2009 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir Stewart Family Reserve wines are made in limited quantities and only in vintages of exceptional quality. This is a great opportunity to try a wine that has been cellared in ideal conditions. This Pinot is drinking beautifully right now and you will enjoy the silky texture and wonderful subtleties and nuances only this grape can provide. The wine has aged well and is still fragrant, with raspberry, plum, exotic spice and aged notes of wet leaves, sweet tobacco and earth. It is an elegant and complex with a long sumptuous finish. Try pairing it with mushroom-crusted rack of lamb served with ragout of French lentils. We also recommend duck, venison and grilled BC salmon. Serve this wine at 15 C (59 F) to fully enjoy your experience. RED WINES The grapes for our Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir were sourced from Quails Gate Boucherie Mountain vineyards from vines 10 to 25 years old. The warm season resulted in very ripe grapes. This wine is a blend of four ferments, each representing a different block and clone of Pinot Noir. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks using a combination of indigenous and French cultivated yeast strains. After fermentation the wine is aged in French oak barrels (40% new and 60% one year old) for 11 months before blending and bottling, giving depth and character to deliver a powerful yet supple wine. Alc. by volume: 14.5% 6.1 g/l 3.5 g/l Date bottled: December 2010 Case volume at time of bottling: 2,063 CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now.
2012 Richard s Block Pinot Noir This Pinot Noir is dedicated to our Father, Richard, who purchased the original family vineyards way back in 1956. It is crafted to the very highest standards using only our Dijon clones and matured in the finest French oak. This wine has aged beautifully in bottle and is smooth and silky with great depth and complexity. Coming from our premium block on Upper Boucherie Road, this wine is a true expression of what makes Quails Gate Pinot Noir so special. The wine has a particularly complex nose of lilac, cherry, plum, forest floor and exotic spice. The palate is beautifully balanced and well-structured with smooth tannins and a suave elegant palate. We recommend serving this wine at around 15 C slightly cooler than you would for bigger bolder wines. Wild game such as duck and venison, dishes with beets and wild mushrooms or aged cheddar would be an ideal match for this wonderful wine. RED WINES The 2012 vintage was a warm season at our estate vineyards and all of the fruit was sourced from two established blocks of Pinot Noir at our estate featuring 667, 117 and 115 clones as old as 24 years. 100% Pinot Noir and aged in French oak for 10 months, this wine is purposely old world in style. Only available at the estate in limited quantities. This wine can be enjoyed now but can also be cellared for another 2 to 3 years. Alc. by volume: 13.5% 6.1 g/l 0.3 g/l Date bottled: December 2013 Case volume at time of bottling: 490 (6/case) CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now through 2025.
2015 The Connemara An immigrant from Ireland, our Grandfather Richard Stewart Sr. insisted that Connemara was the most beautiful part of his home country. This exclusive red blend 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon is made in minute quantities from a selection of Bordeaux varieties grown throughout the Okanagan Valley. The wine is deeply coloured with aromas of ripe dark berry and currant fruits, violets and enticing sweet spices of cinnamon and clove. The palate is a beautiful combination of elegance, complexity and balance with great fruit concentration, supple tannins and a long lingering finish. We suggest decanting for an hour or two prior to serving. We recommend pairing alongside your best cuts of red meats and aged hard cheeses. RED WINES Hand harvested in October from our estate vineyard throughout the Okanagan Valley. The warmth of the 2015 vintage created ideal conditions for the Bordeaux varietals used in this blend. Fermented with indigenous yeasts for 28 days, the wine was then barrel aged for 18 months in French oak. Just 10 barrels of this amazing wine were produced. Alc. by volume: 14% <1.0 g/l 2.0 g/l Date bottled: June 2017 Case volume at time of bottling: 240 CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now through 2025.
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon produces rich full bodied wines, scented with black fruits and significant tannins in their youth. This is great opportunity to enjoy a wine that has been perfectly cellared, which not only makes it more complex but also smoother and more mellow in style. Expect black fruit flavours of dark cherry, cassis and blackcurrants. Oak notes of vanilla, spice and cedar add additional complexity and depth. We suggest pairing alongside your best cuts of red meats, especially roasted lamb. Aged hard cheeses are an excellent accompaniment too. We recommend decanting this wine for at least an hour or two before serving. RED WINES The 2013 vintage was warm one and the length of the growing season allowed the grapes to get particularly ripe. They were harvested late in October from our estate vineyards on the slopes of Boucherie Mountain surrounding Quails Gate Winery. Handpicked and fermented with indigenous yeasts for 28 days, before being aged for 18 months in French oak. Alc. by volume: 14.5% 5.9 g/l 0.2 g/l Date bottled: June 2015 Case volume at time of bottling: 2,580 cases CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now through 2022.
