Naramata Bench Spring Release Trade Tasting

Stonehill Winery

It was a sunny afternoon for the April 14th trade tasting at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver. I skipped out of work for the afternoon (shhh!) to get a sneak peek at the new releases from Naramata Bench wineries. The unpredictable Vancouver Spring meant I left the house sporting a warm coat and umbrella. No worries, they had a coat check! Let’s sip.

Since Mike and I have been to Naramata a few times, we ran into some familiar faces like Michael & Heidi from Joie, and Miranda and Del Halladay of Elephant Island Winery (a MUST for any Naramata visit). Our game plan, with such a short time to spend, was to sample from wineries that we were not familiar with, and just spend a short time tasting those that we have been to before.

Naramata Bench Tasting Notes

Lang Vineyards
Lang Vineyards is now affiliated with Soaring Eagle, Mistral, Stonehill Estate Winery and Spiller Estate Winery (fruit wines), under Holman Lang Wineries.

  • Lang Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2006. Light, dry, clean and crisp for a starter.
  • Lang Vineyards Riesling 2006 – 12.5% alcohol. Citrus on nose, good acidity.
  • Lang Vineyards Gewürztraminer 2006 – not typical Gewürtz’, quite dry.

Stonehill Estate Winery
Stonehill is a new face on the Bench. Part of the Lang Holman group, they are producing a more French-style group of wines, including an innovative port-style wine which we look forward to trying during our summer visit.

  • Stonehill Pinot Blanc 2006 – 12% alcohol. Very dry and crisp, peachy fruit, nice finish.
  • Stonehill Merlot 2006 – 40% French oak, 6 months. Close to French style. Berries on nose, fruity.
  • Stonehill Esprit de Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 – port style wine. 17% alcohol. Black cherry, almost cherry liqueur. Not as heavy as regular port. Also producing a Gamay and Gewurtz port style.

La Frenz
La Frenz had a rather busy table, so we dropped in only to taste select whites.

  • La Frenz Semillon 2007 – citrus, grapefruit, tangy nose.
  • La Frenz Viognier 2007 – crisp nose, but lacks something on the palate.

Laughing Stock
Laughing Stock is emblematic of the affluence its base of BC and Alberta customers are experiencing (would it be oil and gas?). They carry off the “investor relations” theme well by producing wine excellence. We love their Portfolio reserve blend, but this winery produces small lots of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, and a very fine Chardonnay.

  • Pinot Gris 2006 – “toasty”
  • Chardonnay 2006 – a very good Chardonnay, buttery finish.
  • Pinot Noir – produced every 2 years. Cherry finish, a little bitter, but long, smoky, mild tannins (a tinge of tobacco?).

Lake Breeze
Lake Breeze are all about class. Not overly expensive, and producing very, very fine wines. Privately owned, their restaurant is a must-visit on any tour of the Bench if you can get a seat.

  • Lake Breeze Pinot Gris 2007 – a good Gris.
  • Seven Poplars Chardonnay 2007 – better than their Pinot Gris.
  • Lake Breeze Gewürztraminer 2007 – very floral nose, slight citrus, light, not too oily, good summer wine.

Howling Bluff
Howling Bluff is a new face in Naramata, it’s too soon for us to judge this winery. We love their labels!

  • Howling Bluff Pinot Noir 2006 – aged in four types of new oak. Very young with plenty of tannins. Needs a little mellowing in the bottle. This was a pre-release, it won’t be available for another two months.
  • Howling Bluff Sauvignon Blanc 2007 – packaging interesting. Fresh and fruit forward, but a little grassy too (no, not gassy).

D’Angelo Estate Winery
D’Angelo Estate is a family run winery was established in Ontario in 1983 on the north shore of Lake Erie, near Windsor. The proprietor’s son moved to BC to go to school (winemaking, of course), and decided he loved our province so much that he persuaded his father to purchase property in Naramata. The D’Angelo offerings are the first BC vintage, from grapes planted in 2001.

  • D’Angelo Estate Merlot Cabernet 2005 – berry nose, peppery on palate, dark cherry finish – good.
  • D’Angelo Estate Sette Cappa 2005 (nickname for Steph’s grandfather) – blend of Cab Franc, Merlot. Smooth with slight tannins, nice finish.

Hillside Estate Winery
We were privileged to be able to have the full attention of Hillside Estate proprietor Bill Carpenter for this tasting. The Hillside story is a good one. The production has gone from 14,000 cases to 8,000 to bring Hillside back to family owned, and as a result the quality of the wines has jumped.
Although you won’t find too much for under $20.00, we are very impressed with all 8 of the wines we were offered to taste. We were advised that the bistro has changed a bit, but the menu looks very tasty, and I look forward to enjoying lunch there on our next trip.

  • Hillside Estate Gewürztraminer – lemon-lime notes, food friendly – big yet light.
  • Hillside Estate Old Vines Gamay 2006 – Burgundian style, fermented in French oak, fruit hangs a bit longer. White pepper on nose and palate, really great finish.
  • Hillside Estate Cabernet Franc 2006 – Loire Valley style. Lighter, made with a “let the fruit do the talking” style. Bottle age for a year recommended.
  • Hillside Estate Cabernet Franc 2005 – richer in colour and taste. But – Bill says the 2006 will be better than the 2005 next year.
  • Hillside Estate Pinotage 2006 – was just added to the list. Licorice flavour, smooth finish.
  • Hillside Estate Mosaic 2005 – what can I say, a very fine blend. We certainly went out on a high note.