Mission Hill releases Ben Bryant's first Okanagan wines

Photo: Mission Hill Chief Winemaker Ben Bryant

The 2018 Okanagan vintage was the first in Canada for Australian-born Ben Bryant, who had joined Mission Hill Family Estates that summer as chief winemaker.

Judging from the 2018 wines among the current releases, he did not put a foot wrong. In fact, the result of the recent National Wine Awards indicate how well the winery is performing. Mission Hill was named the winery of the year.

The wines reviewed here include wines from earlier vintages made by Darryl Brooker, the former chief winemaker and now Mission Hill’s president.

These are all premium wines. The reserve wines are limited production wines from estate fruit. The Terroir Collection wines are made with the top three per cent of hand-selected fruit from the estate vineyards.

These are only part of Mission Hill’s extensive portfolio. Anthony von Mandl, Mission Hill’s owner, manages about 1,000 acres of Okanagan vineyard through a company called Sebastian Farms. His winemaking team gets to work with a large selection of well-grown fruit.

Ben Bryant was already a senior winemaker in Australia when Darryl recruited him, after wooing him for nearly a year. He clinched the recruitment by flying Ben and his family to the Okanagan in the winter of 2017.

“In my career, I have been fortunate enough to make wine in some of the most stunning regions across the globe,” Ben wrote this summer. “But when my wife and I first visited the Okanagan Valley, we were immediately swept off our feet. Even under blankets of snow, I could tell that this was a very special place within the world of wine.”

Ben was profiled in a 2017 wine article by Wine Australia:

“Ben grew up on a farm close to Mudgee, one of Australia’s most exciting cool climate wine regions. From a young age, whenever Ben wasn’t at school or working on the family farm, he was working in one of the local vineyards pruning, picking or whatever other seasonal work needed to be done. At first, he did it for extra cash to spend after school but soon a passion for working the land emerged. Rather than heading to university straight from school, Ben got work as a cellar hand for a vintage at Poet’s Corner in Mudgee.”

Then he enrolled in the wine science program at Charles Sturt University, where he graduated in 2005. He had joined Orlando Wines (a predecessor to Pernod Ricard) where he became the chief winemaker at Wyndham Estate in 2010, moving on to a senior marketing role in 2013.

That same year, Pernod Ricard sent him to Hong Kong for an 18-month stint as a brand development manager. He returned to Australia in the fall of 2014 as chief winemaker for the Pernod Ricard group, including Jacob’s Creek.

This summer, Ben wrote: “Having now completed my first vintage here, I can honestly say that I am excited to be here as the Chief Winemaker at Mission Hill in this valley that has so much potential.”

Here are notes on the wines.

Mission Hill Reserve Pinot Gris 2018 ($21.99). The wine begins with a hint of spice and pear in the aroma. That carries through to the palate, which also delivers favours of peach and citrus. The finish is crisply dry, with a suggestion on anise on the lingering finish. 92.

Mission Hill Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2018 ($21.99). The wine begins with aromas of lime and gooseberry. On the palate, herbal notes mingle with lime, gooseberry and tropical fruits. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 92.

Mission Hill Reserve White Meritage 2018 ($21.99). This is a crisp, refreshing wine with aromas and flavours of grapefruit and lime mingled with hints of stone fruit. 91.

Mission Hill Terroir Collection Jagged Rock Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon 2018 ($30).  This is 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sémillon aged in a combination of French oak barrels and stainless steel. On the nose, herbal notes mingle with grapefruit. The bright palate offers a medley of lime and grapefruit, with a mineral backbone focussing the flavours. This is a dry, complex wine with a persistent finish. 93.

Mission Hill Terroir Collection Jagged Rock Vineyard Chardonnay 2017 ($45). This wine was aged 16 months, 90% in French oak and 10% in clay. It begins with aromas of citrus mingled with butter and vanilla. It delivers flavours mandarin accented with bright citrus and spicy oak. The finish is quite persistent. 92.

Mission Hill Terroir Collection Bluebird Passage Viognier 2018 ($30). This is a delicious Viognier, beginning with aromas of stone fruit and continuing to flavours peaches and apricots. The wine is at once bright and rich, with a touch of almonds on the persistent finish. 93.

Mission Hill Terroir Collection John Simes Vineyard Riesling 2018 ($30). Classic for a young dry Riesling, this wine is still developing in the bottle. It has aromas and flavours of citrus mingled with notes of the lees. Give this time to let the fruit emerge and take the austere edge off the dry finish. 90-92.

Mission Hill Reserve Rosé 2018 ($21.99). Fashionably pale in the glass, this crisp, dry rosé has aromas and flavours of watermelon, strawberry and raspberry. 90.

Mission Hill Brigadier’s Bluff Terroir Collection Rosé 2018. ($30). This is 73% Merlot, 16% Syrah and 11% Cabernet Franc. The eye of the partridge hue in the glass is appealing. The wine begins with aromas of strawberries. On the palate, there are flavours of strawberry and watermelon. The texture is mouth-filling while the finish is crisp. 91.

Mission Hill Reserve Pinot Noir 2017 ($27.99). Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of cherries and blueberry jam. On the palate, the wine delivers flavours of cherry and strawberry mingled with subtle oak spice. The texture is full and the rich flavours persist on the finish. 91.

Mission Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($36.99). Ripe and full-bodied, this wine begins with aromas of black currant and black cherry. On the palate, the black currant and cherry flavours mingle with chocolate. 92.

Mission Hill Reserve Meritage 2017 ($26.99). This wine begins with aromas of cassis and black cherry. On the palate, flavours of dark fruit mingle with spice and oak. Long ripe tannins give the wine a fullness in the mouth and a lingering finish. 92.