Church and State sparkling wines medal at Decanter

Photo: Church & State winemaker Arnaud Thierry

Church & State Wines recently trumpeted its success at the Decanter World Wine Awards for its sparkling wines: two silver medals and one bronze. That is a rigorous international competition. It is a credit to any winemaker to come away with medals, an notably to Arnaud Thierry, the winemaker at Church & State.

Arnaud, who joined the Okanagan winery in 2018, was trained in Champagne. It is logical, then, that the winery’s sparkling wines are well made. The 10-acre vineyard near Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island grows Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, grapes that are dedicated to sparkling wine.

Church & State, which also has 85 acres of vineyard and an elegant tasting room on Black Sage Road in the Okanagan, originated on Vancouver Island in 2002 as Victoria Estate Winery. The struggling winery was acquired two years later by tax lawyer Kim Pullen. At the recommendation of his consulting winemaker at the time, Californian Bill Dyer, he moved production to the south Okanagan a few years later rather than transporting grapes to Vancouver Island. The Brentwood Bay vineyard was reserved for varietals best suited to the cool climate and for sparkling wines.

Pullen sold the winery in 2017 to Sunocean Wineries and Estate, a Vancouver company owned by a low-profile Chinese businessman. The new owners were able to add the experienced Arnaud to their team shortly after he had moved from France to the Okanagan with his wife, Caroline Schaller, then the winemaker at Osoyoos Larose. There is a brief biographical note about Arnaud on the winery’s website: “Our winemaker, Arnaud Thierry joined the team in late 2017. He was all but born into winemaking having spent much of his youth amidst the vines of Bordeaux. His interest in biology and biochemistry, as well as a desire to understand the art of viticulture, led him to study enology in Champagne for several years. This, coupled with a love of nature, cuisine, and diverse flavors brought to life by wine brought him deeper into the world of winemaking.”

“The winemaking is quite simple and traditional,” Arnaud told me in 2021. “I am very attracted by tradition, and the respect of the fruit. Winemaking is very classic: a good expression of the fruit and freshness in the whites; and volume, fruit and spice in the reds. I want to have the varietal specificity of the grapes each time.” I have reviewed his table wines on several occasions and have always been impressed. Recently, the winery sent me the three sparking wines in its current portfolio.

Decanter scores were 89 points for Blanc de Gris, 88 points for Gris de Noir and 88 points for Blanc de Blanc, the bronze medal wine. Here are my notes. I was more impressed with the Blanc de Blanc and the Blanc de Gris than the Decanter judges, but then I was not judging a table full of sparkling wines.

Church & State Blanc de Blanc 2018 ($33.99). Made with Chardonnay from one of the winery’s Black Sage Bench vineyards, this traditional method sparkling wine spent 30 months on the lees in the Brentwood Bay cellar. The wine presents in the glass with fine, active bubbles and a light golden hue. It has aromas of brioche mingled with citrus, leading to flavours of apples and lemon. 92.

Church & State Blanc de Gris 2019 ($32.99 for 770 cases). A traditional method sparkling wine made with Pinot Gris, this aged in bottle at least 12 months. Pale yellow in hue and showing fine bubbles, the wine has aromas that begin with a hint of brioche and goes on to notes of pear. On the palate, there are flavours of stone fruits. 90.

Church & State Gris de Noir 2021 ($33.99 for 241 cases). This wine was made with Brentwood Bay Pinot Noir. It presents with a light blush and aromas of raspberry. The wine, with active bubbles, shows a playfully fruity flavour profile of red fruit. 88.

CheckMate's world-class 2022 Chardonnays

Photo: Winemaker Philip McGahan

The highest scoring Chardonnays in the Okanagan have been produced consistently by CheckMate Artisanal Winery. They are also the most expensive, the logical consequence of setting such a high bar for quality. The winery was established after Mission Hill owner Anthony von Mandl in 2012 bought adjacent properties on the Golden Mile – the closed Combret winery and the vineyard that grew the Chardonnay for Mission Hills’s award-winning 1994 Chardonnay. That was the wine that Mission Hill promoted as “best in the world” after it won a medal in a major London competition. The vineyard was growing the so-called Dekleva clone Chardonnay (named for the original vineyardist). Cuttings of that clone were planted in several other South Okanagan vineyards as they were established by Von Mandl and his team, as well as by other growers.

With this and other excellent clones of Chardonnay in vineyards in the South Okanagan, Anthony set about creating CheckMate Winery. The seven CheckMate Chardonnay wines could be promoted as best in the world without exaggeration. I have awarded 100 points to one of them four times. CheckMate is just releasing four of its Chardonnays from the outstanding 2022 vintage. As it happens, this was the final vintage touched by winemaker Philip McGahan, the original CheckMate vintner. An Australian lawyer turned winemaker, he was recruited in 2013 from a leading Sonoma winery.

