“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”
Kicking off the #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions with three wines that are worthy of a place on your Christmas dinner table. With apologies that one of these delightful Noirs has already sold out. Not surprising given the quality and the quantities of these special offerings.
The wines are available to purchase directly from the Stag’s Hollow Winery currently open for sales 12:00 to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday.
Don’t just take my word for it the winery includes Turkey as a suggested wine pairing for these first two Pinot Noirs!
2020 Pinot Noir Shuttleworth Creek
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Pale ruby in colour with a delicately lifted nose full of florals and high-toned red fruit. Deceptively complex and richly flavoured, the concentrated palate of cherry, raspberry and wild strawberry is complimented by savoury and earthy notes, fresh minty herbs and botanicals. Silky fine-grain tannins and bright acidity create great tension on the palate, and lengthen the deliciously savoury finish.
Production Notes
The grapes were 100% destemmed, without crushing, leaving as much whole berry fruit as possible. After a 4-day 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 (17% new, remainder 2nd & 3rd fill), where each lot rested, untouched, for 12 months, before being blended, stabilized and bottled.
Winemaker Notes
Our Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard continues to prove itself as an ideal site for high quality Pinot Noir. Being slightly cooler than our Estate vineyard, the fruit shows a distinctly different profile. A lifted, elegant style to counter-balance the powerfully-structured wines produced from our Estate vineyard. 6 Dijon clones (777, 115, 828, 114, 667 & Pommard) were blended to create this wine. All were kept separate through fermentation and 12 months of barrel ageing, until a final blend was decided on.
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.
$30.00 Wine Shop Only
2020 Pinot Noir Stag’s Hollow Vineyard
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, bramble, candied red fruit, plum and warm spice. It also shows notes of 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 30 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.
$30.00 Wine Shop Only
2020 Simply Noir
Wine Profile
67.7% Pinot Noir, 22.6% Merlot, 5.5% Gamay Noir, 4.2% Dolcetto
Tasting Notes
Consistent with last year’s red fruit spectrum on the nose, this wine shows an abundance of cherry, raspberry, red licorice and florals, balanced by an intoxicating earthiness. Juicy red fruit and dried herbs dominate the palate, which is complemented by the wine’s bright, acidity, gentle tannin structure, and enticing minerality. A great Bistro red that could be chilled a little before serving–the perfect spring and summer red., with or without food.
Vineyard Notes
This Is It Vineyard – Naramata, Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard & Stag’s Hollow Vineyard – Okanagan Falls Sub-GI
Production Notes
Each lot was hand-harvested, sorted, destemmed and lightly crushed into open-top 1-ton fermenters, The lots were all cold-soaked for 3 days before being warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts. Once alcoholic fermentation was complete, all lots were drained and pressed into french oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation was completed. The final blend was assembled, stabilized, lightly filtered and bottled in June 2021.
Winemaker Notes
This wine is always a treat to assemble. Pinot Noir and Gamay have always made up the majority our our Simply Noir, but this year Merlot edged out the Gamay for 2nd position. We discovered with the 2017 vintage that Dolcetto was also quite a natural match, with its youthful exuberance and earthiness, and it has played a part in the blend ever since. This year’s Simply Noir is a little darker in fruit profile, but still very pinot-esque, and as juicy and delicious as ever.
Food Pairing Notes
Classic: cured meats, vegetable tarts, roasted vegetables, ratatouille, tomato salads, picnic & bbq foods, soft-centred cheeses (i.e. Camembert), turkey, pork roast. Adventurous: Jambalaya or any Creole dishes.
Only 440 cases produced
Limited supply at private liquor shops and select Save-On-Foods locations as well as on tap at Jack Lonsdale Pub in North Vancouver. SOLD OUT at the winery – new vintage release Spring 2023
Holiday Cheer Weekend 2022
Date: Sat, Nov 19, 2022 – Sun, Nov 20, 2022
Time 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Venue: 2237 Sun Valley Way, Okanagan Falls
Phone: 250-497-6162
Shop local and sustainable this holiday season!
As part of the Okanagan Falls | Skaha Lake Winery Association Holiday Cheer Weekend (November 19-20), Stag’s Hollow Winery will be offering festive tastings by reservation from 11am to 4pm each day, accommodating walk-ins if there is availability. Plus, get a jump start on some of your holiday shopping at our mini-market featuring local artisans. Reservations recommended.
For more information on what our neighbouring wineries are also offering that weekend, please visit www.theheartofwinecountry.ca.
Wine notes courtesy of the winery. Images MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.
