When a barrel of wine or a particular batch stands out among the others in the cellar and is just too good on its own, winemaker Amber Pratt sets it aside for the Small Lots series. As the team at C.C. Jentsch hones their vineyard skills, more and more batches are proving themselves worthy. Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec have all been featured as Small Lots wines. Each one has received its own fair share of awards and honors.
The 2016 vintage so far looks promising for future vintages of Small Lots wines. “The grapes will have lots of time to develop slowly,” says Amber. This will allow the grapes to create lots of complex flavours that should produce some stunning wines in the future, some of which will no doubt be able to catch her attention in the cellar to stand out as a future small lot candidate.
The awards have poured in for C.C. Jentsch over the past two years; Syrah 2013 (Decanter Asia Gold medal and Regional Trophy for Best Red in North America), Small Lots Chardonnay 2014 (Best White at Whistler Cornucopia 2015), and the Viognier 2013 and Cabernet / Merlot 2014 both picked up Gold medals at last spring’s Okanagan Wine Festival’s Spring Best of Varietal.
The Chase 2015 (tank sample) $19.90
The Chase is Jentsch’s flagship blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. A preview of this wine shortly before it was to be bottled showed a beautifully deep ruby colour and aromas of dark cherries, plums, graphite, and coffee. The tannins were wonderfully smooth and the flavours were huge: plums, black berries, acai, cocoa, and vanilla. Look for this one to be released in the future and make a vertical for your collection with the current vintage now.
~ Luke Whittall