He had to return to Australia for personal reasons in 2020 but he remained very much involved with CheckMate for several more vintages. “I was involved with CheckMate through until early-to-mid 2023,” Philip wrote in a recent email. “I did assist with the picking calls, fermentation management and maturation of the wines, working with Kaylee Barrs, CheckMate assistant winemaker, who was on site at CheckMate and did an excellent job making the wines.”

In mid-2023, Philip handed the chief winemaking position to Penticton-born Spencer Kelly who had been recruited from a prestigious Napa Valley winery. So far, trhe 2023 wines he made have not been released. Because the 2024 vintage was wiped out by the January 2024 freeze, CheckMate could not make a 2024 vintage. Spencer has returned to Napa.

Philip now makes wines for an Australian producer near Adelaide. CheckMate also produces excellent Merlots. However, the current release involves the 2022 Chardonnays, wines that mark the pinnacle of Philip’s decade in the Okanagan. Here are my notes.

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Capture Chardonnay 2022 ($100 for 21 barrels). The fruit for this wine, Dijon Clone 76 and 8o9, was grown in the Border Vista Vineyard, which is right against the U.S. border at Osoyoos. The wine was fermented with natural yeast and was aged 14 months in French oak barrels (47% new). The wine begins with intense aromas of orange peel and stone fruits. The palate also displays flavours of nectarine and peach. The finish is very long. 97.

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Fool's Mate Chardonnay 2022 ($95 for 47 barrels, three foudre). Fruit was sourced from four different vineyards in the South Okanagan, deliberately imbuing the wine with complex characters. It was aged two-thirds in French oak barriques (50% new) and one-third in oak foudres. There is the slightest hint of oak in the aroma mingled with citrus. There are flavours of lemon and stone fruits. The finish is long, showing what the winery calls “crunchy” fruit on an age-worthy texture. 95.

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Little Pawn Chardonnay 2022 ($110 for 30 barrels, one concrete egg). The fruit is from the legendary Jagged Rock Vineyard on the Black Sage bench. There are two clones here: Dekleva and Dijon 76. The wine was aged 14 months 90% in French oak (56% new) and 10% in a concrete egg. One of Checkmate’s most elegant Chardonnays, the wine begins with aromas of tangerine and spice leading to flavours where the tangerine mingles on a rich palate with notes of nectarine. 96.

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Queen Taken Chardonnay 2022 ($125). The fruit is from 47-year-old vines on the adjoining Dekleva and Combret vineyards on the Golden Mile Bench. The wine was aged 14 months in 85% French oak barrels (55% new), 9% concrete and 6% ceramic. The wine begins with aromas of guava and Asian pear, leading to flavours of stone fruits and a finish that refuses to quit. 96.

Fort Berens supplemented Lillooet grapes with Washington fruit in 2024

Photo: Fort Berens CEO Heleen Pannekoek

The severe cold snap in January 2024 that devastated the Okanagan vineyards did not spare Lillooet where Fort Berens Estate Winery is based. In the 2024 vintage, the two estate vineyards produced 45 tons of fruit, about 30% of a normal harvest. To supplement the harvest, Fort Berens bought 68 tons of grapes from Sagemoor Vineyards in Washington State. Seth Jex, the assistant winemaker at Fort Berens, supervised the pick, the crush and the fermentation in Washington. The wines were then transported to Lillooet and finished by Alex Nel, who had stayed to supervise the vintage from the Lillooet vineyards.

Heleen Pannekoek, Fort Berens’s co-founder and chief executive, writes: “This approach allowed us to supplement our estate production, navigate climate-related challenges, keep our team employed, maintain consistent offerings for our customers, and keep our business alive.” She adds: “We’re happy to report that our estate vineyard is in great shape this year. It’s still very early in the season, but we are projecting about two-thirds of a normal crop, as the vines are being retrained.” Here are notes on the wines.

Fort Berens Here & There Pinot Gris 2024 ($24.49 for 1,000 cases). The fruit is from Washington’s Wahluke Slope AVA. The crushed fruit had four hours of skin contact before a long, cool fermentation and four months aging on the lees. The wine begins with aromas of nectarine and pear leading to refreshing flavours of nectarine, peach and citrus. 90.

Fort Berens Here & There Chardonnay 2024 ($24.99 for 1,250 cases). This wine was made with Washington fruit. Thirty percent was aged four months in French oak barrels while 70% was aged on the lees in tank. The two lots were then blended. This is a delicious wine with a light hint of oak supporting aromas and flavours of peach and nectarine. 91.

