Oak Bay and St Hubertus – July 2016

I had the pleasure of meeting Andy Gebert, the animated owner of St Hubertus and Oak Bay. The wines from this place are all very affordable and the white wines are really the forté here. Anyone familiar with my writing will know that I have been critical of Canadian airlines for not carrying VQA wines. The wines from St Hubertus and Oak Bay are being poured on Cathay Pacific. I think it’s time to ask the question again to Air Canada. WHy is an Asian carrier pouring Canadian wines while our domestic carriers are still pouring foreign products.

2014 Chasselas – **** – White flower on the nose with slight mineral notes. On the palate this is mineral driven from the moment it hits your mouth until it leaves. Apple and the White Flower from the nose work their way onto the mid palate. The acids are high and sharp making this a very food friendly wine.

2014 Riesling – ****+ – Lime and Mineral on the nose with something a little funky tossed in the mix. The fruit is deep and concentrated. It’s bruised apple and peaches with a nice mineral note on the finish. This is fantastic value for the price.

2013 Riesling – ****+ – Mineral and Limes this is all about the minerals and the limes. Bone dry and I would have to call this wine “serious”. Dry and crisp this is a slam dunk for just about anything you could serve with it food-wise thanks to the very clean finish.

2013 Gewurztraminer – ****+ – This wine offers up rose water and nice intensity, but somehow at the same time this wine is restrained. The acidity is perfectly balanced with this wine. It finishes clean and crisp, but the mid-palate has some nice weight to it. The thing about great Canadian Gewurztraminer is that it strikes a great balance between Alsace and Germany and becomes something distinctly Canadian.