Although some wineries have sold out and others are closing for the season, there are still many local wineries that remain open through the fall and winter months for tastings.
One such winery is Cavallo Winery located in Surrey, British Columbia. Cavallo Winery began production at their newly built facility in 2016. They bottled their first vintage in 2018 with Winemaker, President and CEO, Frank Gigliotti at the helm. Cavallo sources their grape from select California vineyards in Napa Valley and Lake Country. All of their grapes are processed at their Surrey location within 36 hours of harvest.
Cavallo Winery will be open for tastings seven days a week throughout the fall, which is an excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon. They are also currently offering charcuterie from Table + Vine, which you can reserve for purchase when you book your tasting.
2016 Cavallo Syrah $59
The grapes for this Syrah come from Stagecoach Vineyards in Napa Valley. They were cold-soaked prior to pressing and fermentation. The wine was aged for 24 months in new, American oak barriques.
I did not decant this wine, but let it evolve in the bottle; my notes were written after the bottle had been open for six hours. This Syrah has a fairly pronounced nose of violet, ripe blackberry, black plum jam, black cherry, liquorice pastel, white pepper, cinnamon and clove. This is a dry, full bodied wine with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The palate offers blackberry compote, black pepper, blackcurrant and new leather with salinity and herbaceous notes on the medium+ finish.
2016 Cavallo Cantare $125
Cantare is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (clones 4 and 6) sourced from George the III Vineyard located in the Rutherford AVA in Napa Valley. This Cabernet Sauvignon also contains a small amount of Syrah and Merlot. The grapes were gently pressed (no more than 1 atmosphere of pressure was used) and then fermented at low temperatures before being aged in new, American oak barrels for 24 months.
Once again, I did not decant this wine, but let it evolve in the bottle; my notes were written after the bottle had been open for seven hours. This wine has aromas of blackcurrant, cherry pie filling, fig, liquorice, sweet spice, toast and cedar with hints of forest floor. This is a dry wine that is medium+ in body with medium tannins and medium+ acidity. The palate offers blackcurrant, ripe blueberry, black cherry, fig, prune, chocolate ganache, sweet spice, cedar and liquorice with a medium+ finish.
Cavallo Winery
#150-19288 22nd Ave Surrey, BC