2013 Merlot The fruit is grown on both the Upper and Lower Boucherie benches close to the winery and the warm growing of 2013 allowed the grapes to reach optimal ripeness. Our Merlot is dry and medium to full body in style with rich plummy fruit with integrated oak spice and dark chocolate notes. We have found with experience that these wines age particularly well especially in good vintages like this one. RED WINES The wine is deeply coloured with notes of ripe plum, black berry, dark cherry, oak spice and hints of chocolate, dried herbs and sweet tobacco. The palate is rich, intense and full bodied with a lovely smooth mouthfeel. Try pairing with grilled red meats, stews, braises and aged hard cheeses. Our Merlot was harvested in mid-october 2013. The grapes were handharvested, crushed, and after 3-5 days of cold-maceration, the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks using a mix of indigenous and cultivated yeast strains. Daily pump-overs and gentle hand plunging during a 28 day maceration period has given this wine complexity and its rich dark colour. The wine was barrel aged in new and old French oak for 18 months prior to blending. Alc. by volume: 14% 5.9 g/l 0.7 g/l Date bottled: May 2015 Case volume at time of bottling: 3,865 cases CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now through 2021.
2010 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay Arguably one of the best Chardonnays from the Okanagan, the Stewart Family Reserve is made in limited quantities using our finest fruit located on the Boucherie slopes above the property. It is a classic barrel fermented Chardonnay using the finest French oak barrels we have. This wine won a Gold Medal at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. Expect a rich, smooth, full bodied creamy wine with great texture and mouthfeel. The 2010 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay is intensely flavoured with pear, citrus and nectarine fruit flavours nicely mingling with the oak notes of butterscotch, vanilla and sweet spice. Careful cellaring has added complexity and texture to the finished wine. Try pairing it with roasted chicken, lobster or crab dipped in butter and BC Halibut or scallops with a beurre blanc sauce. The Chardonnay grapes were harvested from 100 percent estate-grown French clone vines. 2010 was a classic cool-climate season, resulting in a wine with excellent balance and acidity. The wine was hand-crafted using regular lees stirring and full malolactic fermentation in French oak (40% new, 60% one-year old). Alc. by volume: 14% 6.2 g/l 3.0 g/l Date bottled: October 2011 Case volume at time of bottling: 1,142 (6/case) CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now.
2014 Chenin Blanc Chenin Blanc ages particularly well due to its natural high acidity and this is a great opportunity to enjoy one which has been optimally cellared for a few years. Expect a dry, crisp, medium bodied wine with great precision and vibrancy. This wine has become much more complex and rounded in character with citrus, green apple melon and nectarine flavours mingling with stony mineral notes. There is still a lovely freshness to the wine that makes it a perfect partner with for fresh, sustainable, BC seafood, including freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, wild BC spot prawns, mussels and ceviche. We also recommend pairing with local goat cheese salads. The 2014 growing year at our estate vineyards was one of the best in recent memory. This year s blend of 88 percent Chenin Blanc and 12 percent Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from both Quails Gate Estate and Osoyoos vineyards. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed followed by cold fermentation, 85 percent in stainless steel tanks and 15 percent in two-yearold French oak barrels. The barrel portion of the blend provides a lush quality to the palate alongside complex aromas. Alc. by volume: 12.5% 7.4 g/l 4.1 g/l Date bottled: March 2015 Case volume at time of bottling: 3,180 cases CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now through 2022.
