“This series features both the BC Wine new vintages and a few favourites”
Culmina Family Estate Winery in Oliver is our next #wineonline entry with an exciting line-up of excellent wines. An award winning winery using hand picking and hand sorting methods, peristaltic pumps and stainless steel French-made tanks resulting in wines of exceptional quality.
Iconic wines from the heart of the South Okanagan
Atop the pristine Golden Mile Bench, our dedicated team crafts some of BC’s most exceptional wines.
Passion for excellence
Culmina Family Estate Winery is the result of a lifetime of passion and experience in the wine industry with one simple goal: to craft the highest quality wines possible from our unique terroir.
2014 Hypothesis
APPELLATION
Okanagan Valley
SUB-APPELLATION
Golden Mile Bench
VINEYARD SOURCE
An estate grown blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (33%), Cabernet Franc (22%) from Arise Bench.
WINEMAKING
Matured for 16 months in a combination of new (30%), 1-year-old (63%), and 2-year-old (7%) French oak barrels.
TASTING NOTES
Black pepper and Provençal Saucisson aromas are buoyed by intense dark cherries and currant notes. Structured and dense, the balanced and full palate showcases integrated fruit, chocolate, cloves and a subtle trace of mint. Tannins are fine and supple; the finish long and pronounced.
FOOD PAIRING
Traditional Raclette with herbed, new baby potatoes, grilled elk sausage, cornichons, and whole-grain mustard.
2016 DILEMMA
VARIETAL
Chardonnay
APPELLATION
Okanagan Valley
VINEYARD
Margaret’s Bench
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
2016 began exceptionally early, with very warm temperatures in early March and continuing into April, causing record breaking Bud Break on all three benches. Unseasonably cool and wet conditions followed in June and early July, slowing growth back to almost normal thresholds. Moderate heat followed in July and August, with September marked by warm days and quite cool nights, allowing for excellent ripeness and optimal acid balance in all varieties.
TASTING NOTES
An elegant, terroir-driven Chardonnay, Dilemma shows expressive aromas of ripe citrus, stone fruit, and fresh chamomile flowers. Soft peach flavours anchor a textural, mineral-driven palate, taut with fresh acidity and subtle chestnut flavours. Classically structured and restrained, the toasty oak finish is long, savory, and bright.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
BC Island grilled scallop with apple fennel slaw “spoons”; Burrata with grilled Okanagan freestone peaches, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and toasted hazelnuts; Morel mushroom risotto with garden thyme and new season white onions; braised tarragon chicken with button mushrooms and Grass Root Dairy cream; baked pistachio-crusted steelhead with herbed potato mash; washed rind cheeses like Brie or Saint Nectaire.
2019 Unicus
VARIETAL
Grüner Veltliner (100%)
APPELLATION
Okanagan Valley
VINEYARD
Margaret’s Bench
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Mild conditions in spring brought about seasonal budbreak in late April. Warm, dry weather brought early bloom at the beginning of June. Summer was consistently warm until veraison mid-August. Fall was marked by wetter than average conditions, with October’s full moon creating a precise end to the ripening season. Culmina’s vineyard position above the valley floor combined with low crop levels and skilled vineyard management allowed for ripeness and balance in all varieties.
TASTING NOTES
Combining aromas of passion fruit and lemon curd with lime sorbet and white peach, Unicus acts as a showcase for the complex terroir of our high-altitude Margaret’s Bench vineyard. Well balanced notes of Asian pear and tangerine with wet grass and lemon pith give the palate weight and depth with the mineral finish that has become a hallmark of Unicus.
FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS
Thai chicken lettuce wraps with ginger, cilantro, and lemongrass; Big Eye tuna tartar topped with black sesame seeds over a daikon, cucumber and avocado salad; tagliatelle with roasted artichokes, pea shoots, lemon zest and thinly shaved Pecorino Romano; roasted rack of veal served with a sauté of foraged morel mushrooms and fiddleheads; rich or pungent cheeses like Poplar Grove’s Harvest Moon or Bleu d’Auvergne.
“A love and appreciation for the craft of making fine wine underscores every detail at Culmina Family Estate Winery and is embedded in all that we do, from the vineyard to the cellar.”
Tasting notes, bottle shots and information courtesy of the winery. I received complimentary bottles of wine that will be tasted and reviewed to facilitate another feature to be published on a future date on MyVanCity.ca.