Fort Berens Here & There Riesling 2024 ($22.99 for 600 cases). This wine was made with Washington fruit. The crushed grapes were given 12 hours of skin contact and a long, cool ferment that was stopped by lowering the temperature. A touch of residual sweetness is balanced with bright acidity. The wine begins with aromas of lemon and grapefruit. On the palate, it is a bowl of tropical fruit flavours. The finish is crisp and fresh. 90.

Fort Berens Here & There Rosé 2024 ($23.49 for 1,300 cases). The fruit is from old Shiraz vines (planted 1997) in Washington’s Wahluke Slope AVA. The grapes were allowed six hours of skin contact, resulting in an appealing rose petal hue to the wine in the glass. It has aromas and flavours of cherry, strawberry, watermelon and pomegranate. 90.

Fort Berens Small Lot Merlot 2022 ($32.99 for 282 cases). This wine was made with estate fruit. The grapes were given a two-day cold soak with regular pump-overs during fermentation and three days of post-ferment maceration on the skins. The wine was aged 15 months in French oak barrels (12% new). It begins with aromas of plum, dark cherry and spice. These are echoed on the palate and on the long finish. 91.

Fort Berens Meritage Reserve 2021 ($43.99 for 294 cases). This wine is made with fruit from the winery’s estate vineyards. The blend is 42% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were given a two-day cold soak with regular pump-overs during fermentation and an eight-day maceration on the skins. The wine was aged 15 months in French oak barrels (50% new). A richly textured wine, it has aromas and flavours of cherry, plum and spice. There is a hint of dark chocolate on the long finish. 92.

Fort Berens Meritage 2022 ($29.99 for 1,855 cases). This wine is 70% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. This wine is made with 40% estate-grown fruit and 60% Osoyoos fruit. Each varietal was vinified and barrel-aged separately for 15 months before the winemaker made the final blend. This is an elegant wine with aromas and flavours of dark fruit and cassis, with long, ripe tannins enhancing the long finish. 92.

Fort Berens Cabernet Franc 2022 ($32.99 for 971 cases). The substantial production of this wine was the result of the winery’s new Red Rock Vineyard coming into production. The grapes were given a two-day cold soak with regular pump-overs during fermentation and a nine-day maceration on the skins for colour and fine tannin extraction. The wine was aged 15 months in French oak barrels (10% new). The wine has aromas and flavours of blackberries and dark cherry with a note of spice on the finish. 91.

Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2021 ($49.99 for 149 cases). Winemaker Alex Nel, who joined Fort Berens the previous year, put his stamp on the cellar with this big and bold red from selected estate-grown fruit. The blend is 51% Cabernet Franc, 16% Merlot and 33% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was aged 15 months in new French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of dark cherry, cassis and cigar box. The flavours of dark fruit and spicy oak seduce the palate. 95.

Meyer and Mayhem releases from Okanagan and Washington

Photo: Janice Stevens and JAK Meyer: Photo by Noelle Starzynski

The latest releases from Meyer Family Vineyards and Mayhem Wines include vintages from the Okanagan as well 2024 wines made with grapes grown in Washington State. The two wineries are linked by family ownership as well as by some shared facilities near Okanagan Falls. Meyer is owned by JAK Meyer and Janice Stevens. Mayhem is owned by JAK’s sister, Terry Meyer Stone and her partner, Andrew Stone. The Stones also have the Anarchist Mountain Vineyard near Osoyoos.

Notes from each winery explain why these producers (along with many other Okanagan producers) had to turn to Washington vineyards for the 2024 vintage. Mayhem writes: “The 2024 vintage experienced severe cold temperatures in January resulting in roughly 98% crop loss at Anarchist Mountain Vineyard and at many of our growers’ vineyards…. We were able to build new relationships with our American neighbours in Washington State and secure juice for our white and rosé wines. This is a great opportunity that has allowed us to experience a unique terroir in a new wine region.”

Meyer writes: “The 2024 vintage was shaped by exceptionally harsh temperatures in January leading to significant crop loss in our vineyards. As a result … we did not have a harvest. To continue crafting quality wines, we sourced a small amount of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from three vineyards just over the border in the Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area in Washington State.” Happily, the quality of the 2024 vintage in Washington was strong. Meyer writes: “Bud break began in late March with a cool spring and temperatures reaching above average by July. This led to large clusters with small berries, resulting in great quality fruit for winemaking.”

Mayhem’s commentary suggests the Okanagan is bouncing back this year because the vines, while not producing grapes last year, recovered to show healthy growth. “This leaves us very optimistic and excited for the 2025 growing season and beyond. … We are looking forward to producing local Okanagan wines and continuing our partnership with our BC growers.” Here are notes on the wines.

