As I was about to leave the Rosé Rodeo at Haywire’s Garnet Valley Ranch Winery recently, I had the chance to catch up with winemaker Matt Dumayne, who was eager for me to try some odds and sods he found lurking around at the back of the winery.
First up was the 2015 XC Method sparkling wine, the inaugural release under that label. I am a fan of aged bubbles, and this one was brimming with flavour, with a surprising depth for a wine that was never meant to spend years waiting in a cellar. The XC label was designed as a more approachable sibling to the wildly popular Bub; whereas Bub spends three years aging in a bottle, XC undergoes a brisk 90-day secondary fermentation in Charmat tanks–XC, of course, being Roman numerals for 90. The 2015 vintage was a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, both from their Summerland vineyard, rounded out with three months of lees stirring that gave it Matt mentioned that the latest release, a 2023 is a 50/50 blend of Pinot Auxerois and Chardonnay from the King Family vineyard in Naramata– is taking things in a new direction. It is fermented in concrete, stainless steel and large barrels for complexity and palate enhancement.
Next, Matt pulled out a 2014 Gamay Rosé from the Secrest Mountain Vineyard in Oliver. Now. Rosé isn’t usually a wine people tuck away for a decade, but this bottle proved that with the right grape and winemaking, it can more than hold its own. Matt is convinced that Gamay is hands down the best grape for Rosé, though he does admit that he has had some nice ones made from Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
I really enjoyed this wine, which was rich with dried strawberry, cherry, and herbs and a richness that aging had provided. Who says you can’t age (well-made) rosés? This wine was aged in concrete (for texture) and stainless steel. Matt said he felt that the aromatics really started to peak after about 12 months of age.
The final pour was a 2010 Seacrest Vineyards Pinot Noir. The organic Secrest Vineyard is a high-elevation vineyard in Oliver. This wine utilized native yeasts and was fermented and aged in concrete tanks. Fourteen years on, it was quite stunning. Elegant yet powerful with classic Pinot character. I hope I still have one in my cellar.
Then the conversation turned to the present, and I asked Matt how the current vintage was looking. He confirmed that 2025 was looking to be a great year. The vines got off to an early start, forming uniform medium-plus-sized bunches, which should mean good yields. The Switchback Vineyard has 60% verasion while the cooler Garnet Valley site is a few weeks behind that. He hopes to start harvesting grapes for their sparkling wines at the end of August or early September and the second week of October at the higher elevation Garnet Valley vineyard.
After I mentioned that I personally prefer pinots with some age on them, he related a few stories from his time in Central Otago, New Zealand, related that 2001 and 2004 were very cool years that initially produced some lean, almost austere wines, but by 10 years old, they resembled better Burgundian wines.
(All photos – Sam Hauck)
