The GOODS from LaStella

Osoyoos, BC | LaStella has just received the highest mark from well-respected wine critics in London, UK – Jancis Robinson MW & Richard Hemming, prospective MW. The 2011 Maestoso ‘Solo’ Merlot, was among the highest score of wines tasted from Canada.

This past May London hosted a ‘Canada Calling’ Media tradeshow at the Canada House in Trafalgar Square to showcase Canadian wines to top masters of wine and critics. The Winemaker and Viticulturist: Mrs. Severine Pinte, represented the winery. She was also invited by Master Sommelier John Szabo to speak as a panelist about the climate and terroir of B.C wines.

“BC wines tend to be much more dramatic and emphatic than their Ontario counterparts,” noted Jancis Robinson and Richard Hemming

Out of 150 plus wines tasted from Canada, 62 received scores of 15/20 and better, and only 1 wine received the highest mark at 17.5, LaStella’s 2011 Maestoso ‘Solo’ Merlot. Their 2012 Fortissimo (a Super Tuscan styled red blend) received 17/20 – scored by two tough critics in the industry. This is a huge compliment to the wine team at LaStella.

“2013 Fortissimo – Spice, fruit cake, chewy but pliable. Sensitive but modern oak and a long, savoury finish. The acid is especially bright – is that the Sangiovese talking?” – Richard Hemming

For the past 30 years there have been two people that are regarded as the most influential International wine critics: Jancis Robinson from the UK and Robert Parker from the USA. Most recently, Jancis has been building a stronger reputation in North America due to her discipline and consumer advocacy.

“2011 Maestoso ‘solo’ Merlot 2011 – Gorgeous, succulent and chewy. Opulent fruit with superb purity and attractive earthy development. Impressive, clearly carefully selected fruit.” – Richard Hemming

Find out more about these wines at www.lastella.ca.

DETAILS

La Stella Winery | 8123-148th Avenue, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0 | MAP
Tel: 250-495-8180 | Fax: 250-495-8160
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.lastella.ca | Twitter
Tasting Room Hours: Apr-Oct, 7 days a week, 10am-7pm. | Off-season: weekdays or by appointment

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Gallery

The People That Make It Happen

Viticulturist and Winemaker: Severine Pinte
Vineyard Manager: Jody Subotin
General Manager: Rasoul Salehi

About LaStella

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.