2013 Maestoso
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Maestoso is the highest peak in the crescendo, that moment of majesty. It is our flagship wine and the jewel in the crown of LaStella. Silk Gloves come on, no expense is spared, and we pulled no punches. Maestoso is the reason we get out bed at the crack of dawn and continue the backbreaking work. Maestoso is as always opaque in color and 2013 is no different. On the nose one finds pronounced notes of salal berries, smoked meat, stella and lipin cherries and café mocha. Huge mouth coating, creamy, ripe tannins lead through to an astonishing finish lasting well over a minute. A monumental wine indeed that restores a wine lover's faith in Merlot.
FOOD PAIRINGS
Maestoso demands the best cut of meat available: a 30+ day dry aged, grass-fed rib eye would be ideal. A simple preparation will let the wine speak to you and show you all that it has to offer.
ACCOLADES AND REVIEWS
"LaStella's flagship wine, Maestoso, proves that 100% Merlot wines can be as elegant and nuanced as the valley's top Cabernet Sauvignon or its heralded red blends. Harmonious layers of ripe, blackberry and dark plum fruit, vanilla fudge, spiced oak, chocolate nibs, dried herbs and light menthol aromas make the developing bouquet as equally compelling as the complex. refined palate. Intense, ultra-ripe, dark fruit dominates, supported by savoury notes; toasted oak, vanilla mocha, smokey tannins and cooking spices. Has the structure to age gracefully, though, with several hours of decanting you can enjoy this wine today. Ideally, 2-3 more years of bottle age would maximize your investment. Drink 2018-2024+." 93 Points - Liam Carrier | IconWines.ca
Few wineries hang their hat on 100 percent merlot, especially in the Okanagan, but this premium red from Osoyoos' La Stella is entirely "solo", and is the winery's flagship wine. The style is a tip of the hat to Ornellaia’s Masseto. A stretch perhaps, but the blend of two vineyards, one in Osoyoos and one on the Golden Mile Bench is at the root of this full, dense and structured red, from 16-21-year-old vines. It spends 18 months in French oak barriques and puncheons (38 percent new). Brooding and perfumed black plum, wild blackberry, ripe cherry, dark chocolate is scented with heady kirsch. The firm and full palate is drawn along by thick, grainy tannins, finishing with length, fine baking spice and some heat (the 14.7 percent felt here). Decant, and pour with a rich steak now, or cellar for five or more years. Impressive and encouraging for merlot. 91 points- Treve Ring
"This wine will be released in the fall but is already drinking well. It is a bold, rich Merlot with fruit aromas that bound from the glass and flavours that fill the mouth: plum, cassis, lingonberry, and spice." 92 Points - John Schreiner
