Tasting Note
This is a traditional method blend of 54% chardonnay, 25% pinot noir and 10% pinot blanc. But the addition of 1% riesling is enough to call this wine Libre — as in, freed from tradition, being marketed as an Okanagan regional edginess. It was aged en tirage for five years. It pours notably gold/brass, signifying its maturity. It has a generous ripe fruit forward almost peachy nose with light sourdough autolytic character and honeyed, almond/cashew nuttiness. It has more sense of volume on the palate than many sparklers but steers clear of sweetness and shows a fine core of lemony acidity. Flavour intensity and length are excellent with a pleasantly nutty finish. 

Backgrounder Evolve Cellars was founded in 2015 by Harry McWatters, an Okanagan sparkling pioneer who had made Steller’s Jay at Sumac Ridge in the late 1980s. After Sumac Ridge was purchased by Vincor Canada in 2000, he eventually moved on to a new project called Time Wines, based in a renovated theatre in downtown Penticton, with Evolve established as a sparkling branch in Summerland. After McWatters passed away in 2019, Time and Evolve were purchased by Ron and Shelley Mayert, both with roots in B.C. agriculture. Evolve was re-located to the Naramata Bench with B.C.-raised winemaker Lynzee Schatz at the helm, and drawing largely from Summerland vineyards, estate and otherwise, on the cooler side of the lake. In the early days of Evolve the emphasis was on inexpensive, Charmat-method “lifestyle” bubblies, but there is a new range of traditional-method wines that are breaking through on the awards circuit. Evolve Brut Nature 2018 took a gold medal in at the National Wine Awards of Canada 2025. Evolve Brut Libre is a new release, yet to be judged in competitions.