The 2010 vintage will be regarded by many as an extremely tough vintage. Cool and wet spring weather delayed bud break and forced us to play catch up throughout the summer. Several areas in the valley had to deal with heavy powdery mildew and botrytis pressures, but all was not lost for this vintage. There always seems to be a few producers that rise to the challenge during harder times. The white wines for LaStella are spectacular. The flavours and aromas are intense and vibrant, finished off with that mouth cleansing acidity that is quintessential Okanagan Valley. All the 2010 reds at LaStella have been in barrel since Christmas. All are progressing as they should for being six months old. The red wine production will be considerably smaller in 2010 than previous years for several reasons. First for some growers the early frost in October of 2009 killed a portion of the buds necessary for producing fruit. Second, for us, and other consciences producers, limiting crop loads means being able to ripen fruit in difficult years. Finally not squeezing every last drop (with the press) allows us to maintain wines that are not full of bitter phenolics and that are typical of the varietal and the region. I am very happy with where the wines are at this stage of their evolution.

James Cambridge

Maestoso - to be performed majestically

Allegretto -a little lively

Fortissimo - as loudly as possible

  

Each of the wines names relates the core style of the wine and perhaps to a style or pace of music that it could accompany! We'd love to hear from you if you think we've got the tempo just right, or even if you think we're way off key! 

A word you often hear in wineries or in wine discussions is phylloxera. So what is it? Phylloxera is a ground louse (a little insect) that attacks the roots of vines stopping them from absorbing nutrients from the ground and eventually killing the plant. Phylloxera is native to North America and was unknown to Europe until it was unwittingly brought back in the 19th century with cuttings of North American vine species. Phylloxera flourished in Europe killing almost all the vineyards. Fortunately, while North America was the source of the plague it was also the source of the cure. North American vine species are generally resistant (actually "tolerant" is more accurate) to phylloxera and most vineyards in the world are now planted using a North American species root, and a European Species plant (known as grafting).

However, around the world there are pockets of original un-grafted plants. The Allegretto Merlot vineyard is one such treasure and this is why we label it as "Pie Franco" (French foot). The arid climate and sandy soils in the South Okanagan has slowed or halted the progress of phylloxera allowing these plants to live with their own original rootstock. We believe the Allegretto Merlot is a fantastic expression of both Merlot and the South Okanagan with a transparency, elegance and complexity that perhaps transcends both the varietal and the terroir.

There remains a little of the 2007 Allegretto Merlot on the LaStella Web Store.