Roche Wines is celebrating their ten year anniversary, and if you haven’t tried their wines yet, I can guarantee that they are definitely worth your attention.
Roche Wines is owned by Dylan and Pénélope Roche. It is located on the Naramata Bench, but that is not where their story began.
Dylan was born in Vancouver and grew-up biking trails on the North Shore. In 2000, after completing a degree in urban geography at UBC, he landed a job as bicycle mechanic and guide in Burgundy, France. It was there that he fell in love with wine and by 2003 he had enrolled in wine studies. Dylan earned a diploma from Faculté d’Oenologie de Dijon and worked as a winemaker’s apprentice in Côte d’Or, Chablis and New Zealand. Later Dylan would work as assistant winemaker and winemaker at wineries in Bordeaux.
While in New Zealand in 2005, Dylan met Pénélope Furt, a 6th generation winemaker from Bordeaux, where her family owned Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion. Both Dylan and Pénélope were traveling to enhance their winemaking skills and they fell in love. Together they returned to Bordeaux where they remained for 6 years until the Furts sold Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion in 2010.
Dylan and Pénélope made the decision to continue making wine, but they decided to relocate to the Okanagan, where they would be less impeded by the convention and tradition of winemaking in France. Pénélope began working in the Okanagan as a consulting viticulturist, while Dylan worked as the winemaker for Intersection Estate Winery.
The Roche’s began their winery as Garagistes winemakers in 2011, producing less than 2000 cases per year. In 2014 they purchased their own property in Naramata and they built their production facility and tasting room in 2017.
Their production facility has the capacity to produce 6000 to 10,000 cases per year and their portfolio now includes Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Schönburger and two Bordeaux blends as well as a Rosé, which is made with Zweigelt.
2018 Tradition Pinot Gris $28.90
The Pinot Gris for this wine was sourced from a one acre block at the Kozier Organic Vineyard in Naramata, which Roche Wines now farms. Whole clusters were gently pressed before the free run juice was settled overnight. Fermentation took place over two months in neutral French oak barrels. The wine remained on lees for eight months, with limited lees stirring in the first two months.
This is a fantastic expression of Pinot Gris. After six hours in the decanter there are aromas of bruised, green apple, lemon, brown sugar, biscuit and almond. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with high acidity. The palate offers lemon yogurt, grapefruit, brown sugar and buttery biscuits with a lingering finish.
I paired this wine with Duck Burgers dressed with Fig & Apple Balsamic Chutney and Quick Pickled Onions. (Note: instead of using duck breast I made my own duck burgers. I mixed 1 pound of ground duck with a 1/2 tsp Chinese Five spice, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, 1/4 cup of onion and 1 clove of garlic.)
2020 Texture Pinot Gris $21.90
Also sourced from the Kozier Organic Vineyard in Naramata, the grapes were whole cluster pressed and free-run juice was settled overnight. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks over three weeks. The wine remained on fine lees for four months before bottling.
The nose on this wine is the epitome of Okanagan Pinot Gris for me – it is like fruit salad in a glass. There are aromas of pear, peach, lime and grapefruit pith. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with high acidity. The palate offers apple, pear, peach, lime and ginger with a medium finish.
Roche Wines recommends pairing the Texture Pinot Gris with their recipe for Gazpacho.
2018 Nuances $32.90
Nuances is a blend of 58% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Merlot was sourced from the Kozier Organic Vineyard in Naramata, while the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon were grown just north of Oliver. The grapes were hand-harvested, destemmed and fermented separately in stainless steel tanks with daily pump-overs. The wines were aged for 12 months in French oak barrels prior to blending and bottling.
This was the first wine that I tried from Roche and I found it to be quite impressive. After four hours in the decanter there are aromas of cedar, liquorice pastels, blackcurrant, black plum, ripe, black cherry and sweet spice. This is a dry wine, medium+ in body with medium+ acidity and medium, velvety tannins. The palate offers ripe black fruit: blackcurrant, black plum and black cherry with a savory and herbaceous, lingering finish.
Roche Wines recommends paring Nuances with their recipe for Beef Bourguignon.
2017 Château $49.90
Château is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot was sourced from the Kozier Organic Vineyard in Naramata, while the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon were grown just north of Oliver. The grapes were hand-harvested and fermented separately and aged in new and old French oak barrels. Drink in 2022 through 2027.
After five hours in the decanter there are aromas of blackcurrant, black Italian prune plums, dried cherry, vanilla, liquorice pastels and sweet spice. This wine is dry, medium+ in body with high acidity and medium tannins. The palate begins savory and herbaceous, offering underripe blackberries and bramble, followed by black cherry, vanilla, liquorice and sweet spice with a medium finish.
Roche Wines recommends paring Château with their recipe for Sauce Bordelaise, which will be added to their website shortly, so stay tuned!
Roche Wines
60 Upper Bench Road South
Penticton, BC V2A 8T1
References
Johnson, G. (April 20, 2021). From Bordeaux to BC: Roche Wines is a Family Affair with French Savoir Faire. Retrieved from: https://www.createastir.ca/articles/roche-wines
Schreiner, J. (May 27, 2021). Roche Family Celebrates 10 Years in the Okanagan. Retrieved from: http://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2021/05/roche-family-celebrates-10-years-in.html
Schreiner, J. (October 27, 2017). Roche Wines has a Home on Upper Bench Road. Retrieved from: http://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2017/10/roche-wines-has-home-on-upper-bench-road.html
Debra, your mom gave me your website info not long after I’d moved here, but I couldn’t access for some reason. Then, yesterday your Aunt Jodi told me about the amazing gourmet meal you and Carlos had prepped for your mom’s birthday and again Jo-Anne mentioned your wine site – asked if I’d ever checked it out. I have just now, thanks to your aunt having just emailed me the link. As she says – and of course as your mom has said too – what an amazing site! The research you’ve put into it is obvious, the photos are mouth-watering and your description of Roche Wines makes me want to visit sooner rather than later. So do hope their – and so many other – vineyards survive these fires.
Please do sign me on for more!!
Joan
Thank you so much Joan – I will email you!