1 Mill Road Vineyard is set to release their inaugural vintage on Tuesday, June 9th at 1 pm PST. If you have not yet heard of 1 Mill Road, they are located on the Naramata Bench, overlooking beautiful Lake Okanagan. This winery is a project from the couple who brought us the outstanding wines that we have come to know and love from Laughing Stock Vineyards.
David and Cynthia Enns, founders of Laughing Stock Vineyards, vicariously fulfilled many wine-lover’s dreams when they left the financial industry in 2003 to open a winery on the Naramata Bench. Their colleagues from the financial world warned them that they better succeed or they would become a laughing stock.
Prior to opening their winery, David was already a garagiste winemaker in the truest sense of the word, making wines from his very own garage with premium grapes from Washington. David augmented his hands-on experience with classes at UC Davis, as well as apprenticing under several Okanagan winemakers.
With David as winemaker and Cynthia as vineyard manager, their hard work and dedication soon paid-off, and the winery and its reputation steadily grew with each vintage.
At the end of 2017, BC wine lovers were surprised to learn that Laughing Stock Vineyards had been sold to Arterra Wines. The sale of Laughing Stock was largely the result of two factors. The winery’s production had increased from 5,000 to 10,000 cases in the five years prior to the sale, and it was literally bursting at the seams. At the same time the couple acknowledged that they needed more balance in their own lives. Selling the winery to Arterra seemed like the ideal injection of resources for the winery and the perfect way to achieve the work-life-balance they sought.
David and Cynthia finished-up at Laughing Stock in 2019. They are now solely focussed on their new winery, a journey which began in 2012 when they purchased an abandoned pear orchard in Naramata, on 1 Mill Road. The property was planted in 2013 with a single Pinot Noir clone, Dijon #115.
1 Mill Road is a deep dive into one varietal from a single vineyard called the Home Block. The couple takes a hands-on approach with Cynthia growing the grapes and David making the wine at the Naramata Wine Vault.
2018 Home Block Pinot Noir $48.00
The grapes for this vintage were hand picked on October 14th, 2018. They were hand sorted before the grapes (80% whole berry and 20% whole cluster) were fermented in two large French oak tanks, one neutral puncheon and one stainless steel tank. Half the wine was aged in new oak tanks, while the other half was aged in neutral barrels. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
This Pinot Noir has a fairly pronounced nose, offering aromas of pine, new leather, cherries and strawberries.
The body is medium+ with a lovely, viscous mouth feel. The acidity is medium+ while the tannins are medium.
The palate is bright with good intensity and concentration of flavour. There is a sense of minerality and notes of new leather alongside fresh, sweet strawberries, red cherries and strawberry-rhubarb pie, with dried cherries and dried herbs on the long, lingering finish.
Only 400 cases were produced and they will be available exclusively online. This year partial proceeds will be donated to the Food Coalition, a partnership between Vancouver restaurants and local farmers to feed the city’s most vulnerable.
Join the mailing list at www.1millroad.ca to gain first access to this release.