April is BC Wine Month, and it’s a great time to celebrate as wineries are announcing their spring releases. I recently had the pleasure of tasting through the spring wine club shipment from JoieFarm, which has recently come under new ownership.
JoieFarm Winery is located along the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan Valley. It was co-founded by Heidi Noble, who is a trained chef, certified sommelier and author of a book entitled Menus from an Orchard Table. Heidi’s Sommelier training was an avenue for her to exit the restaurant industry and enter the wine trade. She eventually moved to the Okanagan, arriving on the Naramata Bench in 2003. The following year marked the first vintage made at JoieFarm and over the years they have developed a reputation for their aromatic whites, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rosé.
Heidi sold JoieFarm in 2021, with the plan to spend more time with family and pursue other creative endeavours. The winery was purchased by Vancouver restauranteur and sommelier, Alistair Veen and partners. Alistair owns Tap Restaurant in Surrey (established in 2007) and he has received the Advanced Sommelier designation from the Court of Master Sommeliers.
After the sale of JoieFram, Heidi remained onboard for one year to help with the transition. The previous team at JoieFarm was kept intact, including General Manager, BJ Tumanut and Karl Duda, Heidi’s Assistant Winemaker and Cellarhand for seven vintages. In 2022 new Executive Winemaker, Richard Charnock (formerly of Pentâge Winery) joined the ranks.
As small business owners, the new proprietors of JoieFarm are committed to maintaining the integrity of the winery as an independent, family-run business. They have invested in the land, adding 62 acres of vines throughout the Okanagan Valley to the original four acre estate vineyard. By most accounts, grapes in the Okanagan are becoming more difficult and expensive to secure, therefore owning vineyards helps to ensure quality grapes from vintage to vintage. And as of March 1, 2023, JoieFarm has a viticultural Manager to oversee the now 66 acres of estate fruit.
I certainly look forward to seeing (and tasting) where this next chapter takes JoieFarm Winery.
2020 En Famille Chardonnay $32.96
This is the second time I have tired the 2020 “En Famille” Chardonnay, and I have enjoyed it on both occasions. As a wine club exclusive, I think it might make a great reason to join!
The grapes for this Chardonnay were sourced from Con Vida Vineyard, Skaha Bluffs and the clone used in this beautiful wine is Chardonnay Musqué. The grapes were hand-picked and sorted, destemmed, crushed and briefly soaked on skins before pressing. The grape must was hyper-oxidized to stabilize the colour and flavour. Wild yeast were used for fermentation in barrel and the wine underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation. It was aged in Burgundian oak puncheons (20% new oak) for six months prior to bottling.
Aromas of lemon curd, sweet white tree blossoms, apple, pineapple and butter. This wine is dry, medium+ in body with medium+ acidity. The palate offers notes of lemon curd, meringue, hazelnut, pineapple, baked apple, cinnamon and butter with a medium+ finish.
2022 Rosé $26.00
If memory serves me correctly, this Rosé appears lighter in hue than previous vintages and it is also one of my favourite vintages in recent memory.
This Rosé is 67% Pinot Noir and 33% Gamay sourced from three vineyards in the Okanagan Valley. The grapes were hand-picked and sorted, crushed, destemmed and then left to soak for 12 to 20 hours. The juice was then pressed off the skins into stainless steel tanks and settled for 48 hours. The juice from each vineyard was fermented separately using carefully selected yeasts. With fermentation complete, the wine was settled, cold stabilized and bottled in early January.
Aromas of stewed strawberries, pink grapefruit pith, and melon. This wine is dry and medium bodied with medium+ acidity. The palate is pleasantly tart and salty with notes of dried herbs, rhubarb, underripe strawberries, and pink grapefruit rind with a medium finish.
2021 Viognier $29.48
The grapes for this wine were sourced from the Gill Family Vineyard in Oliver. They were hand-picked and sorted, then crushed, destemmed and the juice pressed off into neutral barrels for fermentation with wild yeast. The wine was aged for seven months in neutral French oak with regular bâtonnage.
Aromas of stone, white tree blossoms, yellow grapefruit pith, canned peaches and pears. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with an oily mouth feel and medium acidity. The palate offers notes of mango, peach and orange rind with floral undertones and a medium finish.
2022 A Noble Blend $25.13
This wine is a blend of 50% Gewürztraminer, 27% Riesling, 10% Pinot Auxerrois, 8% Pinot Gris and 5% Pinot Blanc. The grapes were hand-picked and destemmed, crushed and the juice pressed off and settled for 48 hours. The juice was racked off heavy lees and transferred into stainless steel tanks. Carefully selected yeasts were used for fermentation in order to showcase the aromatics of each grape variety.
Aromas of rose, canned peaches and pears, pink grapefruit rind and pineapple. This wine is slightly off dry, medium- in body, with high acidity. The palate offers notes of rose, canned peaches and pears, sweet pink grapefruit and juicy lime on the medium finish.
2022 Unoaked Chardonnay $25.13
The grapes for this Unoaked Chardonnay were sourced from Con Vida Vineyard, Skaha Bluffs. They were hand-picked and sorted, then crushed and destemmed, prior to being pressed off into tank for 48 hours. The juice was racked off heavy lees into a stainless steel tank for fermentation with wild yeast; lees were stirred regularly. The wine was then settled, cold-stabilized, and once again racked off heavy lees before bottling in early January.
Aromas of blossom, crushed gravel, peach and pineapple. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity. The palate offers notes of blossom, peach, apricot and pineapple with a medium finish.
2020 PTG $31.22
The 2020 PTG* is a blend of 85% Gamay and 15% Pinot Noir sourced from the Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland and Adams Vineyard in Peachland. The grapes were hand-sorted, crushed, destemmed and gently pressed. The Pinot Noir was put in stainless steel and the Gamay in concrete egg for fermentation. The Gamay was then transferred to neutral French oak for four months prior to blending.
Aromas of black plum, salty cranberries, tar, dried fig, underripe strawberries and red cherries. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with juicy, medium+ acidity and very fine medium- tannins. The palate is tart and juicy with notes of black plum, raspberry, underripe strawberry, redcurrant, red cherry and white pepper with a medium finish.
*PTG, or Passe-Tout-Grains, is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) – a wine region in Burgundy, France. This region produces wines from a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, although there are several other grape varietals that are also permitted.