John Schreiner on wine

Photo: Monte Creek vineyard with Lion's Head in the distance

Monte Creek Ranch, the newest winery in British Columbia, has a lot of pioneering history behind its name – and also is pioneering grape varieties new to British Columbia.

Monte Creek is the fourth winery near Kamloops. Its current portfolio of seven wines includes a number made with so-called Minnesota hybrid grapes. These varieties were developed in Minnesota and Wisconsin to survive winter temperatures fatal to vinifera varieties. Most of the wineries in Quebec grow them but this is the first release of these varietals from a British Columbiavineyard.

Some of the history was laid out in a news release that announced the winery:

“Generations back, the small community of Monte Creek, situated east of Kamloopsalong the South Thompson River and into the rolling hills, was known as "Ducks", after the British settler Jacob Ducks, who ranched the area extensively.

“The town became a hub when Ducks opened a hotel to room railway workers, miners and other ranchers, and achieved fame in 1906 as the site of the last train robbery by the notorious "Gentleman Bandit" Bill Miner. In 1888 Hewitt Bostock purchased 3,380 acres near Kamloopsfrom rancher Ducks. Years passed, yet locals continued to call it Ducks Ranch long after Bostock and his wife made it their home. Today's Monte Creek is a tiny community where farming and ranching is still the mainstay.”

The picture of Bill Miner, apparently from a wanted poster, appears on several of the winery’s labels.

Here is the profile from the new edition of John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.

Marquette, La Crescent and Frontenac have joined the lexicon of varietals in British Columbia with the development of this winery. Those are winemaking hybrids bred at the Universityof Minnesota to survive winters as frigid as those experienced occasionally at Kamloops. In an abundance of caution, Gurjit Sidhu, the owner of Monte Creek, also has installed wind machines for added protection against late spring and early autumn frost.

Since 2010, Monte Creek has planted about 14 hectares (35 acres) on two vineyards: a south-facing slope called Lion’s Head on the north flank of the Thompson River; and a windswept plateau south of the river and beside the highway (where the winery and wine shop are located). In addition to the Minnesota hybrids, Monte Creek also has a large block of Maréchal Foch. On the Lion’s Head slope, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer are grown.

The first commercial production from this vineyard, about 23 tons in 2013, was vinified for Monte Creek by Eric von Krosigk, the winemaker at Summerhill Pyramid Winery. The wines are promising, in part because the hybrids, which have big berries when grown in eastern Canada, produce small berries with concentrated flavours in the Kamloops climate and soils. Marquette, which the University of Minnesota says is a “grandson” of Pinot Noir, is medium bodied with good flavours. Le Crescent, which has some Muscatin its ancestry, yields a fruity white. “We have at least two very strong ones,” Gurjit says of the gamble on Minnesota hybrids.

The Sidhus are immigrants from the Punjab in Indiawho have already succeeded in horticulture in Canada. Gurjit was just three when his father Gurdev moved the family to British Columbia in 1969. Unable to use his law degree here, he started a small plant nursery in Mission in 1975. Today, Sidhu & Sons Nursery Ltd., specializing in producing shrubs and trees for landscaping, is one of Canada’s largest nurseries.

In 2001, the Sidhus expanded to growing blueberries, quickly becoming one of the largest producers in the FraserValley. Soaring land prices sent Gurjit, who has a diploma in horticulture, looking for cheaper farm land in the interior to plant more blueberries. In 2007 he bought Monte Creek Ranch and then the Lion’s Head Ranch on the north side of the river, almost directly across the valley. Because the Thompson RiverValley is not ideal for blueberries, he turned to grapes and a groundbreaking trial of hybrids that could open winegrowing possibilities in British Columbia’s cooler regions.

Since that was written, the winery has built a processing facility in which a tasting room will open in the spring of 2015.

As well, Michael Alexander, 25, (right) a Calgarian who is completing his training this winter at NiagaraCollege, has become the winemaker (with Eric remaining as a consultant. Michael, who had previous experience in both the cellars and the tasting room at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, had the major hand in making the 2014 vintage for Monte Creek.

He has recognized that the Minnesotahybrids are performing differently (and arguably better) in the sunbathed Kamloops terroir than in Quebec. “With the longer growing season and the warmer weather here, we get great ripeness,” he has found. (Photo: Frontenac Gris)

The winery is not relying entirely on grapes that thrive at Kamloops. The inaugural release includes a Cabernet Merlot from grapes purchased in the Okanagan.

“We are working with a few different vineyards,” Monte Creek general manager Erik Fisher said in an interview this fall. “This year we are identifying where we can get the best quality fruit. We are looking at a five year plus option with a grower in the South Okanaganwhere we can get a consistent supply of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and grow our production levels. The ownership group is also wide open to purchasing some land down there as well.”

Here are notes on the wines.

Monte Creek Hands Up White 2013 ($14.99). This is a blend of 59% Frontenac Blanc, 29% Viognier and 12% La Crescent. Ripening these varieties clear was no issue: the alcohol is 15%. It is noticeable, but not unpleasantly so, in the rich tangerine, caramel and nutty flavours on the full palate. The aromas are fruity, with honeyed notes of melon, citrus and apricot. 87.

Monte Creek Frontenac Gris 2013 ($15.99). The Frontenac Gris grapes thrived in the heat of a Kamloops summer, ripening to almost 30 brix by the time they were picked on October 4. The winery took the hint and made a delicious late harvest wine with 25.6 grams of residual sugar. The wine has a lovely light gold hue with floral and honey aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of ripe apple and cantaloupe. The sugar is superbly balanced so that the finish has just a lingering sweetness. 89.

Monte Creek Gewürztraminer 2013 ($17.99). The wine begins with aromas of grapefruit and herbs, leading to flavours of citrus and grapefruit rind, with a backbone of minerals. Rich on the palate, the wine is dry on the finish. 89.

Monte Creek Riesling 2013 ($18.99). This wine reflects the style that winemaker Eric von Krosigk has adopted with Riesling: low alcohol (9.8%) with just a touch of residual sweetness that rests nicely on the mid-palate. The classic mineral backbone and the hint of petrol is beginning to develop amid the lemon and lime aromas and flavours. 90.

Monte Creek Hands Up Red 2013 ($15.99). This is a blend of 49% Frontenac Noir, 20% Marquette, 10% St. Croix, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot and 5% Savrevois. Dark in colour, the wine is intensely aromatic (cherries, blackberries). On the palate, there are flavours of blackberry and cherry. The winery notes describe this as medium-bodied. However, the long ripe tannins give it a full, lingering finish. 88.

Monte Creek Foch 2013 ($19.99). Dark in color, the wine begins with aromas of raspberry and cherry with a touch of graphite. On the palate, it is a rich, plumy wine with overtones of cherry and blackberry. The finish has the classic smoke and dark chocolate note of the varietal. 89.

Monte Creek Cabernet Merlot 2013 ($19.99). This is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (the winery has not provided a breakdown on how much of each). Dark ruby in colour, it has appealing jammy aromas, leading to flavours currants and black cherry with dark chocolate and tobacco on the finish, along with a touch of cedar. This is a delicious wine. 90.

Monte Creek Ranch Winery

2420 Miner’s Bluff Road,

Kamloops, V0E 2M0

T. 250.572.4040

W. www.montecreekranch.com

Photo: The Bartier Bros. Cerquiera Vineyard

Everyone who knows winemaker Michael Bartier knows that a droll sense of humour goes along with his talent.

The most recent release of wines from Bartier Brothers Winery comes with an entertaining updated narrative on how Michael and his brother, Don, found themselves in the wine business in the Okanagan.

They are natives of Kelownawho initially set off on different careers. Don went to Calgary, became an accountant and succeeded in the oil and gas business.

Michael (right) has a degree in recreational administration from the University of Victoria and returned to the Okanagan initially to be a rock climbing guide. Then in 1995, at the age of 28, he got a job as a cellar hand at Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards (now See Ya Later Ranch). His career was launched.

Here is where the media kit picks up the story. “Michael has often considered his own winery to make his style of wine, but lacked the business and financial acumen for this undertaking. Don has long been a wine enthusiast, and indeed about the best customer for each winery that Michael worked for.”

In addition to HawthorneMountain, Michael has made wine for Township 7 and Road 13. For several years, he has been the senior consultant at Okanagan Crushpad Winery.

With Michael’s advice, Don planted a 2.5-acre block of Gewürztraminer in 2010 near Summerland, called the Lone Pine Vineyard..

“Michael watched this project closely, and helped a lot. Either Don passed Michael’s test, or Michael laid a trap that Don walked into,” the media kit says. “In either event, the stage was set for the partnership of the Bartier Bros. …”

The brothers released a few wines last year, adding more this year as they build to a full suite of wines.

Their major grape supply is from the 15-acre Cerqueira Vineyard on Black Sage Road. Planted between 1999 and 2009, it has four acres each of Merlot and Chardonnay, 2.6 acres of Syrah, 2.4 acres of Cabernet Franc, and two acres of Sémillon.

“The soils are a heavy, slightly sandy loam with limestone (calcium carbonate0 covered granite cobbles throughout a deep profile,” the media kits says. “With the rough surface of the calcium carbonate, vine roots seek out these rocks for the small amount of water to be found on this surface. It is controversial to say that these vines are ‘feeding’ off these minerals, but that’s exactly what we believe is happening and it shows in the wines.”

Here are notes on those wines.

Bartier Brothers Semillon 2013 Cerqueira Vineyard ($19.90 for 640 cases). The wine begins with aromas of grapefruit and apricot. On the palate, there are flavours of grapefruit on a bed of herbs, spice and minerality. The finish is crisp and dry. I would be inclined to cellar this wine for a few years and let time work its magic with this varietal. 90.

Bartier Brothers Gewürztraminer 2013 Lone Pine Vineyard ($18.90 for 211 cases). This wine begins with appealing aromas of apple, peach and ginger. On the palate, a touch of residual sugar lifts the peach and apricot. Well-balanced, the wine finishes dry. 90.

Bartier Brothers Unoaked Chardonnay 2013 Cerqueira Vineyard ($19.90). Here is a textbook example of an unoaked Chardonnay that delivers pure and focus fruit aromas and flavours. Look for citrus and apple with a crisp finish and a surprising amount of weight. The flavours linger. 90.

Bartier Brothers Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2013 Cerqueira Vineyard ($26.90 for 182 cases). Almost from the start of his winemaking career, Michael Bartier has shown a very sure hand with Chardonnay; his wines have won numerous awards. This is another example. It begins with intense aromas of citrus and cloves, leading to rich, layered flavours of grapefruit, ripe peaches, ripe apples. The hint of spice and cloves, likely reflecting time in barrel, gives the wine good length on the finish. 92.

Bartier Brothers Merlot 2011 Cerqueira Vineyard ($26.90 for 350 cases). The wine begins with intense aromas of black currants and black cherries. Ripe tannins give the wine a firm texture, with flavours of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate and spice. This is drinking well but will continue to improve in the cellar over the next three to five years. 91.

