WTN: Blue GaMay

[Jenise]

Slipping this one in under the wire: spent last weekend in the Okanagan Valley with friends. One of our favorite wines was a 2022 Blue Mountain Gamay ordered with dinner in a Greek restaurant. I don't know what it is about gamay that revs up the endorphins, but it's a frequent phenomena for me and others have commented on it too, like Steve Edmunds. This gamay was just that kind of drink-now happy pill: lightly floral and spicy nose that was generous on the palate, with notes of red berry, thyme and tomato skin that could casually slip unnoticed into a tasting of real village Beaujolais.

A Canadian wine writer opined that '22 is probably the best OK vintage of the last 50 years--good yields made the bankers happy, and excellent weather and ripening was a gift to winemakers. Considering the massive vineyard damage of Jan '24, it could be decades before this happens again. I'm definitely not qualified to judge, but it is true that every '22 we tasted was terrific.

We hunted all over, without success, for some of this to bring home but settled for picking up the '23 at the winery on our way out. There is no '24.

[David M. Bueker]

"Drink now happy pill." I like that!

I was in the Okanagan a couple of weeks ago, and agree with the quality of the 2022 vintage. Both whites and reds are great. 2021 was the heat dome and some smoke, so wasn't great (although 2020 was great), 2023 was very small (big frost event) and 2024 was almost a complete write off due to frost. You are right, after 2024 and all the replanting that is needed (though less than feared), Okanagan is now in reset mode. Hopefully 2025 is a good one!

Agree..stocked up on 22 last july when visiting BC

OK, Jenise, tit for tat. I am Okanagan-curious (my mom was a big fan of the whites from there) so mebbe I'll trade you a Michigan gamay for an OK one

[Jenise]

I was in the Okanagan a couple of weeks ago, and agree with the quality of the 2022 vintage. Both whites and reds are great. 2021 was the heat dome and some smoke, so wasn't great (although 2020 was great), 2023 was very small (big frost event) and 2024 was almost a complete write off due to frost. You are right, after 2024 and all the replanting that is needed (though less than feared), Okanagan is now in reset mode. Hopefully 2025 is a good one!

I'll post my notes on this trip as soon as I have some spare time, which I haven't had since I got home. We only visited six or seven wineries. We walked out of Rainmaker and Ramification after 2 or 3 pours, found the wines at old favorite Daydreamer rather inconsistent, Le Vieux Pin disappointed greatly as they only poured '21s and the smoke taint was very strong with the exception of their outstanding '22 roussanne. We loved pretty much everything across the board at La Frenz, which was more or less expected to happen, and Phantom Creek which was not the snotty Opus-One kind of place I expected. Instead, ultra high quality across the board. Orofino was another big surprise. Because of you I love the riesling there, but I had no idea they had so much range and there was nothing they poured that we didn't like--a lot. I had already purchased too much wine for a family of one (we were on our way home at this point), but bought six anyway. And their '21s did not have any smoke taint.

[Jenise]

Btw, John, did you know that Foxtrot just re-opened? Saw this in a Facebook post:

"We’re officially open! As new owners Mike & Jacqueline Boyd are dedicated to reviving the Foxtrot legacy of superb Naramata Pinot Noir."

And Mark--you're on for a trade. As soon as the weather cools down!

Interesting, I went to le Vieux Pin and La Stella, and I also found that all the 2021s poured had various levels of smoke taint. When you are selling a wine for up to $100, to sell such a tainted product is unacceptable. I think a lot less of them, though they are not the only ones.

Foxtrot was closed when I was there, but it's good to hear they are open again. The previous owners seem to have been a real sh!t show!

Yes, Orofino shines with their rieslings, but they do make some other nice wines too, quite an interesting range. The sparking gamay is tasty. The nearby Row 14 restaurant is a real farm to table place and definitely the best option in the Similkameen.

La Frenz is always a good bet. Their whole range is very good. Always a good vibe tasting on their terrace too. Their Rutherglen style Muscat is an excellent dessert wine.

