#FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions | Stag’s Hollow

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

Welcoming Stag’s Hollow to our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions this year. The outstanding wines from Stag’s Hollow are bound to please even the most discriminating wine lover on your list. You will definitely want to add your own name to your wine giving list!

2018 Dolcetto

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
A vibrant and unapologetic wine. Electric purple in colour, with a nose that tiptoes between vibrant fruit and earthy notes. Bright flavours of sour cherries, Italian prune plums, blueberry pie and bramble mingle with more masculine notes of earth, dried violets, spice, dark chocolate and savoury botanicals. This profile carries through to the palate, where the earthiness of the wine is enhanced by soft, chalky tannins, and complimented by its youthful, juicy acidity.

Vineyard Notes
Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls (Gravels, glacial till & silty loam)

Production Notes
Hand-harvested fruit from our Shuttleworth Creek vineyard was sorted, destemmed, lightly crushed and fermented in 1-ton open-topped fermenters, using selected yeast strains. The ferment was punched-down by hand 2-4 times daily, and then at the peak of fermentation, delestaged daily. The ferments were pressed off into concrete and stainless steel tanks, where they completed alcoholic fermentation, and then malolactic conversion. The wine aged gracefully here for 8 months, when it was finally racked and blended together. The wine was bottled in September 2019, after being stabilized and lightly filtered.

Winemaker Notes
Dolcetto is a grape that consistently inspires experimentation and excitement, with every new vintage. In 2018, we decided to experiment with delestage (a two-step “rack-and-return” process in which fermenting red wine juice is separated from the grape solids by racking and then returned to the fermenting vat to re-soak the solids) through the peak of fermentation, which has resulted in a wine with deliciously soft tannins, and vibrantly expressive grape character.

Food Pairing Notes
Classic: pizza, charcuterie, mushroom & sausage pasta, spaghetti & meatballs, tomato-based zucchini “zoodle” dishes, game, duck, lamb, roasted root vegetables. Adventurous: paella, cheese-based pastas, beef & pork empanadas, burgers, jambalaya.

$24.00 available online

2019 Pinot Noir

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
Slightly fuller and more structured than our Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir, our Estate grown fruit benefits from a warmer, west-facing aspect, which allows for a riper and richer fruit-forward profile. The nose is dominated by notes of black cherry, plum and warm spice. It also shows complex notes of dried flowers, anise and cola. The palate is balanced by an elegant backbone of acidity that brings a litheness to this structured Pinot.

Vineyard Notes
Stag’s Hollow Estate Vineyard – Okanagan Falls (Gravels & sandy loam)

Production Notes
The grapes were 100% destemmed, without crushing, leaving as much whole berry fruit as possible. After a 48 hour cold soak, the must was warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts. Hand punch-downs started at 3 times daily and tapered off to once a day as tannins progressed. Free run juice was drained off and the skins were pressed off as soon as the primary ferment was completed. All lots were racked into 300L French oak barrels (16% new, remainder 2nd fill & 3rd fill), where each lot rested, untouched, for 12 months, before being blended, stabilized and bottled.

Winemaker Notes
Our Stag’s Hollow Estate Vineyard is home to the oldest of our Pinot Noir plantings. Now almost 27 years old, these well-established vines are among our most reliably-ripening, and intensely-structured. This particular blend is a co-ferment of the two Dijon clones planted to this block (115 & 667).

Food Pairing Notes
Classic: roast chicken, rack of lamb, beef wellington, roast pork with fennel, mushroom dishes (mushroom risotto), roast or grilled lobster, venison, cassoulet, turkey dinner, beef tenderloin Adventurous: blue cheese (the stinkier, the better), enchiladas, Chinese dishes, salmon, rich milk chocolate

$27.00 available online

2019 Syrah

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
Our 2019 vintage is an expression of the more delicate side of Syrah. The nose shows an abundance of violets, a sprinkling of white pepper and a core of ripe, dark fruit (blackberry, damson plum & dark cherry). The lifted floral notes of the nose give way to a complex and savoury medium-bodied palate, full of dried herbs, black pepper, game, cloves and vanilla. Dark fruit carries through to a lingering finish of beautifully fine, ripe tannins.

Vineyard Notes
Amalia Vineyard, Osoyoos West Bench (Sandy loam)

Production Notes
Hand-harvested grapes were sorted, destemmed into 1-ton open-top fermenters. After a 3-day cold soak, both whole-berry ferments were warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts. The ferments were punched down 2-4 times daily and as soon as the primary ferment had finished, were pressed into French oak barrels (35% new). After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged for an additional 15 months on fine lees before being blended together and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Winemaker Notes
2019 was a cooler than normal vintage in the okanagan. Because of this, we aimed to showcase the more delicate, feminine side of cool-climate Syrah. We feel that by lessening the maceration time and new oak for this wine, we were able to capture a fresher, more vibrant style of Syrah that is still complex and full of flavour, but perhaps a bit more approchable, and very food-friendly.