Bartier Brothers Syrah 2011 Cerqueira Vineyard ($26.90 for 325 cases). This wine was tweaked with 13% Cabernet Franc. It smells and tastes like a classic Syrah, with white pepper, black cherry and vanilla in the aroma. The flavours are a blend of plums and peppery prosciutto. 92.

Photo: Lt-Commander (retired) Spencer Massie

Last week, when the Canadian Navy banned alcohol on its ships at sea, I immediately thought of Spencer Massie, the senior partner in Clos du Soleil Winery in the Similkameen.

He is a naval veteran, having retired in 2000 as a lieutenant commander, after 22 years. During his career, he developed a keen interest in wine, often organizing on-board tastings, at least with fellow officers.

When I first interviewed him in 2008, he recounted some of his shipboard encounters with the grape.

“I was the second-in-command, executive officer, on a mine-sweeper on this coast when I was 25 years old,” Spencer told me. “One of my fellow ex-o’s and I, we were both into wine even back then. Normally, the ship would carry a few cases of ordinary wines. He and I were splitting cases of Margaux and things like that. We were in charge of ordering all the bonded storage. There are opportunities within the military where you can experiment and have some fun.”

Well, at least there were.

Spencer had a rationale for organizing wine tastings. “I thought it was important for our young officers to tell the difference between a tawny and a vintage Port, and what it takes to create a good bottle of wine,” he said.

Perhaps the officers who took over when Spencer retired in 2000 did not think it all that important to teach sailors how to drink. The ban was caused by sailors who over-indulged and got into so much trouble that they almost caused an international incident. It is quite probable those sailors never had a chance to develop a palate remotely as sophisticated as Spencer’s.

They might not appreciate the excellent wines coming from the winery which Spencer (and partners) launched in 2008.

The current releases from Clos du Soleil are the wines with which I will toast the navy’s (understandably) vanishing tradition. There will still be opportunities to enjoy the occasional drink on board – on special occasions. It will be a brave captain who will risk having too many special occasions.

Those of us safely on land, however, get to enjoy these wines. Here are my notes.

Clos du Soleil

Capella 2013 ($27.90 for 12 barrels). This barrel-fermented wine is 91% Sauvignon Blanc and 9% Sémillon. It begins with lovely aromas of grapefruit and quince. On the palate, the wine is crisp and refreshing, with herbal notes underlying flavours of lime. The model is Bordeauxwhite. I think this is better, with more intense flavours. 92.

Clos du Soleil Growers Series Guild Merlot 2012 ($24.90 for 125 cases). The grapes for this wine are grown by the Guild family in a vineyard near Keremeos. This is a big, ripe wine with aromas of cassis and vanilla. It delivers flavours of black and red currants with a hint of raspberry. 90.

Clos du Soleil Signature 2012 ($44.90 for 19 barrels). This is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. It begins with an aroma that envelops you with spice, black cherry and cassis. On the palate, there are complex flavours of black currants, dark chocolate, tobacco and espresso with a touch of cedar on the finish. The long, ripe tannins will carry this wine – even though it is drinking well now – for another 10 years. 93-95.

Clos du Soleil Saturn 2013 ($28.90 for 230 cases of 375 ml). This is sensational late harvest Sauvignon Blanc, The intensely honeyed aromas of sweet fruit jump from the glass. On the palate, there are honeyed flavours of citrus, ripe apricot and pineapple. There seems to be a touch of botrytis here, creating an intense and lingering finish of honey and tobacco. I reviewed this before its release in the spring. More time in bottle has taken the wine to an even higher plateau. 92.

CedarCreek winemaker Darryl Brooker

One of winemaker Darryl Brooker’s peers, in a private conversation, recently singled out CedarCreek Estate Winery as one of the five best Pinot Noir producers in the Okanagan.

The other four in this person’s view are Blue Mountain Cellars, Quails’ Gate Estate Winery, Meyer Family Vineyards and Tantalus Vineyards. I am not sure how he missed Foxtrot Vineyards and a few others.

However, I agree that Darryl raised the bar with the winery’s premium Pinot Noirs in 2011 when he stopped blending all the best grapes into a single reserve, or Platinum, wine. In that vintage, and again in 2012, he has bottled the two best blocks, Block 2 and Block 4, as separate Platinum wines. They are distinctively different and they are both very good.

CedarCreek was purchased early this year by Anthony von Mandl’s winery holding company. Not only has Anthony retained Darryl; he also had him handle the 2014 vintage was the new Martin’s Lane winery, a Pinot Noir and Riesling specialist. Anthony has built the Martin’s Lane winery almost next door to CedarCreek’s East Kelowna property.

CedarCreek has a track record of good Pinot Noir from this vineyard. The winery began releasing Platinum Pinot Noir in 1998, with the grapes from Blocks 2 and 4 almost always blended.

“Block 2 and Block 4 are the two best blocks and the oldest blocks,” Darryl says. The blocks are less than 200 metres apart but the soils and the elevation differ. Darryl immediately noticed the distinctive differences between the blocks. In 2010, he made separate lots of wine from each block and considered releasing them separately. However, he was new at the winery. Hesitating to change established procedures, he blended them into a single Platinum Pinot Noir.

It was a good wine but the personalities of the individual blocks were lost. So in 2011 and again in 2012, he has bottled them separately.

The difference is dramatic. Block 2 Pinot Noir is a “feminine” wine while Block 4 Pinot Noir is darker, more tannic and, in a world, “masculine.” This may create a dilemma, forcing collectors of CedarCreek’s Platinum wines to settle on a preferred style. I would want both and I would pair them with different food; in fact, I would be happy to drink Block 2 on its own.

Here are notes on those wines and also on two other current CedarCreek releases.

CedarCreek Chardonnay 2013 ($18.95). Darryl set out to balance the fruit and the oak in making this wine. Some of it was aged in a 2,250 litre oak foudre, essentially a large French oak barrel. Thus the wine benefited from the impact of the barrel on texture without being overwhelmed by wood. The wine has appealing aromas of citrus and apples with the tiniest hint of oak. The flavours echo that. This medium-weight wine has a finish that is crisp and refreshing. 91.

CedarCreek Merlot 2012 ($19.95 for 3,500 cases). The blend is 91% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. Unusual for a wine of this price, this Merlot spent 20 months aging in French oak. The winery’s view is that a full-bodied red needs that much time in barrel even if it ties up capital. The wine is still tight and should be decanted; I found it tasting richer on the second day. There are aromas of spice, red fruit and chocolate, leading to flavours of black currant and blackberry. 88.

CedarCreek Block 2 Pinot Noir 2012 ($44.95 for 380 cases). This is the pretty wine of the pair, with complex aromas of spice, cherry and strawberry and intense flavours of cherry and strawberry. The flavours are bright and vibrant and the finish is elegant and silky. 92-94.

CedarCreek Block 4 Pinot Noir 2012 ($44.95 for 376 cases). This is the brooding, full-bodied partner, with aromas of cherry and chocolate. The palate is packed with red fruits (cherries, cranberries, plums). There seems to be more minerals in the backbone and slightly firmer tannins, a structure that suggests good ability to age. 92-93.

Photo: L to R Urs and Barbara Baessler, Jesce Walker, Sharon Herder, Charlie Baessler

Corcelettes Estate Winery co-owner and winemaker Charlie Baessler got his first job in the B.C. wine industry in 2008 as a cellar hand a vineyard worker at Herder Winery and Vineyards.

Born in 1985, he had just graduated with a degree in environmental engineering in Lethbridgein December, 2007. He was visiting his parents in Cawston when he met the owners of Herder and was offered a job.

Now, Charlie, in partnership with his parents and a business couple from Brandon, is taking over Herder and turning it into the new home for a larger Corcelettes.

This is a major development for Similkameen wineries. Corcelettes, which now makes about 1,000 cases a year and has a small winery and tasting room off the beaten patch near Cawston, has the potential to triple production and to welcome visitors at larger winery that is part of an emerging growing destination for wine tourists.

It also is a positive conclusion to the unfortunate history of the Herder Winery, which had virtually closed after the partnership of founders Lawrence and Sharon Herder broke down two years ago. The Herder name now will disappear, although Charlie and his partner, Jesce Walker, are considering reviving Herder’s iconic Bordeaux blend, Josephine, under the Corcelettes brand. Jesce is the winery’s sales and marketing manager.

“At Corcelettes, we don’t currently have a Bordeaux style red,” Charlie says. “We have a Cabernet/Syrah and a single varietal Syrah, but we don’t have a blend similar to Josephine. If we were going to bring one on, this would be a nice transition. It carries a great name. Lawrencenever disappointed anyone with that wine. It kind of immortalizes the whole history there, which we are keen on keeping. I did have some attachment to the property.”

Corcelettes was opened in 2013 by Charlie and his Swiss-born parents, Urs and Barbara. The winery is named after the family farm in Switzerland. There are also Swiss touches in the three-acre vineyard, where one of three white varieties is Chasselas, Switzerland’s leading white. The winery’s flagship red is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend called Menhir, the name of stone obelisks found in Europe(including on the Baessler family farm).

Herder Winery was opened in 2002, also near Cawston, and moved in 2008 to a property on Upper Bench Road, not far from the Grist Mill and Gardens near Keremeos.

The somewhat baronial house already on the Herder property is perched on the side of a mountain with a panoramic view of the Similkameen valley. Lawrencemodified the extensive basement for a winery. On the stony, sun-bathed slopes below, he planted about 6.5 acres of vines, including Malbec, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

That vineyard certainly expands the winemaking horizon at Corcelettes.

“I have been looking forward to making Pinot Noir,” Charlie says. “In fact, I had made some arrangements to source Pinot Noir prior to having concluded this deal.”

The Herder winery has been listed for sale for about 20 months. Charlie watched as other potential buyers kicked the tires and, with the sale of existing inventory, as the price came down. There is a little bulk wine remaining in tanks and Charlie is currently evaluating it.

“It has certainly been on my radar,” Charlie says of Herder Winery. “This is not something I put together in a week. I have always had my eye on that place since I worked there. It was such a beautiful place. It recently became a reality to be able to do this with our partners coming on board, Gordon and Diane Peters.”

The Peters and the Baesslers, who once farmed near Brandon, are long-time friends. Gordon Peters, now 61, is the founder and chief executive of Cando Rail Services.

As one of his biographies says, Gordon founded the company in 1978 “with two employees, a tractor and front-end loader and a contract to tear up a rail line in the Tilston area.” (Tilston is a small community 144 km southwest of Brandon.) Today, Cando has more than 300 employees and does business throughout North America.

“They have always shared that passion [for wine] with us,” Charlie says. (The Baesslers came to Canada and bought a grain farm near Brandon in 1978.) In recent years, Gordon and Diane have helped the Baesslers at crush at Corcelettes.

Both Charlie and Jesce also work for Clos du Soleil Winery; he manages the vineyard and she manages the wine shop. Clos du Soleil is located immediately east of the new Corcelettes. Currently, Clos du Soleil is building a new winery and tasting room.