[Jenise]

Agreed; Le Vieux Pin's insistence on pouring the '21s was a real letdown. I picked it up on the first one they poured me, and then they kept opening and pouring more--hoping, it seemed, that I wouldn't mind it as much on the merlot as I did on the syrahs rather than pivot to the '22s. We had planned to go to La Stella from there but wrote it off.

Orofino was superfine. Loved everything they poured; John Weber is a very talented winemaker. Each wine was pure and true to the grape it was made from, yet rich with character. Could not have been more impressed.

Always enjoyed my Orofino visits.

So, last night opened a bottle of this wine (thanks, Jenise!) with some duck confit for a quick week-night dinner. What an interesting wine it is. Bright Gamay fruit in abundance, starting out quite red-fruited and turning more purple with air, transitioning from cranberry to Bing cherry if you will. Crisp acidity, light-to-medium body give it a similar mouthfeel to a Cru Beaujolais. However, atop of it all was a savory, umami note that -- sorry for the personal reference here -- put me in mind of the Pinot Noirs of Martinborough Vineyards in Martinborough, NZ. Jean and I struggled to put our finger on what we were smelling and tasting: she started with sulfur, but changed to barnyard when it didn't blow off. For my part, I thought more about mushrooms and forest floor and I wonder if it might be Jenise's tomato skin. It wasn't at all off-putting, but rather added some character and complexity to the wine that made it even more appealing.

For comparison, Jean insisted that we open a bottle of 2020 Chateau Grand Traverse Gamay Limited Release for comparison, and an interesting comparison it was: the Michigan Gamay was rounder and softer than the Blue Mountain, no doubt in part from the oak treatment, but the family resemblance was certainly there. The Michigan Gamay was more straightforward and simple, lacking any of the umami notes of the OK Gamay.

Thanks again, Jenise, for going along with this trade. You are certainly adding to my Gamay education, which is all to the good.

[Jenise]

Cool note, Mark, thanks. Btw, forgive me for not remembering exactly, but did I send you the '22 (which is what I had) or a '23? It has been many months and since I put that bottle in my cellar--destined for you pretty much on arrival so I never entered it into inventory. As my OP says, there weren't any '22s to be had in the OK but I remember finding some at a wine store in Surrey almost immediately upon my return. I ask because your mentioning barnyard/sulfur, though you didn't find it offensive, is mildly concerning. There was none on the '22 we had at that Greek restaurant, and shouldn't be any on the '23s we brought home (quick trip, cool weather, straight to the cellar on arrival). But if I sent you a '22, then I bought that from a trusted retailer but can't swear to an impeccable chain of custody.

Anyway, still: Blue Mountain is one of the best producers in the Okanagan, especially for those of us with European palates, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Cool note, Mark, thanks. Btw, forgive me for not remembering exactly, but did I send you the '22 (which is what I had) or a '23? It has been many months and since I put that bottle in my cellar--destined for you pretty much on arrival so I never entered it into inventory. As my OP says, there weren't any '22s to be had in the OK but I remember finding some at a wine store in Surrey almost immediately upon my return. I ask because your mentioning barnyard/sulfur, though you didn't find it offensive, is mildly concerning. There was none on the '22 we had at that Greek restaurant, and shouldn't be any on the '23s we brought home (quick trip, cool weather, straight to the cellar on arrival). But if I sent you a '22, then I bought that from a trusted retailer but can't swear to an impeccable chain of custody.

Anyway, still: Blue Mountain is one of the best producers in the Okanagan, especially for those of us with European palates, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

It's the '22, Jenise. Like I said, I found it an appealing note and likely something that you might have called tomato skin: savory, yes, but not a flaw.

[Jenise]

Great, it's what I'd intended to do but suddenly, wasn't sure! A lot of things have slipped my mind these past few months. Next up: the Brick House? I have one to taste/compare when you do.

Great, it's what I'd intended to do but suddenly, wasn't sure! A lot of things have slipped my mind these past few months. Next up: the Brick House? I have one to taste/compare when you do.

Yup, we'll open it up soon, but it might have to wait until we return from Hawaii in late December