Meyer Old Main Road Chardonnay 2023 ($N/A for 160 cases). The Chardonnay vines were planted in 1996 on the Old Main Road vineyard on the Naramata Bench. The wine started fermentation in stainless steel before being transferred to French oak barrels (25% new) to finish ferment and to age 11 months. The wine begins with buttery aromas mingled with ripe apples and vanilla. The wine is rich on the palate, with flavours of apple and vanilla that go to a long, long finish. The wine is not shy on oak. 94.

Meyer McLean Creek Road Chardonnay 2023 ($32.26 for 373 cases). The long, cool fermentation began in stainless steel and finished in French oak barrels (22% new). The wine aged for 11 months on the lees, without stirring. The wine begins with fresh citrus aromas leading to bright flavours of citrus and apple mingled with a hint of vanilla. The oak is much more restrained than the Old Main Road Chardonnay and the fruit is brighter, with a refreshing finish. 95.

Meyer Chardonnay 2024 ($21.83 for 2,000 cases). The fruit for this wine is from the Yakima Valley AVA in Washington State. The juice was fermented in the Okanagan in stainless steel and aged six months in neutral French oak puncheons, with natural malolactic fermentation. This is a delicious wine. Aromas of apples and pears lead to flavours of apple, pear and peach. 91.

Meyer Pinot Noir Rosé 2024 ($20.96 for 325 cases). The grapes are from vineyards in Washington’s Columbia Valley AVA. A 12-hour skin contact has given the wine an appealing rose petal hue; the wine presents well in the glass. It has aromas and flavours of strawberries and watermelon. 90.

Meyer McLean Creek Road Pinot Noir 2023 ($37.48 for 1,000 cases). This vineyard, where planting began in 1994, is in the Okanagan Falls Sub-GI. There are five clones in this wine: the Pommard clone and Dijon 114, 115, 667 and 777. The fruit went into open-top fermenters (25% whole cluster), allowed a cold soak and then was fermented with indigenous yeast for two weeks. The wine was aged in French oak barrels (20% new) for 11 months. It is a robust wine with aromas and flavours of dark cherry, plum and vanilla. There is a hint of spice and toastiness on the finish. 91.

Mayhem Pinot Gris 2024 ($21.83 for 333 cases). The fruit is from the Ancient Lakes AVA in Washington State. The grapes were crushed there and the juice was transported to the Okanagan for a long cool ferment in stainless steel, with 19% finishing ferment in seasoned puncheons. The wine spent four months resting on fine lees before bottling. The wine delivers mouth filling flavours of peaches and apples. 88.

Mayhem Anarchy Pinot Gris 2024 ($26.18 for 165 cases). The fruit for this wine is from a vineyard in Washington’s Ancient Lakes AVA. It has a long, cool fermentation in the Okanagan in stainless steel, followed by seven months of aging in stainless steel (47%), a ceramic ball (39%) and neutral puncheons (14%). All of this resulted in a complex wine that begins with lovely orchard fruit aromas. The palate delivers flavours of citrus and nectarine, with a long finish. 92.

Mayhem Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($21.83 for 544 cases). The fruit for this wine came from vineyards in Washington’s Wahluke Slope AVA. The wine was fermented cool over a seven-week period, with 89% in stainless steel and 11% in a seasoned barrique. The fine was aged four months on fine lees before bottling. It has aromas of lime and grapefruit. It is intense on the palate, with flavours of lime, grapefruit and grapefruit rind. 90.

Mayhem Anarchy Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($26.18 for 230 cases). The grapes are from vineyards in Washington’s Wahluke Slope AVA. The juice was fermented in the Okanagan for eight weeks. Fermentation started in stainless steel; then the wine was transferred to seasoned barriques and puncheons for seven months before bottling. Aromas of lime and pineapple are echoed on the palate. The texture is generous and the finish is tangy. 92.

b>Mayhem Rosé 2024 ($21.83 for 411 cases; 102 magnums also produced, with $5 from the sale of each magnum donated to Breast Cancer Canada). The Merlot grapes for this wine came from a vineyard in Washington’s Wahluke Slope AVA. The wine presents with an appealing rose petal hue. It has aromas and flavours of wild strawberries. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 90.

Mayhem Sparkling White 2024 ($88 for a 12-pack of 250 ml cans; 300 flats produced). The three varietals in this wine – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay – are all from Washington State. The wine is lightly effervescent with aromas and flavours of orchard fruits. The finish is crisp. The convenient package recommends itself to picnics. 88.

Mayhem Cabernet Merlot 2023 ($28.16 for 22 cases). This is a blend of 79% Merlot and 21% Cabernet Franc. The individual varietals were aged 11 months in French oak before blending and bottling. The wine has aromas of dark cherry, black currant and vanilla leading to bright fruit flavours of red and black currants, cherry and blueberry. 91.