“We have made some commitments to Clos du Soleil and plan on honouring those,” Charlie says. “We are really happy to continue. Believe me, I need that job more than ever now.”

Photo: Winemaker Marcus Ansems

It was hardly a surprise that the latest releases from Daydreamer Wines in the Naramata Bench are very well made. Marcus Ansems, the winemaker, has a very long and solid track record.

Daydreamer started marketing its wines earlier this year. While the distribution channels still are limited, the wines are sold on the Daydreamer website, by the case or by the half dozen.

My reviews follow. First, here is the winery profile from my recently published John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.

Two of the signature wines from Daydreamer are Syrahs, a variety that practically runs in the veins of winemaker Marcus Ansems, the owner of this winery with his wife, Rachel. His family in Australia once owned a share of MountLangi Ghiran, the legendary Shirazproducer in the state of Victoria, and his uncle, Trevor Mast, was a winemaker there.

“One of my favourite wines in the world was made at my family winery,” Marcus says. “It is just unique to that site … an atypical Shiraz. That wine was what inspired me to want to get involved with the industry.” Born in 1974, he graduated in enology in 1996 from AdelaideUniversity. He went abroad to gain experience, first with Simonsig in South Africaand then in Tuscanyand the Rhône. He picked up his career in Australiabriefly before a Canadian wine entrepreneur, Peter Jensen, recruited him in 1999 to run wineries in Ontario and Nova Scotia. In Niagara, before he returned to Australiain 2002 as a consulting winemaker, he met Rachel, an accountant with a talent in design and photography.

They moved to British Columbia in 2004 where Marcus became the winemaker first for BlastedChurch Vineyards and, a year later, for Therapy Vineyards. Since late 2008, he has been the buyer for Hemispheres Wine Guild, a Canadian club for wine collectors.

Daydreamer is the culmination of a family winery dream that Rachel and Marcus share. The winery’s Merlot-based blend is named Amelia, for their daughter. Daydreamer launched with about 1,000 cases including Chardonnay and the two Syrahs, one co-fermented with Viognier. “I like cool climate Syrah,” Marcus says. The wines come in two tiers, with the popular-priced wines are under the Daydreamer label. For premium wines, he has revived the Marcus Ansems label that he first created while he was at Therapy.

They intend to remain a boutique winery, producing perhaps 2,000 cases a year. To keep the costs in check, they lease a quarter of a five-hectare (12-acre) and they lease space in a new custom crush winery. “I have worked for other people and I have had other partners and lots of shareholders,” Marcus says. “This is just my wife and I. We can do as little or as much as we want. It is a dream.”

Here are notes on the wines. Marcus Ansems is the winery’s premium tier.

Daydreamer Chardonnay 2013 ($24). This wine was fermented and matured for nine months in French oak barriques, without malolactic fermentation. As a result, the citrus (grapefruit) fruit flavour is crisply focussed and refreshing and the oak is subtle. 90.

Marcus Ansems Chardonnay 2013 ($30). This wine was fermented in barrel and aged for 12 months in French oak. The oak is so well integrated as to be hardly evident but for a note of toast and butterscotch in the aroma. The wine keeps the flavours of tangerine and grapefruit on centre stage. Again, the winemaker did not permit malolactic fermentation. As a result, the acidity is bright and the wine is refreshing. 91

Daydreamer Jasper 2013 ($25). This is 83% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, fermented in small (900 kg) batches, and aged for 12 months in French oak. There is a touch of mint, spice and red fruit on the nose. The texture is firm; the wine delivers flavours of black currants and spice with a hint of pepper on the finish. 89.

Daydreamer Amelia 2013 ($26). This is 90% Shiraz, 10% Viognier and the grapes were co-fermented in small batches. The wine has matured nine months in French oak. The wine begins with earthy, gamey aromas of deli meats and pepper. The wine should be decanted to allow its texture to flesh out. There are flavours of blackberry, raspberry and Christmas spices with dark chocolate and espresso on the finish. 90.

Marcus Ansems Shiraz 2013 ($35). This has matured 12 months in oak – 70% French, 30% American. The wine begins with aromas of black cherry and pepper. It delivers generous flavours of black cherry, spicy fruit cake, with black pepper, chocolate and black cherry on the finish. There is a lot of Australian personality in this full-bodied wine. 91.

Photo: De Vine's Natalie Windsor in wine shop

Grüner Veltliner, the great Austrian white varietal, took a long time getting to British Columbia. Even today, there are just two producers – De Vine Vineyards on Vancouver Island’s SaanichPeninsula and Culmina Family Estate Winery in the south Okanagan.

The problem, as Ontariovine importer Lloyd Schmidt once explained to me, was that he could find no source of vines that were certified virus free. That explanation is puzzling, given Austria’s long history with viticulture.

Ironically, Karl Kaiser, the Austrian-born co-founder of Inniskillin Wines in 1974, had managed to spirit some Grüner Veltliner vines into Ontarioin the late 1970s or early 1980s. Inniskillin released several vintages. In my first wine book in 1984, I described the winery’s 1983 Grüner Veltliner this way: “A pale, greenish-hued wine with a very delicate aroma, but full and fruity like a fresh melon.”

Grüner Veltliner probably was a tough sell, especially when the 1985 Austrian wine scandal caused all Austrian wines to disappear from the market for several years. Inniskillin’s Grüner disappeared into white blends. Then the winery needed to expand its parking lot and did so by removing the Grüner Veltliner vines altogether.

During the past decade, the varietal, along with Austrian wines in general, have been coming back in the market. Grüner Veltliner has enjoyed a modest cult following in the United States. And the University of Californiaat Davisprovided virus-free vines to American nurseries which, I believe, are the source of the De Vine and Culmina plantings.

It is notable that the vines grow in two quite different terroirs. Culmina’s vines grow in the coolest section of its vineyard, if you call the south Okanagan cool. The SaanichPeninsula certainly is cooler and the soils are quite different.

It is noteworthy that both terroirs are producing quite promising Grüner Veltliner. The Culmina wine is fuller on the palate, with more alcohol, than the De Vine wine. That is simply a reflection of terroir.

The quality of these wines should encourage other growers to plant the variety as well.

De Vine, which opened in 2010, is owned by John and Catherine Windsor and the families, including daughter Natalie, the winemaker. Initially, they had purchased a 10.4-hectare (23-acre) property in central Saanich, building a home there and converting a spacious barn into a glass-blowing studio for Chris Windsor, one of their sons.

The property is on a ridge with a great view. They decided to improve on it by planting a vineyard. The four blocks, called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were planted in 2007 and 2008 with Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Grüner Veltliner. They were the first to plant the Austrian varietal in British Columbia.

They planned to sell the organic grapes to Winchester Cellars on the other side of Old West Saanich Road until that winery closed in 2009. So the Windsors recruited one of its former owners, Ken Winchester, as their initial winemaker. They bought the equipment of the Gabriola Island Winery, which had just gone into receivership, and tested the equipment by making small quantities of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir in the 2009 vintage.

Since then, De Vine has opened an appealing wine shop. It is open seven days a week during the summer and on weekends from October to April. The winery’s web site currently is being relaunched. Meanwhile, here are notes on some of the wines you will find in the wine shop now.

De Vine Grü-V Grüner Veltliner 2013 ($21 but sold out). Light (11.4% alcohol) but crisp and refreshing, this wine has floral aromas and flavours of green apples and herbs with the varietal’s classic white pepper on the dry finish. 88.

De Vine Pinot Blanc 2013 ($20). This wine has aromas of citrus and apples, withabundant flavours of green apples. The flavours are bright, supported by good fresh acidity and a refreshing, fry finish. The texture reflects a good vintage on the SaanichPeninsula. The spine of minerality in both this wine and the Grüner Veltliner speak to the terroir of this vineyard. 89-90.

De Vine Ortega Siegerrebe 2013 ($20). This inspired blend builds complexity into a pair of varietals that, on their own, usually are not complex. This wine has aromas of citrus and herbs, leading to generous fruity flavours of green apple and lime and a crisp, refreshing finish. Again, there is a fine spine of minerality. 90.

De Vine Foch Rosé 2013 ($21). I don’t recall ever tasting a Maréchal Foch rosé before and I confess I am not convinced the varietal is really suitable for this application. The gamy aromas of Foch are a bit surprising, coming from a glass of rosé. The palate delivers gobs of black cherry and mocha chocolate flavours. 86.

De Vine Epiphany Black & Blue 2013 ($21 for 375 ml). This is a fortified wine (19% alcohol) made, presumably, with blackberries and packaged in a blue bottle. It is a trifle lean and tart on the finish. 85.

Photo: Painted Rock's John Skinner

The 2012 vintage was a great vintage for red wines in the Okanagan and a welcome relief after the challenging vintages of 2010 and 2011.

If you want to taste how good the wines are, spring for a few bottles from Painted Rock Estate Winery on the Skaha Bench south of Penticton.

First of all, this is a real estate winery. It uses only grapes grown on its estate. Unfortunately, many wineries in British Columbia call themselves “estate” wineries even while buying grapes.

There is no regulation against that. Indeed, many of those producers make excellent wines when dealing with top notch growers.

Even so, it would be nice if the term “estate” were used with more precision. If that were to happen, we could also move on to a more precise definition of “reserve.”

But I digress, perhaps because I admire what John Skinner does at Painted Rock. This is a tightly focussed producer with just four red wines and a Chardonnay, all of premium quality. I don’t know what he does with wines that don’t make the cut for his flagship blend because there is no second wine. Either somebody is buying superb leftovers, or everything from that vineyard comes in at a premium quality.

That question comes to mind when I look at the composition of the 2012 Red Icon. For just the second time in the history of that wine – the first vintage was 2007 - there is no Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Painted Rock did release a solid 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. Most producers would have added some to their Bordeaux blend.

Obviously, Alain Sutre, the consultant who advises John on the blend for Red Icon, thought the best blend in the 2012 vintage was the one without Cabernet Sauvignon. Painted Rock never follows a recipe for Red Icon. Hence, each vintage of Red Icon is a bit of a discovery.

The wine is consistent in style, if not in flavour. Anyone who can taste a vertical will recognize there is a common terroir at work here along with fine viticulture and winemaking. These wines also emerge from a similar barrel regime – usually 18 months in French oak, giving them polished tannins along with ability to age.

Here are notes on Painted Rock’s 2012 reds.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2012 ($55). This is a blend of 31% Malbec, 28% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc and 15% Petit Verdot. The wine begins with a lovely aroma of spicy black cherry. That leads to vibrant flavours of black cherry and cassis, with notes of vanilla and mocha. Decanting brings out the rich texture of this elegant wine. 95.

Painted Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 ($40). This wine has aromas of red and black currants, mint and vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of black currant, espresso and dark chocolate. This wine was double decanted to help it open its aromas, flavours and its rich texture. Cellar this at least five years. 92.

