In a nutshell the 2011 vintage can be summarized in one simple word; challenging.

In speaking with ‘old timers’ of the Okanagan wine industry, they compared the weather conditions faced in 2011 to the tough, cold growing conditions that were faced during the 1996 and 1999 vintages. From the scientific analysis side of the 2011 growing year, the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre has reported that in 2011 many locations in the Okanagan Valley have had the lowest recorded levels of growing-degree days ever recorded since the very first year of recording this information.

I think that this vintage there will be a great deal of variability in the quality of wines from the Okanagan Valley. More than ever before, the very best wines will be a direct reflection of the best viticulture practises, growing sites and to a lesser degree, winemaking  (95% vineyard sites / viticulture decisions and 5% winemaking).

On the flip side of all of this doom and gloom, I can confidently say that the exceptional quality of our wines from the 2011 vintage will surprise and please even the most jaded of wine skeptics.

Drawing from an excess of over 15 years of growing experience and with the addition of a momentous amount of extra labor in our vineyards, we have managed to assist Mother Nature with her ultra condensed growing season, and have ensured timely grape maturity was achieved. In any normal grape growing season we would usually make 6 passes through the vineyard doing shoot, bunch, leaf, and green thinning; in 2011 we had to double that number in order to complete the job.

Compared to previous vintages, our volumes are on average or are slightly higher this vintage.

Side note: An odd observation that I have made this vintage is that even though we dramatically reduced the number of clusters / vine in our vineyard, the over all yields of liters / ton are higher than usual. This observation is made all the more unusual given the fact that the average cluster weight and berry size were not abnormal larger than normal.

Stars of the 2011 Vintage

IMHO, the most exciting wines from SHV from the 2011 vintage will be:

White wines - Sauvignon Blanc (so good that there will be first ever Renaissance version), Vidal, Viognier, Syrah Rosé (my favorite) and GVM (Grenache/Viognier/Marsanne). All of these wines have laser like focus and intensity of aromas and flavors.

Red wines - Pinot Noir (as was the case in the 2010 vintage, 2011 will be another Renaissance vintage), Merlot, Tempranillo, and Syrah. Across the board these wines have grace, power, and perfect natural balance. These elements will provide the base for wines that will surely be age worthy contenders for the cellar.

Overlooking SHV Pinot Noir

Hand harvested Grenache from Kiln House vineyard

Perfectly ripe Pinot Noir clone 667

Tempranillo moments before being picked

Consuming wine in moderation daily will help people to die young as late as possible. ~ Dr Philip Norrie

Dwight