Local stores and restaurants are bursting with fresh 2017 releases from right here in British Columbia. Like many, I hardly hesitate in pulling a cork or twisting a cap to enjoy the most recent fruits of local labour. Sure, it’s quite enjoyable, sipping from this most recent vintage that started a little cool and rainy, then caught up with some lengthy summer sun.

At the same time, our constant attention to B.C.’s latest releases often means we’re either missing the opportunity to see how our wines age, or perhaps opening our bottles before they hit their peak of quality.

Yeah, I’m pretty much assuming that many people are the same as me and don’t have willpower in spades, at least not enough to build and hold any semblance of a quality cellar.

In saying this, it’s appreciated when local wineries do the work for us, doing some of the aging in-house before a big vintage release. Doing so is generally with the intent of releasing a wine when it’s in optimal condition, but a winery’s profit-and-loss reports can often speed up the date a wine heads to market.

This week, we’re looking at fresh local releases—but those from vintages just a little way back. Not only are they all coming into their own this year, but they still have a good bit of life left in them, for those who can safely tuck away a few bottles for the future.

Sperling Vineyards Sparkling Brut 2011

($42, online)

Winemaker Ann Sperling’s family has been farming in Kelowna for generations, which makes her well steeped in local terroir. This wine comes from the harvest of 25-year-old Pinot Blanc vines in vintage 2011. 2011! We’re talking the Charlie Sheen/Tiger Blood/#Winning era, and the year that The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Harry Potter books wrapped up their extensive runs.

After secondary fermentation, the wine spent three years on lees in the bottle, which results in brioche aromatics and flavours, along with a creamy mouthfeel. Add in a dollop of marmalade, grilled pink grapefruit, and a squeeze of mandarin orange and it all integrates together wonderfully.

Fitzpatrick Family Vineyards fitz Blanc de Blancs 2014

($42.50, online)

This traditional-method sparkling wine made from 100 percent Chardonnay also spent a good three years on the lees, so there’s some lovely Champagne-style elegance at a less-than-Champagne prices! Elements of citrus bound out of the glass, with lemon blossom and lime leaf leading the way. On the palate, yellow grapefruit joins Granny Smith apple and fresh sage, with maybe the smallest splash of Sprite on the finish. Anything that swims would make an enjoyable food pairing.

Bartier Bros. Sémillon 2016

($17.99, online)

Why aren’t more Okanagan wineries making Sémillon? Sure, the grape is fairly unsung and it’s never going to allow any winemaker an early retirement, but it consistently harnesses local terroir damn well, particularly in the hands of Ross Hackworth and Matthew Sherlock of Lock & Worth Winery, Garron Elmes at Lake Breeze Winery, and Michael Bartier at Bartier Bros. in Oliver.

I’ve had a sneak peek at the 2017 edition, which won’t be released until this fall. Its style is typical of a young Sémillon, bright with juicy acidity and crisp mineral character, teeming with muddled lemon and crisp apple, still fairly austere and linear. I also recently tried the 2015 vintage, which is definitely taking on the character we associate with the variety when it starts to age, a style made famous in Australia’s Hunter Valley.

Think the above characteristics seeing the emergence of marzipan, honey-roasted almonds, and ripe pineapple and a formerly crisp profile moving in a waxy direction. In the middle of these two versions, in true Goldilocks style, we have the 2016 edition, and it’s juuust right. Those citrus flavours are starting to see a twang each of passion fruit and mango, the crisp, citrusy edges now rounding out with a little nutty character.

This is a wine worth drinking and cellaring; at 18 bucks a pop, you can afford to do both!

Road 13 Vineyards Syrah Malbec 2016

($32.17, online)

This Syrah Malbec also carries a splash each of Petit Verdot and Viognier, and even though its 2016 may seem a little on the young side for a red release, the wine is absolutely ready for the spotlight. A cavalcade of blackberries, blueberries, bacon fat, dark chocolate, and a crack of black pepper parades across the palate with confidence and cheer. If anyone needs me when this wine’s open, I’ll be firing up the barbecue.

All of these wines are available winery-direct at prices listed or are found around town in private liquor stores for a few bucks more.