#FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions | Poplar Grove

“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”

Always on our list Popular Grove #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions. There two outstanding wines are perfect for holiday gift giving and for your own sipping pleasure during the holidays. A classic pairing  when nothing but a rib roast or juicy steak will do nothing beats a Cabernet Franc. Or my “go to” wine for the cook a delightful Pinot Gris.

Here are the suggestions:

2020 Pinot Gris

Wine Profile

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!

Vineyard Notes
The 2020 began with a rapid winter cold snap that saw temperatures drop from 3° to -18° 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.

Winemaker 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.

$19.91 available online

2017 Cabernet Franc

Wine Profile

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.

Vineyard 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 flood 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.

Winemaker 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 fermentation 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.

Other Notes
Ready upon release or cellar up to 10 years.

$34.70 available online

For even more holiday gift giving options check out the Poplar Grove Holiday Gift Packs here.

Hoping for your wine to arrive in time for Christmas Day? Please see cut off dates for shipping below:

For British Columbia order before Dec 13th

Wine profiles courtesy of the winery. Images MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.