Joie’s 2007 wines were the first made in the new winery

By John Schreiner

While getting ready to build a winery of their own, winemakers Heidi Noble and Michael Dinn made the first three vintages of Joie’s wines at nearby wineries in the Penticton area.

Their gypsy winemaking ended last fall when they moved into their own new winery in the recently planted Joie vineyard. For the first time, they had total control of the vintage in 2007, working in a functional building with modern equipment.

Whether the wines are the better for it would require a vertical tasting. That would not be easy to arrange since most people drink Joie wines almost as soon as they arrive. The wines are always that good.

                               

One thing is certain: the new quarters helped Michael and Heidi make more wine in 2007 than in any previous year, and that’s a good thing, given the strong demand for Joie. They produced 7,000 cases in 2007 and that is four times as much as their first vintage.

The winery released four of its 2007 wines this spring while I was travelling in Argentina, so I have not be able to review them with alacrity. The wines may now be nearly sold out at the winery, although I recently spotted some in the Everything Wine store.  A number of private wine stores stock the Joie wines, most notably Marquis Wine Cellars in Vancouver. As well, they are widely listed in restaurants.

The flagship, as always, is A Noble Blend 2007 ($21.50). This exotic blend was inspired by the white blends of Alsace which Heidi and Michael admire. This wine is a blend of Gewürztraminer, Kerner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Ehrenfelser. The winery’s information does not provide the percentages of each but the spicy aroma and flavour profile suggests that Gewürztraminer is the backbone around which the blend comes together.

This is a gloriously tropical fruit plate, with flavours of tangerine, apple, melon, and papaya, with a tangy acidity to give the wine a lively personality. It has a lingering finish. With a restrained 12.2% alcohol, the wine has a refreshing lightness. 89

Heidi and Michael also admire the various unoaked Chardonnays of France and have set out to produce one recalling the wines of a small appellation in Macon. Joie Chardonnay 2007 – Unoaked ($20.50) is a blend of Chardonnay from the south Okanagan and Chardonnay from the Naramata Bench, a harnessing of different terroir flavours to build in the complexity that sometimes is missing in unoaked Chardonnay.

The wine’s ripe tropical fruit and citrus aromas are released as the wine warms in the glass. Don’t overchill this wine or you are not getting the best from it. The flavour profile is also tropical fruit with mineral notes. The texture is full and satisfying. 88

Joie Riesling 2007 ($20.50) is a wine with the subtitle “A delicate balance” on the label because Michael and Heidi set out, successfully, to make a wine that carefully balances fruit, acidity and sweetness. This is a charmer, beginning with fragrant aromas of citrus and apples. On the palate, there is a big punch of fruit flavours, ranging from ripe grapefruit to fresh peaches. The moderate alcohol, 11%, and the residual sugar, makes this a light refreshing wine that, in the style of many German Rieslings, can be enjoyed on its own. 88

Joie Rosé 2007 ($19.00) is made chiefly with Pinot Noir and Gamay, with a touch of Pinot Meunier and about 10% Pinot Gris. As that blend suggests, rosé gets taken very seriously as Joie. Michael and Heidi argue that it is such a versatile wine and can work with a wide range of foods and situations.

This wine is a delicate rose petal hue but, on the palate it shows more weight than the colour implies. The aromas recall strawberry, raspberry and rhubarb. The flavours include those fruits as well as a hint of cranberry. The acidity is tangy and the wine is crisply dry. 88

Joie Muscat 2007 is not available from the winery because the entire production, 45 cases, was sold to Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver. The previous vintage won a Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence a year ago. This is also a fine wine, delicately floral in aroma. On the palate, it shows lightly spicy raisin flavours, the classic Muscat personality, with touch of sweetness that lifts the fruit. With just 10.5% alcohol, the wine is refreshing, with a pure, clean finish. 87

Once again, Joie has delivered a solid range of wines for the 2007 vintage.

John Schreiner is author of British Columbia Wine Country

goodgrog@shaw.ca

                                                                         
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