“This series features both the BC Wine new vintages and a few favourites”
The wines of Poplar Grove are a must for any BC wine lover and these wines range from excellent to exceptional. I recently enjoyed a video wine tasting with Tony Holler and Stefan Arnason which included three of these four wines. My full review is in the works but in the meantime I wanted to bring these to your attention.
The Rosé, most recently released, and the Pinot Gris, released in March, are going to be hot sellers and you won’t want to miss out on the chance to stock your cellar for summer sipping and buy #wineonline. The Legacy and Cabernet Franc are produced in lesser quantities so I would recommend you purchase your selections without delay.
Poplar Grove Pinot Gris 2020
Just Released! (and delicious)
100% Pinot Gris
Tasting Notes
Pale gold in colour. Intense aromas of pear, peach and melon. A lush palate of bright citrus and nectarine flavours balance with refreshing acidity and surprise notes of lychee on the finish. The 2020 vintage is an exceptional expression of this popular varietal. Perfect with sunshine and great company!
Harvest Notes
The 2020 began with a rapid winter cold snap that saw temperatures drop from 3 °C to -18 °C in a matter of 8 hours. Cross sections of the dormant buds confirmed no vine damage. Due to COVID-19 lockdown protocols, the beginning of the harvest was a family affair with the Holler family pruning over 60 acres as a team. Full vineyard budbreak in Osoyoos happened April 15, Skaha Bench on April 20, and Penticton April 29 – a little later than average. Early June was cool and wet in the Okanagan Valley. The weather started improving June 18th with the real Okanagan heat arriving the second week of July and staying until mid-September. The Mount Christie wildfire was a big scare for Penticton and Okanagan Falls. The fire came 500 meters from our Skaha Bench Vineyards but luckily the smoke from the wildfire did not settle in the vineyard. Autumn was beautiful with temperatures between 20-25 °C through to early October. Green leaves on the vines until October 22 helped the red grapes to ripen beautifully. A surprise snowfall late October saw 8 cm of snow fall and the race was on to get the grapes into the winery.
As is tradition, the last bunch was picked mid-day on November 9, in our Munson Mountain Cabernet Franc vineyard. 2020 provided its challenges but with the summer heat and extended autumn it was another great vintage in the Okanagan Valley.
Winemaking Notes
Made from 100% Pinot Gris grapes. The fruit was pressed after three hours of skin contact to extract additional aromatics and fermented cold to preserve the signature fruit flavours. The various parcels of juice were inoculated with three different yeast cultures in order to allow complexity and mouth-feel to develop. The final Pinot Gris blend was created to bring a balanced profile of acidity, aromatics, and natural sweetness on the palate.
Cellaring Notes
This wine is meant to be enjoyed upon release. Drink 2021 – 2025.
Poplar Grove Rosé 2020
Just released!
45% Merlot, 30% Malbec, 14% Syrah, 7% Pinot Gris, 4%
Tasting Notes
Medium light rose petal pink. Aromas of fresh strawberries and Okanagan cherries combine with an enticing hint of lemon curd. A robust palate of ripe cherries and honeydew melon is well-balanced with delicate citrus notes. Enjoy as a light, fresh opener to an evening or as a stand-alone aperitif.
Harvest Notes
2020 began with a rapid winter cold snap that saw temperatures drop from 3 °C to -18 °C in a matter of 8 hours. Cross sections of the dormant buds confirmed no vine damage. Due to COVID-19 lockdown protocols, the beginning of the harvest was a family affair with the Holler family pruning over 60 acres as a team. Full vineyard budbreak in Osoyoos happened April 15, Skaha Bench on April 20, and Penticton April 29 – a little later than average. Early June was cool and wet in the Okanagan Valley. The weather started improving June 18th with the real Okanagan heat arriving the second week of July and staying until mid-September. The Mount Christie wildfire was a big scare for Penticton and Okanagan Falls. The fire came 500 meters from our Skaha Bench Vineyards but luckily the smoke from the wildfire did not settle in the vineyard. Autumn was beautiful with temperatures between 20-25 °C through to early October. Green leaves on the vines until October 22 helped the red grapes to ripen beautifully. A surprise snowfall late October saw 8 cm of snow fall and the race was on to get the grapes into the winery.
As is tradition, the last bunch was picked mid-day on November 9, in our Munson Mountain Cabernet Franc vineyard. 2020 provided its challenges but with the summer heat and extended autumn it was another great vintage in the Okanagan Valley.
