For the last little while, there have been rumblings that Bertus Albertyn, who had been making wine at Olivers Burrowing Owl Estate Winery since 2009, was about to pack up his things and devote all of his time to a new project in the South Okanagan. There wasnt a lot known about what his new venture would entail, but there certainly was a lot of optimism.
You see, Burrowing Owl has had a quite stellar reputation since it first released wines back in 1997. As the winemakers torch was passed from Bill Dyer to Stephen Wyse and then to Bertus Albertyn, there was a good deal of consistency to the winerys muscular style, full of polished fruit and confidence. My preferred ever-so-slight variance of style has definitely leaned toward the latter years where Ive found their wines to have the most balance, with a little more freshness and honesty to the fruit. I assumed that as the winery stayed true to its house style of bold and handsome wines, it was perhaps a little more of a hands-off approach that Bertus, a South African expat, employed that resulted in the wines showing a little more true.
So its a little bittersweet for me that hes fled the coop at such a storied winery, but Im delighted to share that his impressive skill is perhaps even better employed at his new, personal venture: Maverick Estate Winery.
Now that he (and a couple partners) pay the bills, he can have a genuine influence on the wines hes crafting without adhering to someone elses vision. The result, from the first couple wines Ive tried, are fresh and pure expressions of the winerys vineyard in the South Okanagans Golden Mile. With minimal intervention in both the vineyard and the winery, and perhaps the odd smidge of oak to properly frame the fruit, each sip lends elements of the land; whether its crisp minerality, a whisper of sage or a beaming ray of sunshine. Theyre just getting started and theres not much to go around, but jump on it if you can by nabbing some bottles via MaverickWine.ca. Here are the two labels currently offered:
Maverick Estate Winery | 2011 Pinot Gris | $20
A nice, ripe apricot-laden Pinot Gris with a splash of fruit cocktail, a few dusty herbs and some bursts of lovely, aromatic jasmine popping through. Itll handle spicy dishes, poultry and game quite nicely.
Maverick Estate Winery 2011 Origin | $16
I was a little hesitant of this blend that encompasses 70 per cent Gewürztraminer and 30 per cent Sauvignon Blanc but after a few quick sips, I started wondering why more wineries dont try it. Sure, the Gewürztraminer steals the show with lychee, rose petal and all of the other textbook elements; but just when you think youve got it all figured out, the Sauvignon Blanc rushes in with fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit to liven things up and keep it from being too cloying. Cool stuff.
