Ursa Major Chapter IV: The Wheel of Shame & Appeasement 2023
- Region
- Canada » British Columbia » Okanagan Valley » Naramata
- Type
- white still, dry
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2023
- Grapes
- Gamay, Riesling, Pinot Gris
- Alcohol
- 11.8
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
Type: White
Varieties: Gamay / Riesling / Pinot Gris
Origin: Stoneface Vineyard, Naramata, Okanagan Valley
Our second ever vintage from our own Stoneface Vineyard in Naramata. We have been farming this plot organically, ourselves for about three years now. The 2023 vintage gave us much less fruit due to the extreme cold weather we had over the previous winter, killing a majority of the fruiting buds. We did not have enough of each variety to make single bottlings so we decided to pivot once again!
We went with a field blend of the entire vineyard: all three varieties were direct pressed together and co-fermented naturally in neutral 500L puncheons. After secondary fermentation we added 20-25ppm of sulphur and let the wine rest on its fermentation lees for 5 months. Bottled unfined, unfiltered and by hand in April of 2024.
Ratings
Wow. I tasted this wine blind, and my first thoughts were - it feels like a mix of the Canary Islands and Jura (closer in style to Domaine du Pélican). But it turned out to be a Canadian wine!
There's a slight oxidative touch, but the nose is beautiful - yellow fruits, salted nuts, sea water, smoke, and bread. On the palate, it's salty, vivid, and well-structured with a long, evolving finish. White pepper, quince, flowers, and a hint of perfume.
Complex, intriguing, and absolutely delicious.