Painted Rock Merlot 2012 ($40). The wine begins with a glorious aroma of cassis, plum and black cherry. It delivers flavours of black currant with notes of tobacco, leather and cedar. The texture is dense, with long ripe tannins. This will cellar as well as the Cabernet Sauvignon. 92.

Painted Rock Syrah 2012 ($40). This is one of those rich wines that seem to fold their arms around you as soon as you put a nose in the glass. It begins with aromas of blackberries, cherries and plums accented with pepper and earth. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherries and mulberries, wrapped up with a touch of pepper on the finish. That core of sweet fruit lingers and lingers. 93.

Photo: Stoneboat's Lanny Martinuik

Recently, I was commenting on the quality of Stoneboat Vineyards’s Pinotage to one of the proprietors of another winery.

I was surprised when the individual looked at me and asked: “What is Pinotage?”

Obviously, the wineries making Pinotage in British Columbia have work to do, to say nothing of South African wineries, since the grape is a product of South African viticulture.

So here is a little primer, with a little help from Wine Grapes, the comprehensive book on varietals from Jancis Robinson et al.

The variety was created in 1925 by Professor Abraham Perold, the first professor of viticulture at the Universityof Stellenbosch in South Africa.

The professor apparently had a garden at his official residence. Among other trials, he pollinated a Pinot Noir vine with Cinsault (a Rhone varietal). He planted four seeds from this experiment and, according to Robinson and her colleagues, “forgot them when he left StellenboschUniversity to work for the KWV winery in Paarl in 1927.”

Another viticulturist spotted the plants and took them to a nursery at ElsenburgAgriculturalCollege, where he grafted some plant material to rootstock. He showed the plants to Perold who encouraged him to propagate them. The best of the four plants became the mother block for what became Pinotage.

The name was also created by Perold and a colleague. It is simply a contraction of Pinot and Hermitage (the name then given to Cinsault in South Africa).

The first commercial planting of the vine at a winery occurred in 1943. However, it was not until the 1959 vintage that any winery there released a varietal Pinotage. More than a generation had passed since Perold’s experiment. In fact, Perold died two years before that first commercial planting. Developing grape varieties is a task for the patient.

Today, there are 15,000 acres of Pinotage in South Africa, with just modest acreages in Brazil, New Zealand, California– even in Zimbabwe and Israel.

In British Columbia, it is grown primarily by four vineyards. In the 2013 vintage, Pinotage production was 250 tons, putting the variety a surprising eighth in volume of red varietals, just behind Malbec. Yet that was still a mere 1.58% of the total red grape production. One can understand a winery owner not having heard of Pinotage.

Several factors limited the variety’s expansion beyond South Africa.

Firstly, the vine was susceptible to viruses. In time, the growers there developed healthier plant material.

Secondly, South African Pinotage wines sometimes (too frequently in former times) had aromas of nail polish remover, with off flavours going along with that. This was thought to relate perhaps to virus damage, or perhaps to heat stress at harvest or perhaps to overly hot fermentation. The South African vintners have overcome that problem in the last 10 or 15 years.

I have never encountered that fault in an Okanagan Pinotage, by the way, but, some years ago, I had a few from South Africa that not pleasant.

The Okanagan’s first Pinotage vines were imported by Paul Moser, a South African businessman who moved to British Columbia in 1994 and established Lake Breeze Vineyards two years later. (Moser sold the winery in 1998.) Now, LakeBreezehas 100 or so cases of Pinotage that is eagerly awaited by its fans.

The plant material that Moser brought from South Africawas propagated for him by Lanny Martinuik, an Oliver grape grower and nursery operator. Lanny was intrigued with the variety and tissue-cultured enough plant material for a significant planting by the time his family opened Stoneboat Vineyards in 2007.

The View Winery in East Kelownahas an 8.5 acre block of Pinotage, probably the single largest planting in the Okanagan. Those vines were imported independently by one of the winery’s owners. The winery makes good Pinotage and Pinotage Rosé.

There probably is a fourth block of Pinotage on one of the Osoyoos area vineyards operated by Constellation Brands. Inniskillin Okanagan released several vintages of Pinotage in its Discovery Series but appears to have discontinued doing so.

Whatever issues there may have been over the years with Pinotage in South Africa, the variety performs well in the Okanagan, judging from the wines. One vintage of Stoneboat Pinotage even won the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Wine.

I had a fine encounter recently with Stoneboat Pinotage 2012. I had been asked to pair wines with the dishes at a dinner party where the centerpiece was a loin of pork. Pinot Noir being out of the budget, I suggested one of my favourite Gamay Noirs. I had considered the Pinotage but thought it risky because so few consumers know of it.

The hosts did a test run ahead of time and were underwhelmed by the Gamay. So was I when I tasted it again. So I lined up several Gamays and the Pinotage and the latter won hands down. At the subsequent dinner, the wine was received with general acclaim.

The lesson is screw up your courage and try a bottle. In fact, try other Stoneboat wines as well. This is very fine family winery. Here are notes on some recent releases.

Stoneboat Pinot Gris 2013 ($18.90 for 1,100 cases). The wine begins with aromas of citrus and peaches. On the palate, there are flavours of peach and apple, with a touch of orange. The texture is generous and the finish lingers. 89.

Stoneboat Chorus 2013 ($18.90 for 1,350 cases). This is a complex blend of Pinot Blanc, Müller-Thurgau, Schönburger, Kerner, Pinot Gris and Viognier. The wine has aromas of fruit, herbs and spice, leading to flavours of citrus, apples and herbs. The finish is crisply dry. 90.

Stoneboat Verglas 2012 ($54.40 for 375 ml). This is the proprietary name for this winery’s Icewine. The first time the winery made Icewine, they had forgotten to register the grapes before harvest, as the rules require. So they created the name Verglas and the wine has been so well received that they continue to use it. The grapes here are Oraniensteiner and Pinot Blanc. The wine has a glorious honeyed aroma of peaches and pineapples and this is echoed on the palate. The bright acidity provides a refreshing and tangy balance to the natural sugar. The finish is clean and ever so long. 93.

Stoneboat Pinot Noir 2012 ($24.90 for 1,100 cases). This begins with toasty oak aromas mingled with cherry. On the palate, cherry and strawberry flavours mingle with spice and very subtle oak. The texture is silky. 88.

Stoneboat Pinotage 2012 ($24.90 for 1,000 cases). The wine begins with aromas of plum and black cherry. On the palate, there is a core of berry flavours, including lingonberry, blackberry and black currant jam. Silky tannins give the wine a long finish. 91.

Note also that Stoneboat has made both a reserve Pinotage (Solo Pinotage) and a Pinotage Icewine. Imagine all of the above flavours concentrated in both wines.

Photo: Blue Mountain winemaker Matt Mavety

Recently, an executive from Champagne producer Lanson was asked by a radio reporter if the Champagnehouses should be concerned at dramatic rise in Proseco sales.

Not at all, he replied. The quality of Champagne simply puts it in a different league than Proseco, the Italian bubbly.

I would not argue with that, other than to say we expect more from a $50 - $100 Champagnethan we do from a $20 Proseco.

Having said that, we don’t need to go offshore if we want a classy sparkling wine for New Year’s, or for any other occasion. BlueMountainVineyard & Cellars, right in our own back yard, is one of Canada’s best sparkling wine producers. Its wines certainly compete with Champagne.

In fact, the wines in its reserve sparkling program are nudging toward the price of Champagne. However, good sparkling wine is never going to be cheap. There is at least twice as much labour involved in making bubble than in making still table wine.

Secondly, when the sparkling wine is aged for years in the cellar before release, capital is tied up for years. The three current BlueMountain releases are from the 2006, 2007 and 2010 vintages. The cost of capital inevitably will need to be reflected in the price of the finished wine. In fact, the volumes of the BlueMountainreserves are so modest – 100 to 200 cases – that winemaker Matt Mavety may be making these more for the prestige than for the profit.

BlueMountainwines have always delivered value for money. This is illustrated by the two table wines, a Pinot Gris and a Gamay, also released this fall.

Here are notes on those wines. R.D. means recently disgorged.

BlueMountain Pinot Gris 2013 ($21). The style of this wine deviates slightly from the fruity, drink me now, style of most Okanagan Pinot Gris wines. Forty percent was fermented and aged six months in French oak (new to four years old). The wine in barrels also was left in contact with the lees, but with minimum battonage. The other 60% was fermented and aged in stainless steel. The barrel portion gives the wine a rich texture. The wine has herbal and citrus aromas with a bready note from the lees contact. On the palate, there are flavours of pear and citrus. The finish is dry. This wine is built to age four to six years, developing even more complexity. 90.

BlueMountain Gamay Noir 2012 ($23). This wine was fermented entirely with the wild yeasts from the vineyard. The technical notes refer to a 20-day maceration period, indicating a moderately slow fermentation. The wine was aged nine months in four-year-old French oak barrels. Aside from a touch of mocha on the palate, there is no significant oak flavour. However, the fleshy texture results in part from time in barrel. The wine has aromas and flavours cherry and blackberry. 90.

BlueMountain Rosé Brut 2010 R.D. ($33). This wine gets a lovely rose petal hue from the 65% Pinot Noir in the cuvée (the rest is Chardonnay). The wine spent 36 months on lees in individual bottles after completing secondary fermentation. The dosage is 10 grams a litre, enough to flesh out the flavours without making the wine sweet. The wine begins with toasty and strawberry aromas, leading to a creamy mouthful of fruit flavours, with a crisp, clean finish. 91.

Blue MountainBlanc de Blancs 2007 R.D. ($40). This wine is just as elegant and complex as fine Champagne. Made with Chardonnay in the 2007 vintage, the cuvée was bottled for its secondary fermentation in February 2008. The wine spent six years on the lees in individual bottles, to be disgorged in May 2014. The prolonged time on the lees has given this wine toasty, nutty aromas and flavours and very fine bubbles. The finish is crisply clean and dry. 93.

BlueMountain Reserve Brut 2006 R.D. ($40). This is 30% Pinot Noir, 70% Chardonnay. The wine spent seven years on the lees in individual bottles before being disgorged in May 2014. It is almost creamy on the palate with toasty notes on the nose. The flavours include appealing hints of strawberry and citrus. The wine, which finishes dry, is exceptional in its elegance. 95.

If you can’t find any of this in good wine stores, the winery plans to release a Brut 2007 R.D., followed by a 2008 Brut R.D. You might want to get on a list for this wine.

Photo: Wayne Gretzky winemaker Stephanie Stanley

One of the more savvy moves by Andrew Peller Ltd. was its 10-year licensing agreement in November, 2011, with Wayne Gretzky Wines Estates.

Under that agreement, Peller gets to make and sell wines under the Gretzky brand. It would be hard to find wines with better name recognition.

After retiring from his lengthy NHL career as a player and then as a coach, Gretzky ventured into other businesses, including wine. When he agreed to fold his Ontariowinery into the Peller stable, he allied his celebrity to a company with powerful technical and marketing skills. At the time of the deal, Peller assumed $2.7 million of Gretzky’s Ontariowines.

