Winery Review of Apricus Cellars @District Wine Village
DWV Series 7 of 10
This winery was the last tasting of day one at District Wine Village, and boy was this the perfect way to end the day. Apricus is a Latin word that means sunny, sunshine, or warmed by the sun. This name is very applicable as this little winery's future is very bright. And considering my tasting experience lasted over an hour shows how engaging this experience was. As this tasting was my end of the day, I ran over to Uppercase Winery to grab the wine purchases I had left there. While there, I ran across the winemaker Aaron Grey who was enjoying a glass of wine with a farmer Sam Baptiste. Talking with Sam, I noted that he was a very soft-spoken man. He grows grapes and has provided his crops for up to 17 other wineries. As a lover of wine, I gave him my most sincere thanks and appreciation for all of his hard work. An incredibly gracious and kind soul, he appreciated my sentiment. It was too early for me to thank Aaron for his winemaking as I had not yet started to taste his wines at Apricus and joked about this with him. When I got back to Apricus, the Wine Host, Carrie, was speaking to my wife about the owners of Apricus. She was joking that all three owners are indigenous except for herself. When she had mentioned Aaron, the winemaker, as one of the three owners, I piped up and shared that I had just met him and that he was sitting with a farmer named Sam. Carrie continued by saying that Sam was also one of the three owners. This detail threw me for a loop as Sam is such a humble salt-of-the-earth farmer that he didn't mention this. Carrie also told me that Sam is a well-known farmer in the valley. The third partner is Wiley Sabo, who handles back-of-house production, labels, and merchandise - he's the entrepreneur of the trio.
My Wine Host Carrie is amiable and engaging. She is a great storyteller and baker and had made some cookies that she was giving out with all the tastings on that day - delicious. She also had some homemade popcorn mango curry flavour that was epic! It paired nicely with some of the wines too.
I was incredibly fortunate as Aaron came into Apricus and participated in my tasting experience supporting Carrie. Ya, that's right. The winemaker guided my tasting experience!
A little about the winemaker Aaron: he studied in New Zealand before returning to Canada, landing at Nk'Mip (I've been told to pronounce it In-ka-meep) Cellars. He was there "for a bunch of years." Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse to come to Apricus Cellars. Aaron enjoyed and liked the opportunity to learn and grow at winemaking with Nk'Mip. Still, the chance to make wines his way and the ability to experiment with some of his creative musings was too delicious to resist. With the production size at Nk'Mip, it takes much effort to get the leeway to experiment or dive head-first into left field with something new. The offer to make wine at Apricus allowed him to try and push boundaries. Aaron left Nk'Mip for Apricus Cellars, knowing that they would have a spot at the District Wine Village and, in a funny twist of fate, shortly after that Nk'Mip opened at District Wine Village as well. Nk'Mip is one of two larger wineries at the District Wine Village as one of those anchor wineries to help draw in tourists.
Something to note about the names of their wines: they wanted to make this about the sun but keep it local. The terms chosen are to provide a taste of their aboriginal heritage.
Now onto the tastings.
2020 Daybreak: Is named after the North Star, also known as the Daybreak star in some aboriginal cultures. There is a whole story that Sam grew up with around the Daybreak star that involves the Bitterroot flower - a flower that has medicinal properties within his culture. This flower also grows wild in this area. The wine is a white blend of Ehrenfelser 50%, Riesling 25%, and Pinot Gris 25%. Varietals that separately have lovely aromas. This wine is fermented in steel tanks to preserve that. Stone fruit - apricot and peach, citrus - lemon and pomelo, and flowers - jasmine, rose petal, honeysuckle. The acidity stepped into the background, nicely supporting the fruit and floral notes. This is a wine destined for summer enjoyment.
2020 Aurora: Named for the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). An exciting version of Pinot Gris shows off some of Aaron's pushing of boundaries and experimentation. A small percentage (25%) of the juice aged in neutral French oak—the rest in stainless steel. The aim was to present a softness and roundness to the overall flavour characters. They achieved this. I found this not as crisp as I've previously experienced with this varietal. The flavour profile had an element of tropical fruit that wasn't center stage. Flavours of mango with green apple - but its tartness softened. Again, lemon was muted and not sharp, stone fruit - like apricot and peach. There was an elusive minerality that was hard to nail down. This wine was very intriguing and would be fantastic with a seafood meal.
2020 Eclipse: Now, this name isn't only a solar phenomenon and still ties into their sun inspiration naming convention. This wine is a new world chardonnay—pleasantly fruit-forward despite 16 months fermenting in French oak barrels. Juicy flavours of apple and pear danced in harmony with some melon and white peach. There was a rich, creamy element that wasn't very pronounced - if it were, I'd not have been able to enjoy this positively. Amongst all the fruit, I could almost pick up a praline subtlety that added to the overall enjoyment. A summer chicken dish came to mind to pair this with, but then I wondered how a duck breast dish would stand alongside this too.
2018 Zephyr: I regret not asking about using Zephyr as this name. My research found that Zephyr is associated with a gentle breeze and a breeze from the west. This wine is a red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a pinch of Malbec. This blend spent 24 months in the barrel. Right off the bat, I thought of BBQ red meat as food to pair with this, maybe even BBQ'd game meat. Aaron suggested truffle fries and pulled pork. Flavours of cherry, raspberry, plum and a melange of other red fruit partied with some floral flavours. This wine was good, but the next one is a home run for me.