2015 The Bench Pinot Gris Our family has farmed in the Okanagan Valley since 1908. We believe great wines begin in the vineyards and we are deeply passionate about the quality of our wines. The Bench Pinot Gris is part of our Collector Series selection. Each of these wines are grown in specific vineyard sites and crafted to the highest possible standards. They are made in very limited quantities and only available at our estate. The 2015 is a delightful, dry, medium-bodied, fruity white wine. It opens with aromas of white flowers, ripe pear, red apple and stone fruit flavours with hints of spice and subtle mineral notes. The palate has great fruit intensity balanced by crisp, citrus-y acidity and a long finish. The restrained use of quality French oak adds weight, mouthfeel and structure to this elegant wine. We suggest pairing with fresh seafood such as scallops and halibut, linguini with clams or grilled chicken kebabs. Our Pinot Gris is sourced 100% from a single site known as The Bench in South East Kelowna. The fruit was harvested by hand prior to being wholebunch pressed and immediately cold settled, allowing the true aromatic and fruity nature of this grape to shine through. Most of the juice was fermented in stainless steel but a small percentage went into French oak barrels to add texture and complexity to the finished wine. Alc. by volume: 13.0% 5.9 g/l 0.9 g/l Sweetness: 0 Date bottled: June 2016 Case volume at time of bottling: 880 cases CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now through 2019.
2011 Chardonnay This is a wonderful opportunity to try a Chardonnay that has been optimally cellared for a few years now. 2011 was a classic cool climate growing season providing good acidity which allows wines to age well. The wine has evolved nicely and has become much more complex and interesting in character. Expect apple, pear and citrus notes intertwined with hints of brioche, caramel, butter and light toast. The palate is loaded with textural pleasure and the oak is well integrated, giving a seamless and smooth quality to the wine. We suggest pairing with Dungeness crab, scallops, creamy pastas, seafood chowder and lemon scented roasted chicken. Our oak regime is a 50/50 blend of quality French oak barrels and tank fermented wine. The portion of barrel-fermented wine gives interest and complexity, while the tank portion provides bright green fruit and citrus notes. Alc. by volume: 13.5% 9.2 g/l 5.0 g/l Date bottled: September 2012 Case volume at time of bottling: 5,500 CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now.
2015 Dry Riesling The 2015 is another classic example of our Quails Gate Riesling. Made from our estate vines that are more than 30 years old, it is crisp, dry and refreshing, with wonderfully balanced acidity. True Riesling lovers will appreciate this wine s cellaring potential which allows the acid to soften over time and integrate with the rich Riesling flavours. The wine is dry, vibrant and zesty. On the nose, you will find aromas of intense lime, white flowers, stone fruit and wet stones. The well balanced palate combines intense citrus flavours with a hint of spice, leading to a long and refreshing finish. We would recommend pairing with tuna tataki, Vietnamese salad rolls or any summer vegetable salad. Our Riesling vines are now more than 30 years old which is evident in the increasing complexity in this wine. Deep roots extend into the subsoils of the Boucherie Mountain slopes resulting in mineral and slate notes to the fruit. The wine was pressed, racked clean and then underwent a long, cool, controlled ferment for over 4 weeks. Classically aged Riesling character will develop in the bottle over the next 2 to 3 years, but for those with the discipline, cellaring for 7 to 10 years will showcase how truly exceptional this Riesling can be. Alc. by volume: 12.5% 7.5 g/l 6.9 g/l Date bottled: February 2016 Case volume at time of bottling: 5,300 CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now or until 2025.
2017 B.M.V. Riesling A new wine to our collection, this beautiful barrel-fermented Riesling was made in tribute to the Okanagan s first age-worthy Riesling, produced in the 1980 s at Jordan & Ste-Michelle Winery in BC, using fruit from our Family s Boucherie Mountain Vineyards. Aromas of fragrant white flowers and white peach greet you on the nose while the palate bursts with lime, green apple and nectarine flavours. Expect the same bright fruit flavours on the palate with notes of wet stones that are so typical of our terroir. Barrel fermentation gives the wine a rich mouthfeel while the vibrant acidity balances the touch of sweetness and leads to a long, precise finish. The off-dry style and vibrant acidity make this Riesling a versatile food wine. Try pairing with cured delicately spiced steelhead trout or fresh fish tacos with tropical salsa. It would also be lovely with roasted pork and apple sauce, spicy South East Asian cuisine or even a cheese platter with semi-soft and blue cheeses. 2017 was a consistently warm, dry vintage. The grapes were picked between October 17 and 20 and possessed exceptional fruit flavours. The wine was whole cluster pressed and the free-run juice was racked off to neutral oak barrels where it underwent wild yeast fermentation. It was kept in cask for a further 2-months to add complexity and mouthfeel. The end result is a beautifully balanced, exuberant Riesling that we feel will age incredibly well. Alc. by volume: 12.5% 9.6 g/l 15.4 g/l Sweetness code: 1 Date bottled: January 2018 Case volume at time of bottling: 550 CELLARING NOTES: Enjoy now.