Try Some Riesling and Pinot Noir from Dirty Laundry Vineyard?

Riesling and Pinot Noir are two of my favourite grape varieties. I’ve done an analysis on these grapes and their aromas and flavours in the Okanagan before and saw that the soils and latitude that the vineyards are located have an effect on the grapes. I looked forward to opening these two bottles that Dirty Laundry Vineyard provided to me to review. The grapes come from their Summerland vineyards. The Riesling is fermented in stainless steel, while the Pinot Noir is barrel aged in French oak for 18 months, with 30% being new barrels.

Dirty Laundry’s Winemaker Mason Spink

Dirty Laundry Vineyard Winemaker Mason Spink (Image courtesy Dirty Laundry VIneyard) — Dirty Laundry Vineyard Winemaker Mason Spink (Image courtesy Dirty Laundry Vineyard)

Their wines are made by Mason Spink. I had not met Mason before so knew little about him or his experience as a winemaker. I did a little research and found out that he was born and raised in Victoria, BC. He undertook a Bachelor of Science degree in Oenology and Viticulture with honours at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario before moving back to BC. Mason joined the winemaking team at See Ya Later Ranch, as the assistant winemaker and was promoted to winemaker where he held that position for six vintages. I think I can see some resemblance between the SYL Ranch Riesling and the Dirty Laundry Riesling. Mason also worked with Okanagan College as an instructor of both winemaking and viticulture classes before joining Dirty Laundry in the 2013 harvest where he works till today.

My Tasting Notes

Dirty Laundry Riesling 2019 (BC $16.99 on sale) – Clear, bright medium intensity lemon in colour. This wine has medium intensity youthful aromas of citrus, lychee, and grapefruit rind, and with some air you get lime and aromas as well. With further decanting you get lots of lime, peach, grapefruit and orange aromas. This wine is sweeter than off-dry, giving a thicker mouthfeel. It is round with medium-plus intensity aromas of stone fruits primarily, peaches and pears, along with grapefruit rind apple and lime which show up mid palate to the finish. You also get a hint of mandarin oranges and some minerality. With decanting you get again mostly stone fruits, but also lime and orange. Medium length finishing with peaches and limes. A mix of tartness and off-dry sweetness on the finish. Try with some spot prawns or humpback shrimp from BC’s waters.

Rating:

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A sweeter Riesling with primarily stone fruit aromas and flavours, along with lime and orange. Light acidity.

Dirty Laundry Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 (BC $25.19 on sale) – Medium translucent garnet, about 60% solid colour from rim to core. It has lighter aromas of smoky raspberries, very ripe black cherries, and touches of floral, nutmeg, oak and plum. With decanting you can add some cedar and chocolate aromas. This wine is dry with very light fine tannins and lighter acidity. Medium-plus body and flavour intensity. It is very silky smooth on the palate. It starts off with lots of floral but gives way to red fruits, nutmeg, and cherries along with a touch of cedar, oak and vanilla. No change with decanting. It finishes with ripe red and black fruit; nutmeg and plum at the very end. Very light fine tannins. To be enjoyed young. Pairing with salmon is always a good choice.

Rating:

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A light red-fruited Pinot Noir with a touch of nutmeg. Very light tannins. Drink now.

Dirty Laundry Riesling 2019 and Pinot Noir 2018 with wine in glass

Where Can I Buy These Wines?

You can buy Dirty Laundry’s wines via their website. They have a wonderful interactive google map that will show you which government or private liquor stores carry their wines.