The Demystified Vine

Recently, my colleague Brenda Latta and I stopped into St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Vineyards to have a little chat with Andy Gebert – one of the owners of the vineyard & winery.

During our visit, we learned that they recently planted 6,000 brand new Chasselas vines in the back end of the vineyard. It was also great to walk amongst the already established vines and see how the grapes are doing during this very important fruit set phase. Their Gamay Noir is coming along nicely, and Andy mentioned that they will probably end up green harvesting some of the vines. Additionally, the Marechal Foch leaves are currently gigantic canopies, providing shade for the grapes. Due to the high amount of rainfall in Kelowna during the month of June, the berries are about halfway to being fully grown, and Andy said that they are way ahead of schedule.

After trying some wines in the tasting room, Andy suggested we try their 2007 Oak Bay Vineyards Pinot Noir. Following a meal of Mediterranean salads and vegetarian pizza, we opened the bottle in our hotel room. We were very pleased with how varietally correct this Pinot Noir was.

Brenda and I wholeheartedly agreed that this wine was well-balanced. It’s soft plummy and red berry fruit stood proud and tall, conveying the ethereal nature of the very best BC Pinot Noirs. A unique earthiness and spiciness manifested itself on both bouquet and palate, and inklings of brettanomyces were noted. A medium to medium (-) acid wine with softer tannins and a medium body, for $25.00, this Pinot Noir is a steal.

Classic cherry notes, and hints of vanilla from oaking complemented the peppery nature of this Pinot. All good ageable Pinot will develop forest floor and mushroomy notes, and this ’07 vintage is beginning to take on a new face. Drinking well now, one could also still age this beauty for another good 1-2 years. Luckily, there are still a few bottles left.

Cheers!