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y rhys pender
In 1987, when Senator Ross
Fitzpatrick purchased what is now
CedarCreek Estate Winery, it was
a homecoming to the valley in which
he grew up. Fitzpatrick had spent his
childhood roaming the orchards around
Oliver where his father managed a fruit
packing house. Fast forward to 2011
and CedarCreek is now celebrating 25
vintages and the Fitzpatrick family is
continuing its quest for quality.
The winery founded back in 1980,
was originally known as Uniacke
Estate Winery. The Uniacke brand had
hardly set the world on fire with the
quality of its wines, so the injection
of Fitzpatrick’s business acumen was
a welcome boost. The shift from
mediocrity towards quality was not
instantaneous. In the early years of
the Fitzpatrick reign and before to the
landmark the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA)event that
changed the industry, things were slow
to get going. The first big investment
came just after NAFTA in 1991, when
20 acres of apple orchard at the winery
site were converted to Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay, which remain two of
CedarCreek’s strongest varietals today. A
stable but relentless series of investments
and improvements followed for 25 years
to build what is now a winery producing
more than 40,000 cases per year.
Soon after, another meaningful
event took place in the CedarCreek
history. A 1992 vintage of Merlot
inspired the judges of the Okanagan
Wine Festival to such a degree that
they created a special Platinum award,
believing a gold medal was not adequate
for such a wine. This event inspired the
name of CedarCreek’s top tier of wines
– Platinum Reserve.
After those initial plantings at
the home vineyard, the growth and
expansion continued with purchases of
land at Greata Ranch south of Peachland
in 1994, Desert Ridge in Osoyoos in
2001 and Haynes Creek in Osoyoos in
2006. With sites in Kelowna, Peachland
and around the hot south Okanagan
desert n Osoyoos, CedarCreek now has
150 acres in a variety of climates, perfect
for producing a wide variety of wines.
Other than the exemplary 1992
Merlot, it was only after Ross’s son
Gordon came on board in 1996 that the
new era of wine quality really began.
By this time the BC wine industry
was starting to gain momentum and
confidence that it could produce quality
wine, so Gordon Fitzpatrick, after an
analysis of the future direction for the
winery, realized the focus needed to be
on premium quality. This is the path the
winery has pursued ever since.
Gordon’s first big efforts towards
top quality were to bring in the big guns
from California in 1998. Winemaker
Kevin Willenborg and vineyard
consultant Eric Neil were hired to begin
the turnaround. Willenborg left in 2000,
but Tom DiBello another Californian,
stepped into the role to oversee
CedarCreek’s amazing period of success
for the next 10 years. The early years of
the DiBello era were full of excitement.
The winery was completely rebuilt in
2002 with a big investment in both
winemaking equipment and building
design to take advantage of the stunning
location above Okanagan Lake.
An exciting year of recognition
followed in 2002. At the Los Angeles
County Fair CedarCreek won gold
CEdarCrEEK
CaBErnEt-MErlot
Bc vQA $18.90 163303
With a deep ruby colour and
classic cabernet aromas of
cassis and typical merlot plummy
notes. There are also savoury
elements such as green tobacco,
smoke, tomato leaf and cocoa
with some pretty floral notes.
The palate is dry and lean
and full of juicy, tart-cherry,
raspberry and plum finishing
with a dry, refreshing note.
CEdarCrEEK SyraH
Bc vQA $24.90 417949
This wine has the classic
deep purple colour and
aromas of red fruits – plum,
blackberry, black cherry –
overlaid with chocolately
oak and the hallmark Syrah
bite of black pepper. The
palate is dry with balanced
acid and tannin and flavours
of charred meat, violet and
tobacco to go along nicely
with the blueberry, plum and
chocolate notes.
CEdarCrEEK
gEwürztraMinEr
Bc vQA $17.90 240978
lifted floral, spice, ripe pear
and subtle tropical aromas
show on this typically pretty
gewürztraminer nose. A hint
of sweetness on the palate
balances the medium body and
fresh acidity. flavours range
from floral, peach, mango
and candied notes to citrus,
pineapple and grapefruit pith
that make refreshing finish.
TASTE 97
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