Tasting Note:  The first rose from the Stewart Family’s South Kelowna property is an adventurous barrel fermented pinot noir that looks like rose but feels like a light red.  The nose is a bit reserved, due to the wood perhaps, but quite fine with pinot noir cherry/strawberry, rhubarb crisp, fine herbs and florals. Quite sophisticated aromatics. It is medium weight, open knit and nicely dry, with a slightly bitter chokecherry finish. The length is excellent. Don’t overchill and look for refreshment, it deserves a place at the table.

Backgrounder – Ailm Estate is owned by the Stewart Family of Quails’ Gate. Their Irish roots are expressed in the archaic Irish word Ailm. This is a new project, with its winery and restaurant now under development. The focus is on sparkling wines, but it has just released its first still wines, including this unusual barrel fermented pinot noir rose. It was hand-harvested from a mature, single small block on the Quails’ Gate estate in West Kelowna. It is 100% pinot noir but a blend of clones 115, 114 and 165 to add complexity. It was gently whole cluster pressed for a delicate light pink colour. The free-run juice was cold-settled for 48 hours in stainless steel before going into neutral French oak barrels for fermentation.  It was aged for 6 months with some gentle lees stirring before blending and bottling.