Michael Bartier makes Pristine wines ... seriously

Photo: Michael Bartier in the cellar (Shari Saysomack photo)

Like most wineries in the South Okanagan, Bartier Bros. suffered from the devastating freezes of December 2022 and January 2024. The winery had a minimal harvest in the 2023 vintage and none in the 2024 vintage. Michael Bartier and his brother, Don, are well along at restoring their vineyards to production. Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc vines are being restored while Merlot and Sémillon vines have bee replanted. Sadly, Syrah has been removed and will be replaced with Chenin Blanc.

The winery has produced a 2024 vintage with Washington State grapes. Those wines have labelled “Pristine” and bottled under distinctive labels, alerting consumers that these products are from different terroirs than the usual Bartier wines. The choice of Pristine is also an apt description of the wines, made in a clean, crisp style. Michael worked with vineyards in three different American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in Washington. The fruit typically was harvested by hand, trucked across the border and processed in the Bartier Bros. winery. Thise enabled the winery to stay in production in 2024. “The winery remains fully committed to returning to British Columbia grown grapes as soon as the vineyards have recovered,” writes Lindsay White, the winery’s marketing manager.

Here are notes on eight Pristine wines from Bartier Bros. along with five British Columbia reds from the Okanagan’s superb 2022 vintage. That has been, arguably, the best vintage so far in the Okanagan, a year in which the weather and the viticulturists’ skill sets lined up perfectly. I have enjoyed the “replacement wines” from 2024 but I can hardly wait for the return of wines from our own terroir. Here are the notes.

Bartier Bros. Pristine Rosé 2024 ($17.99 for 2,800 cases). The grapes are from the Columbia Valley AVA. The blend is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Pinot Noir, 2% Chard0nnay and 1% Riesling. Limited skin contact has given this wine a golden-hued rose colour. There are aromas and flavours of strawberry and watermelon. 88.

Bartier Bros. Pristine White 2024 ($17.99 for 845 cases). This is a blend of 46% Riesling, 28% Sauvignon Blanc and 26% Chardonnay. The grapes are from the Columbia Valley AVA. They were harvested at night and were crushed and pressed immediately before being transported to the Bartier winery and fermented in stainless steel. The wine begins with citrus and orchard fruit aromas leading to a tasty fruit salad of flavour. 90.

Bartier Bros. Pristine Vin Gris 2024 ($19.99 for 317 cases). This wine is made with Pinot Gris grapes from the Rattlesnake Hills AVA in Washington. The fruit was harvested at night, crushed and pressed and fermented in stainless steel. A little skin contact has picked up a light golden hue. The wine has aromas and flavours of peach and pear with a crisp, refreshing finish. 90.

Bartier Bros. Pristine Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($18.99 for 1,260 cases). The grapes are from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. The fruit was harvested at night and fermented moderately cool in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of citrus and peach. It has a refreshing finish. 89.

Bartier Bros. Pristine Riesling 2024 ($18.99 for 280 cases). The grapes are from the Rattlesnake Hills AVA in Washington State. The fruit was harvested at night, crushed and pressed immediately and fermented cool in stainless steel. It has aromas and tangy flavours of lemon with a crisp finish. 89.

Bartier Bros. Pristine Chardonnay 2024 ($18.99 for 398 cases). The grapes are from the Wahluke AVA in Washington State. This is an appealing fruit-forward wine with aromas and flavours of apple and pineapple. 90.

Bartier Bros. Pristine Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2024 ($19.99 for 333 cases). The grapes are from the Wahluke Slope AVA. They are harvested at night and pressed immediately. Fermentation was moderately cool in stainless steel. The wine presents with an appealing rose petal hue. It begins with aromas of strawberry and red plum, leading to flavours of strawberry and cherry. The structure is full and satisfying. 91.

Bartier Bros. Illegal Curve 2022 ($21.99 for 920 cases). This is a blend of 51% Cabernet Franc, 48% Petit Verdot and 1% Pinot Noir. Fermentation temperature was allowed to spike to 29C, with 21 days of skin contact. The wine was aged 14 months in neutral French oak. The wine begins with aromas of cherry, raspberry and blackberry. The palate delivers those flavours mingled with coffee and mocha. 92.

Bartier Bros. Cabernet Franc 2022 ($29.99 for 1,251 cases). The grapes are from the Black Sage Terrace Vineyard near Oliver. The blend includes 8% Syrah and 1% Petit Verdot. Fermentation temperatures were allowed to spike, with 26 days of skin contact. The wine was aged 14 months in neutral French oak. The wine begins with aromas of blackberry and black currant, which are echoed on the palate along with cherry flavours. 92.

Bartier Bros. Merlot 2022 ($25.99 for 1,264 cases). The grapes are from the Cerqueira and Black Sage Terrace Vineyards. Fermentation was allowed to spike to 22C, with 22 days of maceration. The wine was aged 15 months in neutral French oak. The wine has aromas and flavours of blueberry and cherry, with long, ripe tannins giving the wine a long finish. 90.

Bartier Bros. Pinot Noir 2022 ($39.99 for 224 cases). This is 97% Pinot Noir from the Thadd Springs Vineyard in the Thompson River Valley, with 3% Petit Verdot from a Similkameen vineyard. The latter varietal likely was in the blend to add colour. The wine was aged 17 months in neutral oak. It begins with aromas of cherries and spice. Full-bodied, it delivers flavours of cherry and plum with a note of forest floor on the finish. 90.

Bartier Bros. