“Good wine, good company, good welcome can make good people,”
William Shakespeare – Henry VII
As we continue on our journey of discovering summer and new releases we feature here three quality wines from Township 7 . Two of their Provenance Series and one Benchmark Series for your sipping pleasure.
Summer is a time to enjoy the lighter, crisp white wines from Township 7 but do not discount the Cabernet Sauvignon because it is the perfect pairing for so many wonderful bbq options, especially for the carnivores among us. All in all these are wines meant to be shared and enjoyed.
Provenance Series 2021 Pinot Gris
TASTING NOTES
Crafted in the fresh Italian style, this unoaked Pinot Gris bursts with aromas of peach, honeysuckle, pear, and a wet stone minerality. These are displayed on the wonderfully textured palate, followed by a flinty mineral finish. Overall, a lovely balance of tangy fruit with lifted acidity.
STYLISTIC NOTES
Crafted with fruit from our Naramata Bench estate and Hidden Terrace in Oliver, this vintage is 100% stainless steel fermented to retain the wine’s fresh fruit character. The juice was kept cool during a low fermentation at 14°C for three weeks. The cool temperatures help to retain the fruit forward character of the wine and refreshing crispness. The two terroirs contribute layers of complexity to the final blend.
FOOD PAIRING
Incredibly versatile, enjoy this bright Pinot Gris with blackened mahi mahi tacos and a peach salsa or try caprese toasts with roasted tomatoes and basil.
VINTAGE REPORT
The 2021 vintage is considered one of the most challenging growing seasons we have seen in the British Columbia wine industry. The warm spring led to an extremely hot and dry summer. Record temperatures were set across the province and challenged us to keep the vines cool and watered. The heat dome struck the province just as the berries set and bunches were swelling, shutting the growth down. This resulted in much lower crop levels, varying by location, from 10-50% down. The lower yields meant earlier ripening and we started harvesting Chardonnay for sparkling on August 24 and completed our reds harvest on October 14, well ahead of usual.
We also had challenges with local smoke in certain south Okanagan regions. Most growers were unscathed, however, a few vineyards in Okanagan Falls and Osoyoos were affected by smoke taint, as they were extremely close to the fires.
Overall, despite the challenges from Mother Nature the quality of the wine is great. We have maintained excellent acidity and balance within the wines. Yields were low but the quality was certainly high.
Benchmark Series 2019 Riesling
STYLISTIC NOTES
This single-vineyard Riesling is from the Fool’s Gold Estate in North Oliver, which is owned by Mark Antonello, a well-known vineyard manager. The property was planted over 2 decades ago by his father-in-law, Richard Cleave, the Okanagan’s most renowned viticulturist. The western sloping site benefits from the afternoon sun with the sandy clay loam soil containing a lot of rocks and gravel, providing excellent drainage. The fruit was gently pressed and cold settled before being fermented cold (10-12°C) in stainless steel and neutral oak barrels. The ferment was long and slow to retain the delicate fruit aromatics. The vibrant acidity ensures the wine will age beautifully in the bottle.
FOOD PAIRING
Try with grilled oysters with a citrus vinaigrette, fresh steamed Dungeness crab with a sweet chili sauce, or soft robust cheeses.
VINTAGE REPORT
The winter of 2018/2019 started with an unseasonably warm January, followed by a cold February with some isolated vine and bud damage lowering the overall yield. A cool April brought a slow start to the season, however, it warmed up by month’s end. May and June were the second hottest of the last two decades and resulted in average timing for budbreak and flowering, with standard vigour levels in the spring. The vintage continued to be moderate with a smoke-free summer in July and August seeing average temperatures, with no heat spikes that would temporarily shut down vine growth. Extra vineyard management was required, as the peculiar winter conditions lead to primary, secondary and tertiary buds experiencing budbreak at different times. This produced variation in growth stages resulting in significant green harvesting and canopy management. On the flip side, the smoke-free year delivered bright sunlight with vines in good condition, progressing as normal.
September started warm and dry with many of the earlier ripening varieties harvested right on schedule for expected harvest dates. The second week of September had a weather change, becoming cooler with increased rainfall slowing ripening and drawing out the harvest for later ripening grape varieties. This resulted in slightly lower grape sugar levels but allowed plenty of time for the tannins to develop. The start of October saw the return to more typical dry conditions and moderate temperatures, with continued ripening until Thanksgiving weekend. An early frost affected many of the vineyards, with vines losing their leaves. Fortunately, most of our sites avoided the frost, allowing the grapes to hang into late October.
The 2019 season was similar to recent years in growing degree days (GDD) but felt cooler as many of the GDD came earlier in the year. Overall, 2019 was a moderately cool vintage with wines showing juicy and vibrant fruit, crisp acidity, moderate alcohol levels and ripe tannins in the red wines.
Provenance Series 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon
STYLISTIC NOTES
This vintage was primarily crafted with Cabernet Sauvignon from Raju Vineyard in Osoyoos. The southerly location close to the border provides the heat units for superior grape ripening. The blend was rounded out with Cabernet Sauvignon from Blue Terrace Vineyard in Oliver which has a rich fruit profile to balance the tannins. A 21-day maceration period with varied cap management promoted rich fruit and tannin extraction. Gentle pressing and subsequent malo-lactic fermentation in French and American oak barrels enhanced softening of the mouthfeel.
VINTAGE REPORT
The winter of 2018/2019 started with an unseasonably warm January, followed by a cold February with some isolated vine and bud damage, lowering overall yield. A cool April brought a slow start to the season, however, things warmed up towards month’s end. May and June were the second hottest of the last two decades and resulted in average timing for budbreak and flowering, with standard vigour levels in the spring. The vintage continued to a moderate, smoke-free summer with July and August seeing average temperatures with no heat spikes that would
temporarily shut down vine growth. Extra vineyard management was required as the unusual winter conditions led to primary, secondary and tertiary buds experiencing budbreak at different times. This produced variation in growth stages resulting in significant green harvesting and canopy management. On the flip side, the smoke-free year delivered bright sunlight with vines in good condition, progressing as normal.
September started warm and dry with many of the earlier ripening varieties harvested right on schedule. The second week of September saw the weather change, becoming cooler with small amounts of rainfall slowing ripening and drawing out the harvest for later ripening grape varieties. This resulted in slightly lower grape sugar levels but allowed plenty of time for the tannins to develop. The start of October saw the return to more typical dry conditions and moderate temperatures, with continued ripening until Thanksgiving weekend. An early frost affected many of the vineyards, with vines losing their leaves. Fortunately, most of our sites avoided the frost, allowing the grapes to hang into late October.
The 2019 vintage was similar to recent years in growing degree days (GDD) but felt cooler as much of the warmth came earlier in the season. Overall, the 2019 vintage was a moderately cool vintage with wines showing juicy and vibrant fruit, crisp acidity, moderate alcohol levels and ripe tannins in the red wines.
Last month Township 7 celebrated their 22nd anniversary with a selection of new summer releases. As well, they have expanded their hours at the south Langley winery to 8 pm daily, along with offering new live music every Friday afternoon this summer. At both wineries they are also offering an enhanced tasting menu with a new flight of their seven stars sparkling wines now available. More information on township7.com
Wine notes and winery information courtesy of Township 7. Images: MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.