Winemaking Notes
Merlot, Malbec and Syrah bunches were hand picked and sorted in the vineyard. The extracted juice from the crushed grapes was left on skins for four hours, then cold settled and fermented at 15 °C to preserve the bright fruit flavours. The final blend added a touch of Pinot Gris and Muscat. The yeast consumed most of the grape sugars leaving 1.0 g/l and yielding a wonderfully complex dry rosé.
Cellaring Notes
This wine is meant to be enjoyed upon release. Drink this year into 2022 for best enjoyment!
Poplar Grove Cabernet Franc 2017
87% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes
Deep ruby red. Aromas of dark berry fruits, tobacco, cedar wood and leather. Cassis and black cherry with notes of vanilla on the palate. Fine medium tannins with medium-plus acidity knit together allowing the 2017 Cabernet Franc to come alive on the palate. Perfect with rich duck and game dishes.
Harvest Notes
A cold Canadian winter, unusually wet spring, and dry summer yielded wines with excellent balance and distinct varietal flavours. Crops were lighter than normal, but the vintage will be remembered for unprecedented food and drought conditions, and a persistent haze from nearby forest fires. While not directly affecting our grape-growing areas, the haze blanketed the sun coverage, preventing the customary heat spikes and positively impacted the growing season by slowing down the grape ripening periods and flavour development. Ripening was assisted by the rigorous leaf plucking and bunch thinning of our dogged, never-say-die vineyard crew. Ultimately, slightly lower yields and phenomenal fruit quality delivered an excellent 2017 vintage, characterized by high flavour concentration, moderate alcohol, balanced tannins, complexity and natural acidity.
Winemaking Notes
Traditional Bordeaux vinification techniques have been used to create an elegant and age-worthy Cabernet Franc. For each of the component lots, bunches were handpicked and sorted in the vineyard. The berries were crushed separately and cold soaked for two days before fermentation. Malolactic fermenta tion occurred in barrel over the winter and finished in the spring of the following year. The wines from each vineyard lot were kept separate in 25% new oak and a combination of two to three year old French oak barrels for twenty one months. Our Cabernet Franc was further developed in bottle for twelve months prior to release.
Cellaring Notes
The 2017 Cabernet Franc will develop for well over a decade. Drink now through 2035.
92 pts and a SILVER medal at Decanter World Wine Awards.
Poplar Grove The Legacy 2016
33% Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec, 15% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot
Tasting Notes
Medium Ruby Red with a thin garnet rim showing graceful aging. Aromas of leather, red plum and cigar box with hints of vanilla. Rich berry fruit and dark chocolate with subtle notes of fennel and caramel on the finish. Medium-to-full bodied with fine tannins create a soft yet structured mouthfeel and an elegant finish. This age worthy blend will become more expressive with time.
Harvest Notes
In 2016, spring arrived very early and warm, with bud break four weeks ahead of normal. A late April snowstorm in South Osoyoos took the thriving vines by surprise, destroying a tiny fraction of our petit verdot vineyards. The summer that followed turned out to be wetter and cooler than expected, which slowed fruit development and forced increased vineyard management. Luckily, the long, warm fall season that saw a gradual cool down in temperature week after week, gave the grapes extra time to
achieve full ripeness and flavour characteristics. The extended fall season was instrumental in preparing the vines to survive what was to be the coldest winter the Okanagan Valley has seen in 50 years. The slow cooling process throughout fall allowed the vines time to enter a gradual dormancy, turn woody and store their reserves for hibernation. Overall, the 2016 growing season was long, weathered and embraced by the team. We are grateful for the persistence and patience of the vineyard crew and Mother Nature, which resulted in yet another fantastic vintage.
Winemaking Notes
The Legacy is a singular wine defined by the sum of its parts. Elegant and refined, the 2015 version marries power and finesse, with serious density and grip. Bordeaux-inspired perhaps, but with the suppleness and freshness that is purely Okanagan. All component varietals were estate grown and hand-picked for their specific characteristics, then rigorously sorted prior to fermentation and extended macertion. The various lots were aged in 100% traditional French barriques for 21 months before the final blend was assembled, and then matured in-bottle for 2 years prior to release.
Cellaring Notes
Fresh and vigorous upon release, The Legacy 2016 can be cellared for up to 15 years. Drink before 2031.
96 pts and a GOLD medal at Decanter World Wine Awards.
Poplar Grove Winery
425 Middle Bench Road
Penticton British Columbia Canada V2A 8S5
P 250 . 493 9463 F 250 . 493 9439
E wine@nullpoplargrove.ca W www.poplargrove.ca
Tasting notes, bottle shots and feature image courtesy of the winery. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.
