Winemaker Heidi Noble’s homage to Alsace’s Edelzwicker – a blend of the region’s white varieties
Joie Farm “En Famille” Muscat 2018 (Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley)
Very pale straw in colour; aromatic honeysuckle and peach bouquet suggesting sweetness but the wine is delightfully dry and beautifully balanced; light and fragrant on the palate with fresh tangerine acidity that sustains the peachy-lychee flavour. Clean and true – the perfect summer wine. (91)
Joie Farm Pinot Blanc 2017 (St. Hubertus Vineyard, Mission, Kelowna – $24.90)
Bright, light straw colour; oily, minerally, peach pit nose; medium-bodied, tartly dry with a crabapple flavour carried on lemony acidity. (89)
Joie Farm A Noble Blend 2017 (A blend of 49% Gewurztraminer, 32% Riesling, 9% Auxerrois, 6% Pinot Blanc, 4% Muscat – $25.90)
Medium yellow straw colour; aromatic, slightly oily nose of musk melon; medium-bodied, crisply dry – the Gewurz shines through with lychee and grapefruit flavours; beautifully balanced and lingering on the palate. (90)
Joie Farm A Noble Blend 2018 (47% Gewurztraminer, 31% Riesling, 9% Auxerrois, 8% Pinot Blanc, 4% Muscat)
The greater proportion of Riesling in this vintage dominates the blend with its just off-dry flavours of honeyed grapefruit and lime backed by succulent lychee and rose petal flavours. Rounder on the palate than the 2017 but beautifully balanced. (91)
Joie Farm “En Famille” Reserve Gewurztraminer 2016 ($27.90)
Light straw colour with a greenish tint; a perfumed nose of lychees and dried rose petals; medium to full-bodied, off-dry; unctuous, sweet lychee, ginger, grapefruit and orange peel flavours. A full bore Gewurz, flavourful and satisfying. (90)
Joie Farm “En Famille” Reserve Riesling 2016 (St. Hubertus Vineyard, planted 1978 – $27.90)
Pale white gold colour; oily, petrol nose of honeyed grapefruit and lime with a floral grace note; light to medium-bodied; off-dry, peach, grapefruit and lime flavours with a touch of honey. Rich and full in the mouth, Alsace-style Riesling with Okanagan minerality. And a sweet nuttiness in the finish. (14.6% alcohol). (89)
Gérard Bertrand’s Hampton Water Rosé 2018