Peller wasted no time in launching a parallel Okanagan brand. Peller has a good grape supply in the Okanagan and winemaking capacity in the big Calona winery in Kelowna.

And crucially, Stephanie Stanley, who was already making the Peller wines in British Columbia, also began making the Gretzky wines in 2011. Indeed, one of her first Gretzky wines won a Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence in 2014.

By every indication, the brand has been a solid success in British Columbia, and very likely in the other provinces in Western Canada where the hockey great has a following.

Currently, six Wayne Gretzky Okanagan wines, all VQA, are available in British Columbialiquor stores – often widely available. For example, almost 2,000 bottles of the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah are spread among 131 stores. During the recent holiday period, this wine and two others were discounted temporarily by $2 a bottle, presumably to clear out some older vintages.

These wines, which over-deliver, really don’t need to be discounted.

Here are notes on three of those wines.

Wayne Gretzky Okanagan The Great White 2012 ($15.99). This is a complex blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Sémillon. It begins with herbal aromas (a bit of petrol) with a touch of grapefruit and grapefruit rind. These are echoed in the layered tropical flavours. The texture is full but the finish is crisp even if the back label says off-dry. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Okanagan The Great Red 2013 ($17.99). Everything but the kitchen sink seems to be in this wine. It is a blend of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Mourvèdre and Gamay Noir. The wine begins with smoky and gamy aromas with notes of black cherry. On the palate, there are flavours of spicy fruit reminiscent of fruit cake with a touch of vanilla on the long finish. This is an interesting wine. 90.

Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2013 ($17.99). The wine begins with classic minty Cabernet aromas. On the palate, there are luscious flavours of black currant, black cherry, cocoa and coffee. There is pepper on the finish of this appealing blend. 90.

The Fraser Valley Regional Library has asked me to post a blog on an event being hosted at its Clearbrook Branch at 32320 George Ferguson Way.

On the afternoon of Saturday, January 17, I will be speaking about British Columbiawines, with particular reference to my new book, the fifth edition of John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm and conclude by 3.30 p.m. (or whenever the questions stop).

I plan to have some books for sale as well as a limited number of an older edition, which I will give away.

I do not believe that a wine tasting is scheduled. I have done tastings in the past at libraries but most libraries are not equipped with the stemware, the license and staff who have the “serving it right” certificate. That is a lot of hoops to jump through, given that the library is offering this event without charge.

The library’s web site informs that you need to register. Here is the address and the phone number.

Clearbrook Library
32320 George Ferguson Way
Abbotsford, BC
tel: 604-859-7814

What can you expect to hear? Well, how long is a piece of string?

I have been writing about the B.C. wine industry for more than 35 years. My knowledge of the industry’s history is detailed, and involves an endless fund of illuminating and amusing anecdotes.

I visit all the wineries frequently and I know intimate details about most of them. In part, that is because most winery owners discuss their dreams and aspirations candidly with me and, in part, because I am proud to champion the wineries.

I have tasted, reviewed or judged countless bottles of B.C. wine, started with the generally mediocre wines of the 1970s. Those wines bore out the cliché that a wine expert is someone who has drunk more bad wine than you.

Gone are the days when you served a B.C. wine with an apology. The wines have improved dramatically in the past two decades. Except for wine snobs, everyone who enjoys good wine can find everything they want in a good B.C. wine store.

The thrust of my talk will be to explain why the wines have become world class is such a short period. And I will reveal some of my favourites.

Photo: 40 Knots owners Brenda Hetman-Craig and Layne Craig

Whether it was good business or a stroke of luck, Brenda Hetman-Craig and Layne Craig, her husband, bought 40 Knots Vineyard & Estate Winery last summer just as one of the best vintages ever was ripening in the ComoxValley.

“Our 2014 is going to be excellent,” Brenda told me by email last week. Matt Dumayne, their winemaker, “has used such words as ‘stellar’. The heat units for the 2014 vintage gave us some great brix numbers earlier than normal for the island, translating into great balance and very brilliant skins. Our farming practice is a focus on smaller batch, very high quality, so some of our bottle numbers will be smaller. We harvested 33 short tons this year.”

She added: “We are going to bottle the Siegerrebe varietal from our vineyard on its own. We are very excited as the aromas and flavours are remarkable.”

Judging from those comments and from the winery’s current releases, the new owners are off to a flying start. That is an intentional pun: Layne is a pilot, an occupation he juggles with managing the cellar at 40 Knots.

The winery was opened in 2011 by Bill Montgomery, a former towboat company owner who planted a sizeable vineyard near Comox in 2007 and 2008.The18 acres include Auxerrois, Siegerrebe, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Gamay Noir. He put the winery on the market a year after opening when he discovered that it involved an overwhelming amount of work.

The wines in the initial release, two whites from 2009 and two reds from 2010, showed promise. However, the 2010 and 2011 vintages were very challenging on Vancouver Island, unless one was focussing on sparkling wines. The previous winemaker recognized this and made a terrific bubbly, part of the current release.

Fortunately for the Craigs, the weather turned around in 2012. The wines they inherited, which were finished and bottled by Matt, reflect the better vintages. Based on these wines, we should all look forward to the 2014s from 40 Knots. That Siegerrebe, for example, will be released under the label, Zeggy. That is also the nickname for their vineyard dog, a whippet called Siegerrebe.

The Craigs are a business couple from FortSt. Johnwho wanted to buy and operate a family business. To make up for their lack of wine industry experience, they are using consulting services from Okanagan Crush Pad Winery in Summerland. New Zealand-trained Matt is Crush Pad’s senior winemaker.

The Craigs recognized that the Comox terroir will not grow a complete range of the varietals they might want for their portfolio. (Bill Montgomery discovered the limitations of that terroir when he had to give up on the block of Merlot he had planted.)

The Craigs have split their portfolio into two labels. Estate-grown wines are always released under the 40 Knots label. But when they release wines from Okanagan fruit, those will be labelled Stall Speed.

“We wanted to be very transparent to our consumer and have chosen not to mix grapes from different vineyards,” Brenda says.

It is noteworthy that the winery’s labels are smart and the packaging is contemporary. With the exception of the port-style wine, all still wines are under screw caps. The sparkling wines are closed with crown caps.

Here are notes on the current releases.

40 Knots Spindrift Brut 2012 ($29.90). This is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Gris in the cuvée. The wine gives an active display of fine bubbles in the glass. It has toasty/bready aromas from its time on the lees. On the palate, the wine is creamy with subtle flavours of lemon. The finish is crisp. 89.

40 Knots Spindrift Soleil Rosé 2011 ($29.90). This is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a touch of Pinot Gris and a splash of Maréchal Foch in the cuvée. The wine begins with an appealing rose petal hue and active bubbles. The bready notes of lees aging mingle in the aroma with hints of strawberry. There are flavours of raspberry that linger on the finish. 91.

40 Knots Reserve Chardonnay 2012 ($20.90). This Chablis-style wine is a subtly oaked Chardonnay; the oak expresses itself with a hint of coconut mingled with the citrus aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of apple and lemon. The lively acidity gives the wine a crisply clean finish that lingers. 89.

40 Knots Pinot Gris 2012 ($18.90). The wine begins with aromas of apples, peaches and citrus. On the palate, it is crisp, tasting of apples and grapefruit, with an intriguing hint of anise on the finish. 88.

40 Knots Whitecaps 2013 ($18.90). This is a blend of Pinot Gris and Schönburger. It begins with a fruity aroma of pears. On the palate, the wine has flavours of lemon and herbs. The finish is clean and crisp. 88.

40 Knots Rosé 2012 ($18.90). A blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay Noir, this wine has a lovely rose petal hue. It begins with aromas of strawberries, leading to flavours of strawberry, cranberry and cherry. There is a slight hint of residual sugar – just the right amount to lift the flavours and the aromas. This is a refreshing rosé. 89.

40 Knots Pinot Noir 2012 ($22.90). Light ruby in hue, the wine begins with lightly oaked aromas mingled with hints of raspberry. The wine is appropriately silky in texture. The flavours are savoury and earthy with a touch of cherry and spice on the finish. 88.

40 Knots Stall Speed Meritage 2013 ($29.90). Made with Okanagan grapes (Naramata Bench), this is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine begins with aromas of black currants and blackberries, leading to flavours of black currants, cola, dark chocolate with a spine of minerality. The wine is drinking well now but will reward you if you cellar it another four or five years. 90.

40 Knots Stall Speed Merlot Icewine 2013 ($49.90 for 375 ml). The Merlot grapes are from a Kelowna vineyard. The wine begins with an appealing dark rose petal hue. Dramatic aromas of strawberries and cherries explode from the glass. The wine delivers generous flavours of strawberry and raspberry jam. There is just enough acidity to refresh the palate. 90.

40 Knots Safe Haven 2012 ($20.90 for 375 ml). This port-style wine is made with Vancouver Island Maréchal Foch, fortified to 18% with grain alcohol. The aromas and flavours recall a nice slice of fruit cake, with moderate sweetness. The finish lingers on the palate. A wedge of blue cheese would be a perfect companion. 90.

Photo: JoieFarm's Michael Dinn and Heidi Noble

JoieFarm Winery’s red wine release last fall omitted the winery’s reserve wines, which are released under the designation, En Famille.

En Famille was launched last year with wines from the 2011 vintage. Besides signifying that the wines are of reserve quality, the designation also honours the entire family behind the wines. That is family in the broadest sense: it covers staff, relatives and, perhaps most importantly, “committed grape growers.”

In a covering letter with their three 2012 reds, JoieFarm owners Michael Dinn and Heidi Noble said that: “We have chosen to hold on to our 2012 ‘En Famille’ Reserve wines (and all subsequent vintages) for an extra year in bottle to ensure they are showing at their absolute best upon release.”

One awaits those wines with eager anticipation. JoieFarm entered the 2012 En Famille Pinot Noir in the Decanter World Wine Awards last fall – and got a gold medal. The regular Pinot Noir, reviewed here, won silver.

“Not only are we proud of these awards,” Michael and Heidi wrote, “but it gives us confidence to go forward with our Pinot Noir project knowing that our efforts and potential are being rewarded and noticed.”

Some other Okanagan wineries also give their reserve wines an extra year or so of bottle age. For example, Poplar Grove’s Legacy, a $50 Bordeaux red, has typically not been released until it is five years old. The winery is considering reducing that to four years, in part because a winery ties up a lot of capital when it warehouses wines for as long as five years. Surely, it is up to the customer to age the wines as well. And most Okanagan reds are drinking well by the time they are four years old.

Who benefits when a winery holds back its wines for a year longer?

Restaurants, for one. Most restaurant owners also don’t want to tie up capital in massive wine cellars. Many sommeliers don’t have the time, or won’t take it, to decant young wines during dinner service.

