TIME Family of Wines Winemaker Lynzee Schatz and her team have been busy making new wines, creating new labels, and checking them twice. Today I review six releases, including wines from their new premium label Chronos, a McWatters Collection Chardonnay, a momentous Evolve red blend, and three sparkling bruts to celebrate the holidays.
2020 Chronos Semillon ($29.99; 89 points)
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2021 National Wine Awards of Canada! A tasty dry wine for those who like Sauvignon Blanc but want something just a bit different.
It releases an ethereal aroma of citrus, stone and tree fruit with a touch of toastiness. There are lots of mango, peach, toasted hazelnuts, honey and nectarines with an elegant medium body and crisp freshness. In the mouth expect a lovely oily texture. Ends on a bone dry lime note. Pair with Spanish paella or sushi.
2020 McWatters Collection Chardonnay ($34.99; 90points)
A silver medal winner, it’s golden with an aroma of vanilla and ripe tropical and tree fruit. Enjoy complex flavours of toasted oak, apple pie, mango, pineapple and butterscotch with balanced acidity. A perfect match with roast chicken and gravy!
2018 Evolve Momento ($23.99; 90 points)
Evolve is another brand from the TIME Family of Wines, with a lower price tag. The Momento is a delicious blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot with a small percentage of Syrah. The grapes originate from Kaleden, Oliver, and Osoyoos. Each wine was fermented separately in French and American oak for 14 months before being blended.
The Momento displays a dark garnet colour and a generous aroma of black and blue fruits with a subtle hint of vanilla. Complex flavours of plum, blackberry, blueberry, licorice and savoury notes are tasty in the medium bodied red. Great buy! Serve with prime rib or lamb shanks.
Chronos Brut ($ 34.99; 91 points)
Produced from 80 per-cent Chardonnay and 20-per-cent Pinot Noir and finished by the Cuvée Clos Method. It displays a persistent stream of tiny bubbles and reveals a floral and fruity bouquet with honey and toast.
There’s a full mousse to delight your palate with lemon, ripe apple, and baking spices plus a silky texture. Enjoy a lengthy dry finish with red fruit from the Pinot and a refreshing acidity that leaves your palate refreshed and eager for the next sip!
Chronos Brut is the perfect aperitif for the festive season and goes with appetizers and main courses with an air of celebration!
TIME 2018 Brut ($34.99; 90 points)
This is an aged vintage sparkling wine and is produced with almost equal proportions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards in Oliver and Kelowna.
The base wines were fermented in a combination of stainless steel barrels and stainless steel tanks and neutral French oak barrels. The subtle oak and the aging have resulted in a darker straw colour and a toastier aroma than the Chronos Brut. In the nose there is also tree and stone fruit with some baking spice.
The extra aging and sitting on the lees for four months has made the apple and lemon fruit flavour more earthy, drier with a little less acid and more distinctive than the Chronos. As a result, there’s more of a creamy texture in the mouth. Enjoy with prawn and crab cocktail,
McWatters Collection 2017 Brut ($64.99; 92 points)
A wonderful and elegant tribute to TIME’s founder and BC wine pioneer, Harry McWatters!
This is a traditional method sparkling wine made in the same manner as Champagne. It’s 65-per-cent Chardonnay, 25-per-cent Pinot Noir plus a BC touch of 10-per-cent Pinot Blanc! From three Okanagan vineyards producing complexity and balance in this bubbly, the wine was left to ferment and rest on its lees to generate more character and a creamy texture.
First impressions were dazzling; golden in colour with plenty of tiny bubbles in the wine streaming up the glass!
An exuberant bouquet of citrus, biscuit, and tropical fruit leaps out of the glass. On the palate is lemon zest, brioche and pineapple, balanced by the creamy texture and exciting acidity. This premium sparkling wine ends on a very long finish of lemon and ripe apple but with a dry finale.
Time’s chef recommends enjoying the McWatter’s Brut with truffle french fries, oysters, egg’s benedict, or scallops with beurre blanc sauce.
While Harry cannot enjoy one of his last creations, this wine encompasses all he truly loved about winemaking: a sense of time and place and the power of bringing people together!
All of today’s wines are available at VQA stores including Richmond Ironwood or online from TIME winery's website.