Food Pairing Notes
Classic: cured meats, steak, lamb, brisket, heavily seasoned dishes with black pepper, aged cheeses, sausage, grilled meat Adventurous: grilled eggplant, Asian dishes with plum sauce, pulled pork, stir-fried pork, red wine-braised octopus, venison, veal, seared tuna.

Other Notes
353 cases

$28.00 available online

2018 Teroldego

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
A rare grape treasure that originates from Campo Rotaliano, in Trentino, Italy. Crazy dark blue-purple, vibrant nose of blue fruits, botanicals and earth. Flavours are of blue and blackberries, and sour pie cherries stretched across a tense palate of mineral notes. Acidity is bright and refreshing with tannins being slightly chalky but easily tamed by pairing the wine with grilled meats.

Vineyard Notes
Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls (gravels, glacial till & silty loam)

Production Notes
These grapes were hand-harvested from our Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard. 10% was added as whole clusters into the bottom of a 1-ton, open-top fermenter. The remainder of the fruit was sorted and destemmed directly on top of the whole cluster portion, and into a second fermenter. After a 3 day cold soak, they were warmed and inoculated. The cap was punched down by hand 3 times daily, and at the ideal tannin extraction, the must was drained and pressed. The wine continued its alcoholic fermentation in French oak barrels (3rd-fill), through to dryness. Once malolactic fermentation was complete, the barrels were left to mature undisturbed for 13 months before being blended, stabilized and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Winemaker Notes
Teroldego is one of our most exciting grapes to work with in the cellar. Unlike any other grape I’ve worked with, the vibrant colour you see in your glass was achieved almost instantaneously after being crushed. It is a wine reminiscent of Syrah, but with a distinctive edge of vibrant acidity and Italian varietal funk.

Food Pairing Notes
Classic: pair this wine with classic Italian pasta dishes featuring rich tomato based sauces. Adventurous: Middle Eastern spiced grilled meats and vegetables (think lamb!)

Other Notes
96 cases

$40.00 available online

2014 Hart

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes
Hart – a mature male deer or stag… a perfect name for our Port-style wine. It not only embraces our name but also sounds like heart, the centre of our being. A special wine that comes from the heart in the cellar of Stag’s Hollow. Enjoy with special friends. Flavours are reminiscent of Christmas cake, with dried cherry, raspberry jam, preserved Italian plums, baking spice and garrigue.

Vineyard Notes
Hearle Vineyard, East Bench Osoyoos

Production Notes
Made entirely from exceptionally ripe Merlot that was hand-harvested in late October 2014. The fruit was destemmed, left uncrushed and gravity-transferred into shallow open-top fermenters. During the entire maceration of the whole berry fruit, it was foot trodden 3 times daily in order to gently extract tannins and colour, while avoiding astringency. Midway through the fermentation, barrel aged grape spirits were added to arrest the fermentation process and preserve the natural sugars in the wine. The free-run wine was then drawn off, and the marc was basket pressed into older American oak barrels. The wine was then left to mature for 38 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Winemaker Notes
Hart was conceived during a late night in the cellar, mid-harvest, with 3 tired friends sharing a laugh and a well-deserved rest. It is a special wine that comes from the heart of the Stag’s Hollow cellar, and is best shared with special friends.

Food Pairing Notes
Classic: dark chocolate, sour cherry pie, German chocolate cake, bread pudding, figs, walnuts, cigars. Adventurous: blue cheese, sweet & smoky BBQ meats.

Other Notes
217 cases

$40.00 available online

Stag’s Hollow Wine Clubs

At Stag’s Hollow Winery, we are proud of our reputation to push the limits on what is considered to be ‘the norm’ in the Okanagan, choosing to plant new and interesting grape varieties that are more unique here. Combining that, with the drive to craft high quality terroir-driven, low-intervention wines that reflect a sense of place, means that many of our wines are not made in large volumes. In order to guarantee your access to these wines, we offer the following options for our Wine Club.

Choose the one that best suits your wine needs!

JOIN NOW

Club Benefits:

Front of the line access to all of our wines, including limited edition wines
First access to special event tickets, and 10% discount on select events
10% discount on any wine purchases* throughout the year, online or in-store
Free pick-up party tickets (for you and one guest) every June
$0 initiation fee/ $0 cancellation fee (upon completion of 3-shipment commitment) – no extra fees
Complimentary tastings for you and up to three friends at the winery
Preferred access to our seated tasting experiences at the winery, by appointment
Friend-referral bonuses

* Does not include Library Wines or wines that are already on special pricing.

Stag’s Hollow Winery, Celebrating 25 Years

“We aim to honour the hard work done in the vineyards by taking every measure available to us to handle the grapes as minimally as possible in order to produce terroir-driven wines that reflect a sense of place.”

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