Last year’s early-arriving blast of Arctic cold wreaked havoc in some Northwest vineyards, but it also capped a remarkable vintage in British Columbia by creating a historically early and abundant harvest of ice wine. Nearly eight tons of Riesling were taken off the Osoyoos Indian Band’s Whitetail and Inkameep vineyards on Nov. 12-13 at 40 Brix. After nearly a month of fermentation at about 63 degrees Fahrenheit, Randy Picton and his team had a wine with beautiful aromas of Gala apple, pear and honeycomb. Its flavor profile features apricot glaceéd and Bartlett pear topped by honey and ground nutmeg. There’s plenty of acidity to balance the residual sugar of 24%, making for pairings with Brie, cheddar cheese and spicy Asian-inspired entreés. This was one of three entries by Picton to earn a gold medal at the 2015 British Columbia Wine Awards.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 990 cases
Alcohol: 9.7%
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