Stoneboat Vineyards Nebbia
Stoneboat Nebbia 2007 on the patio at the Hooded Merganser in Penticton
2007 Vintage
Tasted: July 2010
Stoneboat is fast becoming one of my favourite wineries in the Okanagan Valley. The winery itself is quaint and almost Cape Cod-esque inside the tasting room. The wines are subtle and just plain good. I want to say that Stoneboat Vineyards is the dark horse of the Black Sage Bench in Oliver, BC. It’s a little off the beaten path and feels like a well kept secret.
I’m a big fan of their Pinotage and Pinotage Solo (reserve), so when my usual watering hole (The Hooded Merganser) offered me some of the 2007 Nebbia by the glass I jumped at the chance.
It’s a lively wine perfect for summer sippin’. The dominant characteristic to me was a Granny Smith apple with a hint of honey. It’s subtly sweet, but tart and crisp, making it a nice food wine. I paired it with red snapper, rice, and asparagus, but it went equally well with the halibut with olive tapenade that I stole off of my friend’s plate.
I didn’t get to spend much time with the bottle, but the Stoneboat winery website tells me that this is a blend of Pinot Gris & Pinot Blanc, with Müller Thurgau, Kerner, and Schönburger grapes. Apparently it is also a botrytis affected wine. I love how fungus can turn into such a great thing!
I’m not entirely sure, but it looks like for the current vintage Nebbia has had a name change to Chorus. The blend appears the same.