Apartment and condo dwellers also benefit. There is seldom adequate wine storage in 1,000 square feet. Unless they rent commercial storage, those consumers do not buy and hold. They buy for more or less immediate consumption.

JoieFarm’s decision should help it place its En Famille wines onto more restaurant wine lists and into the hands of cellar-challenged private consumers.

While you wait, here are notes on the ready to drink current releases.

JoieFarm Gamay 2012 ($24 for 490 cases). A medium-bodied wine with lively acidity (think Beaujolais), this is a wine with cherry aromas and flavours. The winery’s tasting notes also speak of “white pepper, coffee and bacon flavours” on the palate. I confess to missing those notes in what, at the end of the day, is a good cheerful drink. 88.

JoieFarm PTG 2012($24 for 650 cases). A tradition in Burgundyis to blend Gamay and Pinot Noir into wines called Passe-Tout-Grains. This is 50% of each varietal. However, the Pinot Noir is drawn from four different vineyards and at least three clones. In that way, the winery has built complexity into the wine. It begins with aromas of cherry and raspberry which are echoed on the palate. There is a fine core of berry flavours and a juicy texture. 90.

JoieFarm Pinot Noir 2012 ($24 for 900 cases). This is a beauty in the glass with its jewelled ruby colour. It has rich aromas of cherries and strawberries which echo in the bright flavours. The texture is firm and full. This is drinking well but won’t reach its peak for another two or three years. 90.

Photo: Mission Hill's new Reserve label

There are times when the most meaningless word on a wine label is “reserve”.

However, there are wineries that endeavour to give real meaning to the word. One of them is Mission Hill Family Estate.

The winery recently released its reserve wines under refreshed labels that should make them stand out better on wine store shelves. At the same time, the winery provided the trade with some background on how it makes reserve wines so that they will stand apart in the portfolio.

Mission Hill has a large portfolio split into seven tiers. The Legacy wines, such as Oculus, are the top tier. Next is the Terroir Series, introduced last summer, and the Martin’s Lane wines (soon to be a separate winery for Pinot Noir and Riesling). Then there is Select Lot Collection for wines made from specific vineyard blocks, followed by Reserve. The two tiers below Reserve are Rootstock (the wines are sold just to restaurants) and Five Vineyards, the entry level wines.

Keeping this sorted out in the cellar at Mission Hill must be quite a challenge. However, John Simes, the winemaker, (right) has been at this for 23 years and clearly knows what he is doing.

He was recently interviewed for the British Columbia Wine Appreciation Society newsletter. When asked was his “favourite part of the job,” he replied: “Helping build the winery and the vineyards. It was a very small winery with no vineyards of its own when I joined. I’ve been able to be part of a team that has established Mission Hill Family Estate with some outstanding vineyards, an extremely well equipped cellar and some spectacular international-quality wines.”

The winery has five major vineyards, strategically located in diverse terroirs from Kelownato Osoyoos, encompassing 30 different microclimates. Every mainstream varietal is growing in those vineyards. The reserve wines are all from estate vineyards.

When John is making the reserves, 75% of the same vineyards are used. That ensures consistent quality from vintage to vintage. And each wine includes 15% of the best grapes from those vineyards, so that the wines approach the ultra-premium quality that the reserve designation implies.

The new reserve labels are in a style the winery calls “modern classic.” They feature the original sketch that architect Tom Kundig did when he and owner Anthony von Mandl were redesigning the winery about 15 years ago. The bell tower is the focal point of the sketch and now of the labels.

Here are notes on the wines.

Mission Hill Reserve Riesling 2013 ($18.99). This wine begins with an appealing aroma of herbs and citrus, leading to flavours of lime and grapefruit. A touch residual sugar lifts the flavours and the texture, but the wine is balanced to finish almost dry. This is drinking well now but it will reward you with more complexity if you cellar it a few years. 91.

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2013 ($21.99). I would cellar this wine another six months because it still seems to be integrating the oak, which is sweet in the aroma and adds a suggestion of hazelnuts on the palate. There it mingles with flavours of citrus, apple and pineapple. 88-90.

Mission Hill Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 ($27.99). In the Wine Society interview, John was asked what accomplishments he was particularly proud of. “The emergence of Pinot Noir at an international quality level,” he replied. This wine is a case in point. It begins with aromas of cherries and raspberry, leading to vibrant flavours of cherry and spice with a classically silken texture. 90.

Mission Hill Reserve Merlot 2012 ($26.99). This wine, which has been aged 12 months in French and American oak, begins with aromas of black cherry and black currant. The texture is concentrated and still firm (it will age well). There are flavours of black currant, plums espresso and dark chocolate. 90.

Mission Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 ($26.99). This wine, aged 14 months in French and American oak, is still tight and will benefit with decanting or cellaring several more years. It begins with aromas of mint, black currant and cedar, leading to flavours of black currant, with a spine of minerality. There is a lingering hint of graphite, dark chocolate and coffee on the finish. 90-91.

Mission Hill Reserve Shiraz 2012 ($26.99). This wine also has been aged in French and American oak for 14 months. Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of spicy plum and blackberry. On the earthy and concentrated palate, there are generous flavours of blackberry and cherry with a hint of liquorice on the finish. 90.

Mission Hill Five Vineyards Cabernet Merlot 2012 ($16.99). Recently released, this wine is available in stores from British Columbia to Quebec. It is 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. It has been aged 11 months in French and American oak. It is soft and easy-drinking, with aromas and flavours of cherry, vanilla and sage. 87.

Photo: Bartier Brothers' Cerquiera Vineyard (courtesy Bartier Brothers)

After selling its wine for two years under the Okanagan Crush Pad license, Bartier Brothers Winery will open its own winery and tasting room next summer on Black Sage Road.

It is the culmination of a long journey for Michael Bartier who nurtured the ambition for his own winery not long after becoming a cellar rat at Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards in 1995.

The winery is a partnership with his older brother, Donald (left), an oil industry accountant and land manager in Calgary with a three-acre Gewurztraminer vineyard in Summerland.

“Don and I have just received possession of the Cerqueira Vineyard as of Jan. 1, and we'll be building a winery and visitor centre in the coming months,” Michael told me in a recent email. “The address is 4815 Ryegrass Road(formerly known as Road #9), Oliver. We're right around the corner from Stoneboat, - great neighbours to have. Our property has frontage on both Ryegrass Road and Black Sage Road, though I think we'll keep our access on Ryegrass.”

Coincidental with this move, Michael has now left Okanagan Crush Pad, where he had been the senior winemaker since 2010. New Zealander Matt Dumayne, who joined OCP two years ago, takes over there.

Michael (right) has had his eye on the 15-acre Cerqueira Vineyard for a long time. “I signed up the Cerqueira family to a long term contract when I was with Township 7 [from 2001 through 2003]. The contract wasn't renewed, so I was very happy to take on the contract myself.”

He and his brother negotiated an option to purchase it when Joe Cerqueira retired and they have now exercised that option. The vineyard, planted between 1999 and 2009, has four acres each of Merlot and Chardonnay, 2.4 acres of Cabernet Franc, 2.6 acres of Syrah and two acres of Sémillon.

“The site is very good,” Michael says. “At that latitude, Black Sage Road is the divider between the sandy soils (above the road) and the gravel bar (below the road). The gravel bar, of course, is all young (10,000 year old) glacial till which is very calcium rich, amongst other minerals, - very typical Okanagan subsoils material. A calcium carbonate crust - limestone - has formed on all the rocks in the subsoils as a result of rainwater washing it through the millennia, and then the calcium wicking back up towards the surface. All of our rocks are crusted white and the small feeder roots from the vines are ‘hugging’ these rocks. Every vintage, every batch from this vineyard, the wines are fresh, fruity, and minerally. I don't care what the minerality naysayers say, that limestone ends up in every glass of our wine!”

That vineyard, along with his brother’s Gewürztraminer block, is allowing him to build a portfolio of about 10 wines. The flagship red is a Merlot-anchored blend called The Goal, made every vintage since 2009.

This spring, the winery is releasing a 2013 Cabernet Franc. “This is a special wine, and one that we will continue with over the long term,” Michael says. “The vines are finally mature enough that I'm happy with the complexity of the wines coming from this block. There is a lot of limestone in this [Cerqueira] vineyard and the resulting intersection of fruit and minerality that shows in this wine is miraculous.”

He is also rather high on the Sémillon, which is surprising, considering his long and successful love affair with Chardonnay.

“Notwithstanding the two wines I've discussed above, and the fact that it's only $20 per bottle, the Sémillon is, hands down, my favourite wine year after year,” Michael says. “Again, in this wine, the fruit and minerality is astonishing, its age-ability is remarkable, and it is so refreshing. We plan to tie the branding of our winery very closely to this varietal.”

In one of my earlier books, I wrote about Michael’s affection for Chardonnay (he makes both unoaked and barrel-fermented Chardonnay at Bartier Brothers). The grape became one of his passions in 1998 when he did a vintage in Australiawith the Thomas Hardy winery. “I was working with the best maker of white wine in the southern hemisphere,” he says, referring to a winemaker named Tom Newton. “He had a passion for Chardonnay and his excitement passed on to me.” After coming back to the Okanagan, Bartier made award-winning Chardonnay in several cellars.

The son of an accountant, Michael was born in Kelowna in 1967. He and his brother, who was born in 1968, grew up in Summerland. A lean mountaineer and passionate cyclist, Michael has a degree from the University of Victoriain recreational administration. However, on graduating in 1990, he took a job with a wine marketing agency. “I wasn’t interested in the recreational field,” he told me later. “By the time I realized that, I was too far along in my degree to stop those studies.”

The job with the wine agency provided the opportunity to visit wineries in France and in the United States. “It gave me the interest and the passion for wine,” Bartier recalled. One side of the business that did not appeal to him, however, was selling wine. “I am not a salesperson,” he admits.

He left the agency in 1995 to return to the Okanagan, intending to pick up his original interest in the outdoors. “My dream was to become a professional climbing guide. I came out to the Okanagan to boost my résumé on difficult climbing routes.” Those include the Skaha Bluffs just south of Penticton, one of the world’s more popular climbing venues. Ultimately, Michael decided this was definitely not for him. While he considered himself a capable ice climber and mountaineer, he concluded he was “a mediocre rock climber.”

While working on his climbing skills, Michael took a job as a cellar hand at Hawthorne Mountain Vineyards. By the end of a season, he had been promoted to assistant winemaker, leading him to abandon professional climbing. “I realized it was just too dangerous an occupation,” he says. “And I was having too much fun in the wine cellar.”

He applied himself to this new job with gusto, taking extension courses from various American winemaking schools to underpin his career with professional skills. By the time he left HawthorneMountain(now See Ya Later Ranch) after the 2001 vintage, he was crafting some of the Okanagan’s best Chardonnay wines.

“Like a lot of careers, I got into this quite by accident,” he says. “I feel really privileged. I was at the right place at the right time. I can’t see anyone now coming into the wine industry as wet behind the ears as I was, and rising so fast.”