2019 Aspect: I must apologize for getting so wrapped up in conversation with the winemaker, Aaron, that I neglected to ask for the inspiration for naming this Bordeaux red blend—their flagship wine with a price tag that is well worth it. Consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. I apologize for referring to this as a Bordeaux blend, as it is more appropriately a Meritage blend. What's the difference? Meritage is made from specific Bordeaux grape varietals outside of Bordeaux, France. This wine saw an astounding 26 months in French oak - French oak for a French-inspired blend, lol. This extended aging presented a kaleidoscope of fresh, jammy, and stewed fruit that was sublimely delectable. If drinking while young, this acidity would benefit from decanting prior. The tannins were forceful in this wine's youth but will mellow out with aging. This aging potential is echoed by Aaron, who stated that I can enjoy it now or cellar into 2028. Bottles of this came home with me to observe how it would age. Aaron told me they produced only 6 barrels of this, so there is a good chance I'm going back to get more for my collection.
Now at this point of previous reviews, I'd give my impressions of the winery and provide contact and location information once the tasting is over. But I was able to talk Aaron into pouring samples of some of his new experimentations that are still in the barrel as Aaron decides when they are ready for the public. I got to taste and sample pre-bottled, straight-from-the-barrel wines that have yet to reach the winemaker's satisfaction for bottling! Remember I said that this tasting lasted over an hour? This is why. After all the regular tastings, Aaron continued with three more that he poured straight from the barrel. I will note that Aaron was like a protective and proud father of these wines. This behaviour is something I've observed in many winemakers when I've received the opportunity to sample their "experimental children ." My love for winemaking and appreciation for the craft increases during these moments. I lack the mentality to see future potential as they can. I have immense respect for good winemakers because of this innate ability they possess.
Nov 2021 Unnamed Red Blend (Syrah & Tempranillo): This blend is straight 50/50 of the two varietals. Aaron admitted that working with Tempranillo is new to him. Aaron is curious to see how it ages in the barrel and sharpens his wine-crafting ability. The leather and herbaceous characteristics took little time to develop with this wine. With this, Aaron parallels that classic petrol note in Riesling. The name in consideration for this is "The Deep," which was a swimming hole from back in Sam's youth. The Syrah in this blend is where the wine's deep colour originates. Aaron pointed out a faint smoky aroma in glass from the fires of 2021. This wine was very smooth for how young it was. When tasting this, my mind went immediately to pairing this with game meat like elk or venison (not bison, I can't explain why, but my gut instinct eliminated that meat as a pairing partner). Aaron did admit that he'd do a different ratio of 30/70 as there is so much more potential for growth.
2020 Unnamed Red Blend (Syrah & Tempranillo): Aaron is strategic with his Reds. With this, he went for a quick ferment of 3-4 days. Generally, he would have let it sit for a month or more to get greater extraction from the skins that would add to a more fantastic flavour and aroma profile. With such a shortened window, there was a worry that this would turn out much lighter in colour and flavour. Aaron was pleasantly surprised that the opposite had occurred. It still has a rich deep colour from the Syrah influence. This wine showed a bit more balance due to being a year older. This wine was still undergoing malolactic fermentation, and Aaron had not added sulphur to stop the fermentation. I immensely enjoyed how bright the acidity was in this wine. I will apologize for not including more tasting notes on this wine. I started to nerd out with Aaron and asked him what his process was from grape to glass. How does he craft that journey? I won't bore you with those details, but he made an amusing comment about how a winemaker makes good wine…it takes a lot of beer.
Unnamed Merlot: My conversation about Aaron's process and thinking encouraged him to return for a third wine to taste from the barrel. This time it is a single vineyard block merlot. This wine was still cloudy from the stirring it received a week prior. This Merlot is in a new French oak barrel. Aaron was so worried that the oak would overpower some of the natural characteristics he wanted to bring forward. He was pleasantly surprised when he found the fruit flavours coming through. This Merlot is a clone harvested from Nk'Mip. This clone is known for being fruit-forward, which I can easily taste. Only 2 acres of this clone are growing at Nk'Mip (Sam is the grower of these acres), and Checkmate Winery has the only other vineyard producing this clone. When Aaron poured the sample into my glass, it looked like juice. At this time, it is unfiltered. Even at this point in its journey, this wine was elegant with a long lingering finish. According to Aaron, the oak is the source of the length of the finish. This flavour profile represents this varietal as Aaron did next to no manipulation - grapes to vat, add yeast, punch down and wait. That's all. Aaron is using this type of pure varietal expression as a start to a potential new program to expand the portfolio as long as it works out well. Even though it is in its testing phase, I'd give it high marks and can't wait to see how it will finish when I buy a bottle.
Now we are at the end of this incredible tasting experience. And all I can say is wow. I immensely enjoyed these wines and the stories behind them. I'm coming home with a couple of bottles of the Aspect. I want to see how it will age over the next ten years. Some Eclipse and Aurora are also coming home with me. This is a winery to keep an eye on, as I for sure will.
Cheers 🥂
-DD
Website: Apricus Cellars
Address: District Wine Village
Email: info@apricuscellars.ca
Instagram: @apricuscellars
Tasting Fee: $10.00 (Fee waived with purchase of a bottle)
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