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Wine Recommendation
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars
2006 Pinot Blanc Cream Label(Okanagan Valley)
Viticulturally, Pinot Blanc was the most successful of the 35 or so vinifera varieties in British Columbia’s grape growing trials of the early 1980s, launching the conversion of vineyards from mediocre hybrid varieties. In popularity, Pinot Blanc has fallen to fourth place among white varieties (after Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer). Soon, it will be shunted to fifth place by fast-rising Sauvignon Blanc. Consumers appear to find Pinot Blanc a touch bland in flavour, compared to other varieties.
Even at Blue Mountain, a winery always marching to its own drummer, the same trend is playing out. This spring, the winery planted Sauvignon Blanc for the first time. If Sauvignon Blanc succeeds here – no reason why it should not - some of the vineyard’s existing Pinot Blanc will be grafted over or replaced. Owner Ian Mavety believes that Sauvignon Blanc has greater winemaking potential than Pinot Blanc.
But there is nothing lacking with this Pinot Blanc, 40 percent of which was barrel-fermented for extra complexity. With crisp green apple flavours and aromas, the wine is refreshing and clean, a very versatile wine with seafood.
Reviewed October 4, 2007 by John Schreiner.
Other reviewed wines from Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars
 2006 Pinot Gris Cream Label (Okanagan Valley)John Schreiner 10/5/2007 |
 2006 Chardonnay Cream Label (Okanagan Valley)John Schreiner 9/12/2007 |
 2005 Pinot Noir Cream Label (Okanagan Valley)John Schreiner 5/17/2007 |
The Wine
Winery: Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars |
The Reviewer
John Schreiner
John Schreiner has been covering the wines of British Columbia for the past 30 years and has written 10 books on the wines of Canada and BC. He has judged at major competitions and is currently a panel member for the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards of Excellence in Wine. Both as a judge and as a wine critic, he approaches each wine not to find fault, but to find excellence. That he now finds the latter more often than the former testifies to the dramatic improvement shown by BC winemaking in the past decade. |