After HawthorneMountain, he was consulting winemaker at Stag’s Hollow for the 2002 vintage. At the same time, he was developing Township 7 Okanagan’s property where, once again, he repeated his touch with Chardonnay. In the 2003 Canadian Wine Awards competition, Township 7’s 2002 Chardonnay was judged not only the best Chardonnay but the year’s best Canadian white wine. Two years earlier, the Hawthorne Mountain 2000 Gold Label Chardonnay had been the top Chardonnay in the same competition

He left Township 7 Okanagan in 2004 to join Road 13 and moved from there in 2010 to Okanagan Crush Pad.

While he and his brother get Bartier Brothers established, he will continue to consult with several other wineries. The current plan is to build Bartier Brothers to about 5,000 cases a year.

Photo: Vanessa Vineyard owners John Welson (l) and Suki Sekhon

Two premium 2012 red wines, a Syrah and a Meritage, to be released this spring constitute a very strong start for Vanessa Vineyard, the newest winery in the SimilkameenValley.

Vanessa is owned by two Vancouver businessmen: real estate developer Suki Sekhon and retired stock broker John Welson. The two were friends and partners in real estate projects before 2005, when they purchased property near Cawston for a vineyard and future winery.

“We kind of went into this initially, basically to build a vineyard, and then, as you get into it, the industry just pulls you along,” John told me the first time I interviewed him in 2006.

“John is the keener,” Suki told me at the time. “He has a real passion for wine. That is the love of his life.”

Suki was born in Vancouver in 1961, the son of immigrants from India. “We’re farmers from India,” Suki says. “Our history and our background go back hundreds of years in the farming community.”

He studied urban land economics at the University of British Columbia, followed by a marketing and real estate diploma in 1984 from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Since 1999, he has been chief executive of CRS Group, a major developer, owner and manager of real estate projects.

When he started looking for vineyard property in the Okanagan and the Similkameen, he thought he could use the same business model that works in his development projects. The vineyard would be developed and leased to a major winery. Then he discovered that the large wineries – there are few really large producers in the Okanagan – were not prepared to commit until they knew what quality of grapes would come from the vineyard.

So he and John plunged ahead independently, purchasing a large block of raw land on a hillside above Highway 3, south of Cawston. It is almost diagonally across the highway from the Seven Stones Winery.

The soil, however, is different. Richard Cleave and Robert Goltz, who were hired to plant about 75 acres of grapes, had to bring in a rock crusher to pulverise the rocks. The rocks were so hard that the crusher wore out its first set of teeth. Planting in 2006 ran late; a portion of the vineyard died in the summer heat and had to be replanted.

Suki and John decided to plant just red varieties on the sun-bathed slope. “I must have had six or seven phone calls from people, asking me if I was crazy; was I sure what I was doing?” Suki says. He figured that if he needs white wines in his portfolio, he will find a cooler site. As it happens, Richard and Robert did plant two acres of Viognier, a heat-loving white that is useful for co-fermenting with Syrah.

The major blocks, up to 20 acres each, are Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Andrew Peller Ltd., owner of the nearby Rocky Ridge Vineyard, began buying Vanessa’s grapes about five years ago when the vines began producing.

“They have been great partners, customers and terrific people to deal with,” Suki says. That might be a bit of an understatement. Peller also owns Sandhill Winery and the winemaker there is Howard Soon, a 35-year veteran of the industry and a superstar in his own right. He has been allowed to make Vanessa’s debut vintages.

He also knows the vineyard well. He has also made several vintages of a Cabernet Merlot for Sandhill from Vanessa Vineyard grapes.

The initial production from the 2012 for Vanessa totalled 600 cases. Production from the 2013 vintage was 1,200 cases; from 2014, it was 3,000 cases.

“We’ll have to make a decision long term on production levels and on a winemaker,” says Suki, who is in the process of licensing a production facility on the Vanessa property.

So far, there are no plans for a tasting room in the immediate future. However, an ideal location at the top of the vineyard has been set aside for such a possibility down the road.

“They put a lookout at the top for me,” Suki told me as the vineyard was being planted. “It looks out at the whole SimilkameenValley. It is a phenomenal view. You can look 180 degrees over the whole valley.”

In the early history of settlement in the valley, there apparently was a stagecoach stop near the vineyard. John recounts walking the property and asking Richard Cleave about its history.

“And Richard pulled out the old maps and right through the middle of the vineyard is a very old easement for the original stagecoach road that went from Princeton to Osoyoos,” John says.

For a time, the partners considered calling the winery Stagecoach Road or Old Stagecoach Road. In the end, they opted for Vanessa, the name of Suki’s charming eldest daughter. I’d say it’s a good call.

Here are notes on the wines.

Vanessa Vineyard Meritage 2012 ($36 for 440 cases). This is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 23% Cabernet Franc. Each varietal was aged six months in barrel individually. Then the blend was assembled and aged another 12 months in French and American oak. Aromas of black cherry, vanilla and cassis explode from the glass. On the generously-textured palate, there is a core of sweet fruit – black currant, blackberry, fig – with notes of cedar and spice on the finish. The ripe, silky tannins give this wine a full body. 92.

Vanessa Vineyard Syrah 2012 ($39 for 186 cases). The Syrah grapes were co-fermented with six per cent Viognier. The wine was aged 18 months in French and American oak barrels (this was an eight-barrel wine and five of the barrels were new). This is a big, plush Syrah with black cherry and vanilla aromas that are echoed in the flavour, along with a touch of white pepper and chocolate. 91.

In 1997, Mission Hill Family Estate launched its flagship wine by making about 500 cases of Oculus, a Bordeaux blend.

It was an audacious move because the wine was priced at $35. The average price of a VQA wine then was about $12. Only one other Okanagan winery, Sumac Ridge, had a $50 red blend. Called Pinnacle, that wine struggled in the market and ultimately was discontinued by Constellation Brands, the current owner of Sumac Ridge.

Mission Hill proprietor Anthony von Mandl, with a grander vision of the place of Okanagan wines on the world stage, has persisted. Mission Hill made 660 cases in 1998, 1,000 cases in 1999 and 1,330 in 2000. Since then, the winery has not always released production figures but the volume of the 2012 (not yet released) at 76 barrels or 1,900 cases, is typical.

“It is not huge but it is not tiny either,” winemaker John Simes told me in 2005. “I don’t like making really small quantities. If we make a wine, we want to be able to have enough that you can realistically develop a sales and marketing platform behind it and make it grow into something. If you make 50 or 100 cases, as some people do, what are you going to do with it?”

And now, with the track record of 17 vintages, Oculus sells for $100. It is generally regarded as one of the finest Bordeaux-style reds from the Okanagan. In 2002, when Oculus still was $40, I asked Anthony when the winery would make its first $100 wine. "I would think it's in the offing," he replied. ""When we do release our $100 bottle, it has to over-deliver at that price. That's what we are working toward. This is one of the reasons why have another cellar under construction, specifically for red wines."

Oculus has provided leadership to the industry. A growing number of other producers have added icon wines to their portfolios and a growing number of consumers are collecting them.

Leaving aside the price, wines like Oculus are not the sort of bottles that savvy consumers buy for immediate drinking. Oculus in particular is structured like a Right Bank Bordeaux wine. It will have a lot of tannic grip until it is at least five years old, revealing the qualities that justify the price over the next five to 10 years.

Almost the only way to taste a mature Oculus (or another icon wine) is to buy some each year on release and lay it down. You might find into a 10-year-old Oculus in a high-end restaurant – at double to quadruple the initial retail price.

Recently, the British Columbia Wine Appreciation Society dipped into its cellar (and the winery’s cellar) to offer a rare 12 vintage vertical tasting of Oculus.

It is no surprise that Oculus is a far better wine today than it was in the 1990s. The 1997 vintage was made with grapes purchased almost totally from a Black Sage Road vineyard (which Mission Hill bought the next year). The 1998 was made from Osoyoos grapes, Mission Hill having planted a vineyard there.

Since 1998 Oculus has been made entirely with estate-grown grapes, mostly from the Osoyoos Lake Bench. The steady improvement in Mission Hill’s viticulture and the growing maturity of the vineyards generally is reflected in the wine’s improved power and concentration.

There was a noticeable jump in quality that started with the 2005 Oculus. Michel Rolland, the legendary Bordeaux consultant who now helps with blending Oculus, first visited Mission Hill in 2004 and recommended crucial cellar upgrades.

“In the winery, starting in 2005 and 2006, we effectively built a small winery inside the big winery,” John Simes told me in 2013. “There was significant investment in equipment that allowed us to really elevate what we could do as winemakers with those premium red grapes.” That included sorting tables that allow individual berry selections, oak fermenters and gentle basket presses. The impact is evident in the wines from 2005 onwards.

The quality of the 2012 Oculus (to be released in 2016) indicates continuing improvement, especially in the vineyards.

“I think the future is tremendous,” John told me in 2013. “We are just starting really. Our oldest vines that go into Oculus were planted in 1997 in Osoyoos. That is like 12 or 13 harvests that have come off that vineyard. That is nothing. In terms of what we can do into the vineyard and how we turn it into wine here, there are tremendous opportunities ahead of us. We don’t even know what they are yet.”

Here are notes from the Oculus vertical. Some vintages were absent because the wines are no longer available.

Oculus 1999. The vintage was cold and difficult. And the blend had 58% of Cabernet Sauvignon even though the variety must have struggled to ripen. The wine is lean and the fruit is drying out. It did not help that the time in French nd American barrels was just 12 months. Since then Oculus has had 14 to 16 months of barrel aging (always in French oak only since the 2002 vintage). The 1999 Oculus is well past its prime.

Oculus 2002. The blend was 50% Merlot, an earlier ripening variety that has anchored Oculus ever since. It also included Petit Verdot for the first time, adding a touch of spice. This is a silky wine at its peak.

Oculus 2003. This was a hot vintage and there were massive forest fires in the Okanagan. This wine is dense and brooding with just the tiniest hint of smokiness in the aroma. It is past its peak.

Oculus 2004. In a relatively cool vintage, the blend had 74% Merlot, the most so far in any Oculus vintage. It also was aged 16 months in French oak, of which 71% were new, accounting for a firm texture and a whiff of cedar. The wine has peaked but is holding.

Oculus 2005. This elegant wine is from an outstanding vintage accentuated by the cellar improvements. The wine tastes of black currants and figs, with a spicy finish. Five years of life are ahead of it.

Oculus 2006. This was my favourite wine of the vertical – a wine with aromas of cassis and dark fruits and flavours of black currants, black cherry and cola. The texture is plush with lots of power. This will also last five more years.

Oculus 2007. This was a great vintage in the Okanagan, producing a svelte and polished wine tasting of a fruit compote with Christmas spices. Drink this within the next five years.

Oculus 2008. This was another excellent vintage, delivering a wine with power (“fat ripe tannins” I noted) and rich flavours of plum and black cherry. The winery recommends drinking it by 2020.

