Winemaker Notes
Classic cool-climate Pinot Noir with aromas of cherry, wild strawberry, and violets. Medium in body, the palate shows more of those red fruits with a touch of clove, dried herbs, and cocoa. A simple and elegant finish.An ideal match for late-season mushroom or squash risotto, seared game meats, or roasted pork with wild rice and root vegetables. Best enjoyed in Burgundy stemware to enhance aromatics.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A longtime leader in British Columbia, this Quails’ Gate Pinot is a stylish, nicely focused wine that delivers light but true varietal fruit and balance, with a BC twist. The winery blends in 7% Gamay to pump up the color and the tannins, and the blend works well here.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Located just north of the state of Washington, British Columbia includes five distinct Geographical Indications; its vineyards mostly surround the cities of Vancouver and Victoria and include a few more inland locations. The region grows about 80 different varieties including Pinot gris, Chardonnay and Riesling as well as Merlot, Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.