2019 Ava
ava IN 7 WORDS
Apricots Wildflowers Honeysuckle Persimmon Marzipan Decadent Balanced
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
2019 Ava is fuller and more immediately impactful than the last couple of vintages. It is packed with the very essence of white Rhone grapes. A regal wine with round and full structure, but with poise. A wine that will both wow in its youth and in the long term (especially after 5-8 years of bottle age). Today, Ava 2019 is at its best with a long decant or better yet tucked away for at least a couple of years of slumber time in the cellar. There is an erect spine holding this textural wine in balance. Canned peaches and nectarines are mingling with white aromatic flowers, herbal tea, and light brioche notes. The fruit was full and ripe and could handle (in fact was begging for) a bit more than usual level of new oak at 35%. on day two, slight acacia honey drizzled notes on toasted brioche bun come to the foreground. Anticipate beautiful toasted cereal notes to come forward about half a dozen years post vintage.
PAIRINGS
Meat-Based
Herb-Crusted Quail or Chicken with Corn Bread Stuffing served with Apricot Jus or a side dish of Roasted Potatoes in Herb de Provence would go perfectly with this wine.
Plant-Based
A mild spicy noodle dish like Pad Thai or a Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry would pair marvelously.
Technical Information
| Region: | Black Sage Bench, North Oliver |
|---|---|
| Soil Type: |
Glacio Fluvial Fan; Gravel and sand at Crowley Vineyard, mostly Sand and Clay and rare pockets of Gravel in Le Grand Pin Block. |
| Age of Vines: | 11-15 years old |
| Yield: | 4.2 |
| Production: | 927 |
| Alcohol: | 13.8 |
| Aging: |
7 months in 41% French oak puncheons and barrels, 35% new oak. Balance in stainless tanks. |
Accolades
Unreleased, and just bottled in June 2020, this was an early peek at the next Ava, named after Sev’s daughter. This vintage was 51% viognier, 37% rousanne, 12% marsanne, in a super floral blend, with viognier’s exuberance at the core. Anise, apricot, fleshy peach and a fine white floral perfume stream throughout to the finish. A showier style, very well handled. Makes a very interesting partner to the 2018 Ava, which was roussanne driven. Looking forward to retesting in a couple of months.
TREVE RING | GISMONDI ON WINE | TASTED: AUGUST 2020
93 POINTS. 5/5 VALUE
2019 is another terrific vintage, maybe one of the best, for Le Vieux Pin’s Rhône blend, in this case, 51% viognier with 37% Roussanne and 12% Marsanne, aged in a mix of new and old puncheons, and a large part in stainless steel. The nose is a delight of white and yellow blossoms, citrus and white and yellow-fleshed orchard fruit, sweet herbs and fennel, lemon zest and acacia honey. I also love the creamy-fresh texture, generous but firm, with a fine, sapid-saline quality on the finish. A truly delicious, well-made, distinctive white, a perennial favourite from the Okanagan Valley. Drink or hold mid-term. Tasted January 2021.
