Stellaport (NV) (purchased in 2010) – Elephant Island Orchard Winery, 18% ABV – 375ml, (Naramata, BC, Canada)
from their website:
“A port-style wine made exclusively from estate grown Stella cherries. Cherries are harvested from a specific orchard site which receives concentrated southwest exposure for the duration of the ripening season, producing extremely sweet, concentrated fruit. In crafting Stellaport, we employ the Spanish technique of “solera”. Through this process a mother barrel was established in 2001. Each year we release half the barrel replacing it with the current year’s vintage.So what’s with the label, you ask? The label pays homage to that Spanish tradition of the Solera. The bottle is wrapped in headlines: moments in time that have passed since the wine has rested in barrel. A time capsule on the outside, and inside, and combined… a brilliant conversation starter.”
- Style: (cherry) Port (style)
- Taste Profile: Sweet tangy fruitiness -> alcohol/deep cherry/spiced oak -> chocolate/tart/sour/alcoholic finish
- Where I got it : Liberty Wines / Liquor Depot (Vancouver)
- How much: $28, Sometime in 2010
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: perhaps in a cocktail
- Would I recommend this to dessert wine aficionados: yes
Tasting notes: Fruit wines are always exciting to me. Grapes are cool but there are other cool fruits too; cherries being one of them. To me cherries bring to mind deep, luscious flavours as well as a stained shirt when I’m not careful. Anyways this pours a very dark red with nice legs. A tingly-tart, fruit jammy, oaked cherry on the nose.
Attack: 8/10-medium aggressive sweetness, tangy, gently dissipating/not cloying
Mid-palate: Soft alcohol detection nicely balanced with cherry juice, green vegetal notes, deep lush flavour, lightly spiced oak
Finish: mild chocolate, light tartness, 4/10-sourness with a smooth med-alcoholic finish, with just a touch of tannic roughness in the mouth.
Medium complexity, medium-high depth, good transitions, good sippability, good interest factor since it’s a fruit wine. It’s definitely more elegant, supple, and sippable than your average cherry liqueur. Stay tuned for some cherry liqueur reviews soon.
