2017 Maestoso
Solo Merlot
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Maestoso IN 7 WORDS
Dark Plum Blackberry Cardamom Earthy Concentrated Gusto
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Maestoso is the highest peak in the crescendo, that moment of realizing you are in the presence of majesty. Maestoso 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 back breaking work till late in the evening.
Maestoso is always opaque in color and 2017 is no different. On the nose one finds pronounced notes of dark bramble fruit, coffee, black cherries, forest floor and vintage cigar box. Huge mouth coating velvety tannins leads through to an astonishing finish lasting well over a minute. The structure and acidity of the 2017 vintage means longer than normal aging requirement before the wine is settled down. A monumental wine indeed that restores wine lover’s faith in Merlot. Even the biggest nay sayers will be wowed. We have done our part, now is your turn. Pick up a bottle and get to know Merlot done Maestoso style.
PAIRINGS
Di Carne
Maestoso demands for the very best cuts of meat available: Grass-Fed Rib Eye Steak or a Tomahawk Steak would do this wine justice. Simple preparations with a rich sauce will let the wine sparkle at its brightest.
Vegetariano / Vegano
Roasted Celeriac Risotto folded with a variety of Wild Mushrooms or Marinated Tofu Steak with Lemon-Garlic Brussel Sprouts & Potato Pave.
Technical Details
Region: Osoyoos Lake District, Golden Mile Soil Type: Glacio Fluvial and Fluvial Fan: Clay and Gravel mix, Alluvial deposit and Sand
Age of Vines: 20 to 25 Years Yield: 2.5 tons per acre Production: 327 cases Alcohol: 14.5% Aging: 17 months in Slavonian and French barrique and puncheon, 37.5% new oak
Accolades
92 Points
Maestoso Solo is the flagship label at La Stella, and it's 100 percent merlot. The majority of the fruit comes off the high terrace estate, Lumeno Vineyard, with the remainder coming off a site on Golden Mile Bench. It's showier than Equinoxe, thanks to a 20-month sleep in a mix of Slavonian and French barriques and puncheons, of which 58 percent were new. The oak is well done but plays into the style and, when combined with savoury aspects of the south Okanagan, plumps up the mid-palate, bursting with black plums and dense, dark cassis. The tannins are 2017 sturdy but not overpowering. You could take a run at this now but leave it five years and beyond for best results.
TREVE RING | GISMONDI ON WINE
5/5 Value
The decision whether to listen to Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 or Handel's Allegro Maestoso (Water Music Suite 2) while tasting and sipping through LaStella's "Solo merlot is a difficult one. Less obvious than it might seem and the question is which piece best exemplifies "the highest peak in the crescendo, that moment of realizing you are in the presence of majesty." Both, to be fair and so I find myself in good ears, and taste by the triad grace of Chopin, Handel and La Stella hands. Let's revise to encompass all three, in decadence, rolling rhythm and Okanagan Valley merlot-defining precociousness come crashing onto a shore of strings. This is where the maestroso moment happens, in cumulative fruit substance joined by fine acid intensity, wrapped up in a structural soundness. All this after a great deal of strong tempo variations which are prominent features in this Severine Pinte interpretation. The instruments are Glacio Fluvial and Fluvial Fan; Clay and Gravel mix, Alluvial deposit and Clay, playing in the orchestra of Osoyoos Lake District and Golden Mile. Support from the Okanagan's best, written as a top merlot composition and executed flawlessly by the winemaking team. Bravissimo. Drink 2023-2032. Tasted May 2021
Michael Godel
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Wine SpecsVintage2017VarietalMerlotAlcohol %14.5
