometers north of Naramata, British Columbia between what was the ancient west coast of North America and Okanagan Mountain. Distinct regional flavours emerge from this fertile calcium carbonate-loaded soil, made up of fractured glacial bedrock.
Coolshanagh Vineyard grapes were originally sold to other wineries, but in 2012 owners Skip and Judy Stothert launched their own wine made exclusively from grapes grown on their unique property. Made at Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland by the skilled winemaker Matt Dumayne, the Coolshanagh Chardonnay beautifully expresses its north-Naramata terroir.
Coolshanagh produces a small batch Chardonnay (~750 cases), sourced only from estate fruit, and 75 cases of estate grown Pinot Noir. Wines that echo Burgundy were the initial inspiration, however, the ultimate Coolshanagh wine style that emerges specifically expresses and reflects the terroir of the Okanagan Valley and of the diverse soil of Coolshanagh Vineyard.
The Coolshanagh Chardonnay is a fruit-driven wine with stunning minerality that expresses Naramata. The use of large oak barriques, concrete vats and lees aging all contribute to the subtlety and expressiveness of this singular wine.
Information and images courtesy of the winery. Feature image, photo credit: Winecouverites
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