Whispering Horse Winery: Traditional Method Sparkling Wines

One of the things that I love about Whispering Horse Winery is that they are not trying to be the Okanagan or the Napa Valley. Whispering Horse is located in Yarrow, BC and they are focussed on showcasing the uniqueness of Fraser Valley terroir using 100% estate grown grapes.

The proprietors of Whispering Horse Winery are Melissa Giesbrecht and Laurent Fadanni, and they are two of the warmest, hard-working and passionate people you will ever meet. They have just released their first vintage of traditional method sparkling wines, which have 20 months on the lees and zero dosage. These wines retail for $28.95.

2017 Sparkling Pinot Gris

The Pinot Gris grapes were harvested on October 7, 2017 and the juice was allowed to rest on the skins for 36 hours before being gently pressed into stainless steel tanks where it remained for five months. The Pinot Gris was blended with 12% Seyval Blanc (a varietal commonly used in England to make sparkling wine) and 3% Pinot Noir. The blended wine was then put into bottles to undergo second fermentation and aged on the lees for 20 months before being disgorged on November 2nd.

The nose produces gentle aromas of fresh strawberry along with notes of tree blossom, spartan apple, salty stones and toast.

This is a dry sparkling wine and the mousse is pleasantly textured and persistent.

The palate offers flavours of strawberry, peach and then an infusion of citrus which gives way to a savoury, mineral streak with medium+ acidity and a clean, medium finish.

Drink on it’s own or pair with charcuterie.

2017 Sparkling Epicure

Epicure is a Blattner Varietal developed by Swiss grape geneticist, Valentin Blattner and it is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Resistenzpartner.  The Epicure grapes were hand harvested on September 24^th, 2017, gently pressed and then placed in stainless steel for five months. The Epicure was blended with 15% Seyval Blanc. The blended wine was then put into bottles to undergo second fermentation and aged on the lees for 20 months before being disgorged on November 2nd.

The nose offers toasty notes of brioche, lemon, subtle stone fruits and minerality.

This is a dry sparkling wine and the mousse, if my memory serves me correctly, seems slightly finer than the Pinot Gris.

The palate offers flavours of refreshing lemon, minerality, stone fruit and honey, with moderate acidity and a cleansing, medium finish.

This wine would be lovely to kick-off any holiday gathering.