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GOODS: 3rd Vintage (2009) Of Super Tuscan-Inspired LaStella “Fortissimo” Gets Released

La Stella is located at 8123-148th Avenue in Osoyoos, BC | Tel: 250-495-8180 | Fax: 250-495-8160 | www.lastella.ca

The GOODS from La Stella

Osoyoos, BC | With spring approaching and wine festival season in full swing LaStella is delighted to release the 2009 Fortissimo! The winery is very proud of the third vintage of the Super Tuscan inspired blend. The 2009 vintage was hot from the get go and overall is one of the warmest recent vintages. The large format puncheons and Hungarian oak are evident in the subtle manner that the oak presents itself. Overall the wine has fantastic layers of flavour and intriguing complexity. In youth this wine shows a brilliant level of Italian rusticity. The wine is built to age for several years or decanted and enjoyed today. Canada’s best wine critics have recently tasted the new release and the reviews are below.

The winery’s General Manager Rasoul recommends trying veal osso bucco or Tuscan roast lamb with rosemary crust as a food pairing.

How to order: Both wines can be ordered online, or by email. The winery offers a 10% discount on full case orders of 12 bottles (can be mix and match cases).

91 Points – John Szabo (Master Sommelier): “Merlot and cabernet meet Sangiovese in this super-Tuscan-inspired blend from the Okanagan. The nose and palate are firm and elegant in the Italian style, with tight, dusty tannins and marked acidity, even with 14.9% alcohol. Flavours range from red and black berry, to floral nuances to peppery spice to dried cherry and pine needles. Very good depth, complexity and lingering finish. A fine wine all around for fans of the old school style. Tasty now, but better in 2-3 years.”

91 Points – David Lawrason: “The 2009 Fortissimo is incredibly Italian in nature, with 8% sangiovese in the blend. It has a nose of red currant and sundried tomato that could be right out of Tuscany, with fresh green herbs, a touch of conifer, and background leather. It’s medium weight, edgy and vibrant yet packing good density and some richness at the same time… there is adequate depth to suggest this will age well. The length and focus are excellent.”

90 Points – John Schreiner: “This is a bold red with an appealing aroma of black currants and with brambly flavours of currants, plums and black berries. There is a lovely core of sweet fruit on the palate supported by ripe tannins.”

DETAILS

8123-148th Avenue, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0 | MAP
Tel: 250-495-8180 | Fax: 250-495-8160
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.lastella.ca

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Gallery

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The People Make It Happen

Winemaker & Viticulturalist: Severine Pinte
Vineyard Manager: Jody Subotin
General Manager: Rasoul Salehi

About La Stella

LaStella was created to capture our vision of la dolce vita: fine food, wonderful wine, great music, and the good things in life. At LaStella, we celebrate the sun that ripens our grapes and brings warmth to our life, and we share that with everyone who visits us.

LaStella is situated at Osoyoos Lake in the sunny South Okanagan valley of beautiful British Columbia. Here our vineyards produce great fruit and we craft them into such proprietary wines as Allegretto, Vivace and Maestoso. Each wine has its own story — and to convey this unique story we name our wines after Italian musical motifs.

LaStella has assembled an all-star cast to lead the production of BC’s best wines. Head winemaker and viticulturist Severine Pinte, Vineyard Manager Jody Subotin and General Manager Rasoul Salehi work tirelessly to deliver award winning wines vintage after vintage.

Please visit the winery when you visit the Okanagan and join our email newsletter for the latest news from wine country. Visit us online at www.lastella.ca on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lastellawinery and twitter at twitter.com/lastella_winery.

The History

LaStella was created to be the embodiment of the Tuscan way of life. For us, we are making more than wine. We are making our own fun. We are making something different yet reassuringly familiar.

LaStella is situated at Osoyoos Lake in the South Okanagan valley of beautiful British Columbia. The winery opened its doors in May 2007 with its first vintage of 2006. This included Vivace Pinot Grigio, Lastellina Rosato, Allegretto Merlot (Pie Franco) and the very low yield, highly complex Maestoso Merlot.

In 2008, 4 clones of Brunello (Sangiovese Grosso) have come to production. Soon the super Tuscan expression from the Okanagan will come to life.

In the Vineyard

Fortunately for us (and you), the Okanagan valley happens to be one of the best wine regions with its unique climate and variety of latitudes and soils. There is a perceptible difference in temperature and greenery, from the lushness of the north to the sage ridden desert in the south.
According to WineBC, the area between Oliver and Osoyoos is the northernmost tip of the northern most desert in the world; Sonora Desert. Summers are generally very hot with July and August being warmer than Napa Valley, but the evenings are markedly cooler. Osoyoos has 1450 growing degree days and 8 inches of average annual rainfall (WineBC.com). Low rainfall, high heat units and a dry environment allow us to farm in a sustainable manner with all the respect the land deserves.

In the vineyards we do a blend of organic and biodynamic practices, which we call ‘non-interventionism’. Along with our sister winery; Le Vieux Pin, we have around 50 acres of small parcel, prime vineyards in Oliver’s Golden Mile and Black Sage Bench as well as vineyards at Osoyoos lake. We have very distinct soil composition in our vineyards that result in very unique and distinctive wines. We also contract grapes from quality minded growers who grow organically and sustainably. We practice low input viticulture and employ dry farming. As a result our yields are very low and help concentrate the flavours and complexities in the fruit. Our average yield is 2 tons per acre and for some of our wines as low as 1 ton per acre, compared to the widely accepted 4-8 tons per acre yields used with quantity focused producers.

In addition to the above, the underpinning of our success is passion, friendship, dedication and commitment to excellence.

Awards

The Wine Access 2008 Canadian Wine Awards

Gold Medal | LaStella 2006 Maestoso Merlot
Bronze Medal | LaStella 2007 Vivace Pinot Gris

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