We were chatting at the winery about what we'd select for our own Autumn Recollection Club cases, and we put together some fun Staff Pick cases for you.
Sheila has been with us since 2019 as general manager, and she is a lover of our Home Vineyard Syrah.
"Our Syrah is so characterful and savoury! I have an ongoing conversation with it, as each sniff and sip tells me something new about that vintage," says Sheila. All our Syrah is grown in a single block of our Home Vineyard, picked by hand, and carefully crafted with love. It is made in small lots (90-300 cases per vintage) and it ages exceptionally well.
"I recently had a chance to enjoy our 2013 Syrah with a lamb dinner. For me, it was in a perfect drinking window: still fresh with plenty of cranberry, red current, black current, dark cherry and plum, white pepper and a hint of oak spice. The tannins have become very well integrated and the texture is so soft and appealing.
We only produced 210 cases of 2013 Syrah, and if you're lucky enough to have one (or more) in your cellar, I recommend drinking now until 2025. Plan for an occasion when you can finish the bottle that night, as aged wines won't show as well on Day 2 as a younger wine will. (This is never an issue in my home). Allow the bottle to stand upright for a few hours before serving, then decant slowly, leaving the last layer of wine in the bottle, if you dislike sediment. We don't filter our wines, so you can expect sediment in the bottom of the bottle, especially as wines age."
Sheila's case includes the following selections:
2 x 2018 Syrah Family Collection - "Our Club Members have amazing access to a library of wines that we curate for them. Take advantage of the cellaring time we've done for you! This bold, chewy, spicy Syrah definitely has benefited from the 3+ years in bottle, allowing it time to soften and integrate so well. If you have the patience, cellar it until 2026-2028!"
92 Points ~ John Schreiner on Wine
4 x 2020 Syrah Family Collection - "We released this vintage exclusively to Recollection Club members, as we only made about 94 cases ... and it won a Platinum Medal at the WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada this summer. This puts it in the top 1% of all wine in Canada, an honour that only 3 Syrah received in 2023. I can't even believe we still have any left! This is an EXCEPTIONAL vintage of an always outstanding wine. You should all have cases in your cellar to revisit this wine from now through 2034."
Platinum Medal (94 Points) ~ 2023 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada
2 x 2021 Syrah Family Collection - "We had the heat dome in 2021, and Syrah, native to the South of France, loves heat! It was an extra ripe vintage with a lot of power at 14% alc. This is the right vintage for those who love a big, bold wine!"
2 x 2020 Pinot Noir - "Another wine that is such a delight to drink ... and I'm amazed we still have inventory, as we only made 72 cases! Our first Pinot Noir ran away with a Gold Medal at the WineAlign competition. It's easy to see why, as it is bursting with bright red, juicy fruit aromas and flavours. A subtle earthiness adds intrigue to the bright fruit on the palate. I put it in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving, as the slight chill really pops the floral notes."
Gold Medal ~ 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada
2 x 2019 Meritage Family Collection - "This bold, complex cuvée is composed of a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), with the balance of Merlot (30%) and a dash of Malbec (8%) and Petit Verdot (2%), aged for 15 months in French and American oak barriques, and now benefitting from 2+ years of beauty sleep in bottle. I think the cooler 2019 vintage has a lot in common with 2013, and I really look forward to how these wines will age. 2019 should be on the radar of all collectors."
3 x 2021 Chardonnay Family Collection- "Chardonnay is my spirit grape, and this vintage is a great example of why I love Chardonnay. I describe it as lemon meringue pie: we did lees stirring and a delicate oak treatment, which creates the pie crust/pastry notes and flavours. Then the fresh, lemon filling is so bright and smooth, topped off with the delicate, caramel notes of the meringue. With a slice of apple on the side ... as our Chardonnay always has crisp apple notes, too. You can enjoy this now, and I'm excited to see how it will develop over 3-5 years. We'll be keeping some in our back vintage cellar at Nostalgia for sure."
"I went with a 15-bottle case, since I never have enough wine!" says Sheila.
Pro ordering tip: our shipping boxes can fit 15 bottles, and we charge the same flat rate. We recommend maximizing your shipper to 15 bottles for the best rates!