Oculus 2009. By this terrific vintage, Okanagan growers began to believe great vintages could be counted on forever. This is a rich and concentrated wine with aromas and flavours of dark fruit. Drink by 2022.

Oculus 2010. Talk about a wake-up call! The only wineries that made good wine in this miserably cool year were those who were brutal in dropping fruit so the remaining bunches would ripen. The volume of Oculus was small and the wine is lean, but with the brightness of fruit typical of the year. The winery recommends drinking this by 2020.

Oculus 2011. The year was almost as challenging as 2010 but was salvaged by a long warm autumn. This Oculus, to be released in the spring, is more generous than the 2010 with bright cassis aromas and flavours. This will age well for 10 to 12 years.

Oculus 2012. Finally, a vintage comparable to 2005 or 2008 in quality. This wine is already juicy in texture with aromas of cassis, black cherry and red liquorice, leading for flavours of red and black fruits. You should be able to cellar this until 2025.

The 2013 wine is still to be blended; but it was another strong vintage.

As for 2014, Ingo Grady, Mission Hill’s director of wine education, calls it “the vintage of the century.” That should be a stunning Oculus – when released in 2018.

Photo: Harper's Trail owners Vicki and Ed Collett

The second complete vintage from Harper’s Trail Estate Winery is on the market and the quality marks this Kamloops winery as the real deal.

This is the first winery to open in Kamloops (there are now three others). Let me quote what I wrote in the recent edition of John Schreiner’s Okanagan Wine Tour Guide.

What makes this vineyard special is same thing that has enabled Lafarge to operate a cement plant nearby since 1970: the underlying limestone in the area, which is quarried for cement but also benefits grape growing. Ed Collett, who owns Harper’s Trail with his wife, Vicki, points to the cliff above the south-sloping vineyards. “That whole side hill is lime rock,” he says.

This property on the north side of the Thompson River is about 16 kilometres (10 miles) east of Kamloops. Formerly, it grew hay and grazed cattle in what is quintessential British Columbia range country. The winery is named for Thaddeus Harper, the 19th-century American-born rancher who once owned the vast 15,569-hectare (38,472-acre) Gang Ranch, one of the first farms to use sturdy gang ploughs. Ed bought his modest slice of ranch country in 2007 after he had conceived the idea of developing a winery. He developed a taste for wine during travels to Chileon business for the mining equipment company he established in 1987.

The desire for a winery emerged during Okanagan wine tours. Ed remembers relaxing at a bed and breakfast overlooking a vineyard and remarking: “I’ve got to get myself one of these.” He began planting vines in 2008. He currently has 11.7 hectares (29 acres) of vines and has plans for more in stages as he and vineyard manager John Dranchuk determine what varieties will succeed. “You have to take baby steps,” Ed notes. “We are further north [than most vineyards] but obviously, it is not a deterrent for us.” The cold winters led to the removal of Merlot while a 2008 planting of Cabernet Franc succeeded so well that more was planted in 2012, followed with 2.4 hectares (six acres) of Pinot Noir and Gamay in 2013. Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay also are succeeding. Wind machines combat early autumn frost. Ginseng shade-cloth on the vineyard’s borders breaks the valley’s constant winds. Propane cannons deter the birds. “All of this is new to the Thompson,” the vineyard manager says. “This was the first vineyard with wind machines and bird bangers.”

The winery’s 2012 wines were made at the Okanagan Crush Pad Winery. Since then, the Harpers have built both a winery and a tasting room at their Kamloops vineyard.

Crucially, they continue to retain the winemaking services of Michael Bartier. The former chief winemaker at Crush Pad, Michael left there at the end of 2014. He now devotes himself to his own Bartier Brothers winery and to consulting for clients like Harper’s Trail.

Here are notes on the wines.

Harper’s Trail Pioneer Block Dry Riesling 2013 ($19.90 for 626 cases). The winery describes this as “classic, austere.” By balancing the racy acidity (8.9 grams) and moderate residual sugar (11.6 grams), the wine finishes tangy and dry. The wine has aromas of citrus and green apples that are echoed on the palate. A signature feature of the wine is how it reflects the minerality of a vineyard with lots of limestone. The winery speaks of an “endless finish [that] evokes wet stones.” This wine is good now but also will age very well. 92.

Harper’s Trail Silver Mane Block Riesling 2013 ($19.90 for 674 cases). There is somewhat of a contrast between this wine and the austere Pioneer Block Riesling. The Silver Mane Block Riesling has just over 16 grams of residual sugar, but very well balanced with racy acidity to give the wine a tangy, refreshing finish. But the residual sugar pops the lemon/lime aromas and flavours. There is a good spine of minerality. 91.

Harper’s Trail Gewürztraminer 2013 ($16.90 for 182 cases). The wine begins with aromas of grapefruit and rose petal spice, leading to rich flavours of tangerine. There is a hint of spice on the lingering finish. 88.

Harper’s Trail Pinot Gris 2013 ($18.90 for 830 cases). Aromas of pear and anise lead to flavours of pear, figs and anise. Richly textured, the wine has a spine of clean minerality, giving it a crisply dry finish. 90.

Harper’s Trail Field Blend White 2013 ($14.90 for 344 cases). This is a blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay. Beginning with aromas of citrus and apple, this is a refreshing white with flavours of citrus and with a crisp, minerally finish. 90.

Harper’s Trail Late Harvest Riesling 2013 ($20.90 for 375 ml; 541 cases). This wine begins gloriously with aromas of peaches and mangoes and papaya, echoed in fruit flavours that dance on the palate. Even though the wine has 42 grams of residual sugar, it is exquisitely balanced with a tangy refreshing finish. 93.

Harper’s Trail Cabernet Franc 2013 ($29.90 for 375 cases). The wine begins with aromas of blackberries and cherries. The winery’s own notes also suggest aromas of almonds and bread dough; a bit unexpected in a red but it adds interest. Medium-bodied, the wine delivers cherry flavours on a firm backbone of ripe tannins. The wine was aged eight months in barrel. The flavours are still quite youthful. I recommend cellaring this for a year. 88.

Photo: Anarchist Mountain's Terry Meyer-Stone and Andrew Stone

AnarchistMountain Vineyard, a new producer from Osoyoos, had its “coming out” that the recent TasteBC event in Vancouver.

What a coming out it was! The winery’s Wildfire Pinot Noir 2012 received a gold medal and the Elevation Chardonnay 2012 earned a silver.

Until now, this producer has flown below the radar screen. It is not yet a licensed winery (because its production is too small) but uses the license of Meyer Family Vineyards. Terry Meyer Stone, who operates AnarchistMountain with her partner, Andrew Stone, is a sister of JAK Meyer.

The couple own one of the highest elevation vineyards (1,700 feet) in the Okanagan, with 4 ½ acres of vines on the side of AnarchistMountainoverlooking Osoyoos and the valley. A site with a jaw-dropping view, it very likely is the last vineyard to be touched by the sun at the end of the day. Heat units are not an issue here; nor, with superb air flow down the mountain, is frost much of a risk.

This remarkable site was planted in 1985 by Anthony Dekleva. To hear Terry and Andrew talk of him, he was a colourful individual. He maintained a gold claim on the property for some time, thinking that there might be gold since there is a history of gold production in the south Okanagan.

He was also adept at water witching, or dowsing. Now, there is a great deal of scepticism about water witching but it seems that he found the wells on the property that now irrigate the vines.

“He is definitely a pioneer,” Andrew Stone says. “He wanted to build a winery and a tasting room here. He had some health problems and could not complete his dream. He was a good winemaker and made some wine from these grapes.”

Anthony sold the vineyard in 1993 to Michael Mauz, a German-trained viticulturist now working with Mission Hill Family Estates.

Terry and Andrew bought the vineyard early in 2010, a move that involved significant career changes for these two native Albertans.

“I used to host a television show in Edmonton for seven years, a daytime one-hour talk show,” Terry says. “After that, two friends and I started a company called Three Blondes and a Brownie, and we sold low fat muffins to McDonalds nationally, for seven years.”

“I bounced around, trying to figure out what my place was, really,” says Andrew, who was born in 1972. “I started off in the oil fields. That’s where I grew up. It was difficult to have a real life there, so I quit that and went to school and got some education to be a systems analyst. I got a job just before Y2K, worked in a downtown office and lived downtown. I was a real city kid and lived the dream, so to speak. But what I missed the most was being outdoors.”

They got the opportunity after Terry’s brother, JAK, bought a vineyard late in 2008 near OkanaganFalls and asked them to help get the Meyer Family winery up and running.

“It was never on either of our radars to do this,” Terry said later. “For JAK, too, it was a chance conversation he had one night with James Cluer. They were just going to do a little bit of private label wines. He got into it and dragged us into it. It is such a cool industry to be part of right now.”

Terry uses her marketing background now in running the Tinhorn Creek Vineyards wine club, one of the largest in the Okanagan. Andrew, who has taken viticulture courses, now is vineyard manager at Liquidity Vineyards.

Their vineyard perched on the side of the mountain has three acres of Chardonnay, one acre of Merlot and half an acre of Pinot Noir. There is also a small nursery on site and Andrew has been testing other varietals, although there is little room for additional vineyards here.

The production from 2012 is just 70 cases of each varietal because Andrew and Terry also have been selling their grapes to selected winemakers. That also serves as something of a tutorial in the potential of their grapes.

“When we made the first wine [a 2011 Chardonnay], we did not know what we had,” Andrew told me in 2013. “Now that it is in bottle, we like drinking it. The question has changed from ‘Do we have the right fruit to do this?’ to ‘Yes, we have the right fruit. Now what is the best way to develop a market?’”

“We have enough Chardonnay that we can do 500 cases,” Andrew added. “We could outsource the Pinot Noir and we could outsource the Merlot. We could buy fruit and ferment it here. We could do anything we want. The question is, will the public buy it? It does not seem smart to me to go from zero to 500 cases, because we don’t have a lot of contacts through sales channels.”

That was 2013. Now AnarchistMountain has an agent in Vancouver and accolades that make the market sit up and take notice. You might find the wines in one of the Liberty Merchant Company stores (Libertyorganizes TasteBC) or you could order from AnarchistMountain’s web site. The Pinot Noir is sold out at the winery, however.

Here are notes on the wines.

AnarchistMountain Elevation Chardonnay 2012 ($26 for 70 cases). This wine really reflects the terroir, with the minerality and texture one would expect from 30- year-old on a rocky site. The wine has aromas and flavours of citrus (lemon and lime) with very subtle oak notes and with refreshing acidity. The finish is crisp. This is an elegant and complex Chardonnay. 91.

AnarchistMountain Wildfire Pinot Noir 2012 ($35 for 70 cases). As a winemaker, Andrew has had the advantage of being coached by Chris Carson from Meyer Family and Matt Holmes from Liquidity. It shows in this pretty and well-made wine. Aromas of cherry and strawberry are echoed on the palate, with delicate and lingering fruit flavours. Silky tannins give the wine good weight and a svelte texture. 91.

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