“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”
We’re feeling like Britney Spears, oops we did it again! Yes, this is the third, and promise the last for this holiday season. If you’re a red wine lover you may think we saved the best for last. But it’s kind of like choosing your favourite kid so just enjoy these two wines they make excellent gifts.
2020 Renaissance Pinot Noir
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Medium ruby in colour, the nose is very expressive, showing classic aromas of damp earth, bright red fruit (strawberries & cherries), ripe dark fruit, baking spices with some lifted floral and botanical notes. The palate is plush and full-bodied, showing flavours of cherry and wild strawberry, along with bright pomegranate acidity and a dash of savoury spice. The finish is long, with silky fine-grained tannins and juicy natural acidity, which should ensure a long life ahead.
Vineyard Notes
Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Falls Sub-GI Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls Sub-GI
Production Notes
Hand-picked and hand-sorted estate grown lots of Pinot Noir were fermented in small 1 ton, open-topped fermenters, using selected yeast strains. The 30% whole berry ferments were punched down 3 times daily by hand and then pressed directly into 100% French oak barrels (15% new 300L hogsheads). Each clone was fermented, pressed and barrelled down separately. After malolactic fermentation it was aged for an additional 13 months on fine lees before being racked and blended, and is set to be bottled without fining or filtration in June 2022.
Winemaker Notes
The Pinot Noir planted to our Shuttleworth Creek property is gradually becoming some of the most intriguing and beautiful fruit we’re producing. Of the 7 Dijon clones we have planted to this vineyard, it is the Pommard clone that continues to captivate me, and whose haunting aromatics are showcased in this blend. Almost 2/3 of this iteration, though, comes from the concentrated 667 and 115 clones from our 25+ year old estate vines, used to give this wine its signature weight and structure. We’ve created an impressively elegant Pinot Noir that is excitingly indicative of the quality of fruit coming out of both estate vineyards.
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. Adventurous: blue cheese (the stinkier, the better), enchiladas, Chinese dishes, salmon, rich milk chocolate.
Other Notes
100 cases and 36 magnums (1.5L). 100% Pinot Noir (39% 667, 31% Pommard & 30% 115).
$42.00 available online
2020 Renaissance Syrah
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Darkest purple nearing black in colour with a brighter purple brim. The nose is expressive showing classic aromas of earth, leather, black pepper, cured meat, dark berries, and the faintest floral lift. The palate is tight but broad showing flavours of black fruit, freshly cracked black pepper, leather, and oak spice. The finish is long and proudly showing multi-layered tannins and natural acidity which should ensure a long life ahead for this wine.
Vineyard Notes
Amalia Vineyard, Osoyoos West Bench (Syrah) Upland Vineyard, Penticton (Viognier)
Production Notes
Hand-harvested grapes were sorted, destemmed and partially crushed into 1-ton open-top fermenters (with varying amounts of viognier inclusion). After a 4-day cold soak, both ferments (30% whole berry) were warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts. The ferments were punched down 3 times daily by hand, and then pressed into French oak barrels (variety of 228L, 300L & 500L / 30% new). After malolactic fermentation, the wine was aged for an additional 18 months on fine lees before being blended together. This wine is set to be bottled unfined and unfiltered in June, 2022.
Winemaker Notes
Our 4th Renaissance Syrah was produced from fruit sourced from a single vineyard on the West Side of Osoyoos. Amalia Vineyard is the ideal location to produce high quality Syrah as it is hot enough to ensure complete physiological ripening but protected by the mountain shadows ensuring the fruit maintains natural acidity balance and varietal aromas. A touch of co-fermented Viognier was also used to lift the beautiful aromatics ever-so-slightly, and set its highly pigmented colour.
Food Pairing Notes
Classic: cured meats, steak, lamb, brisket, heavily seasoned dishes with black pepper, aged cheeses, sausage, grilled meat. Adventurous: grilled eggplant, Asian dishes with plum sauce, pulled pork, stir-fried pork, red wine-braised octopus, venison, veal, seared tuna. Adventurous: grilled eggplant, Asian dishes with plum sauce, pulled pork, stir-fried pork, red wine-braised octopus, venison, veal, seared tuna
Other Notes
200 six-pack cases + 48 magnums (1.5L) 95.1% Syrah, 4.9% Viognier
$42.00 available online
About Stag’s Hollow Winery
Celebrating over 25 years, Stag’s Hollow is a family-owned winery in Okanagan Falls, producing some of British Columbia’s highest quality, most distinctive wines. Located in BC’s South Okanagan, in the new sub-geographical indicator (sub-GI) of Okanagan Falls, Stag’s Hollow Winery owns two vineyards… Stag’s Hollow Estate and Shuttleworth Creek.
Always innovative, with a spirit to be unique and push the limits of both grape growing and winemaking in the Okanagan, the team at Stag’s Hollow has researched and sought out grapes, both new and old, suited to the area soils and microclimate. These include Tempranillo and Albariño from Spain, and Dolcetto and Teroldego from Italy. These unique varietal wines offer a new tasting experience for the Okanagan wine lover. Although these grape varieties come from all over the world originally, wines we produce from these grapes are identifiable as being from nowhere else in the world but from the Okanagan Valley.
Wine notes courtesy of the winery. Images: MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.
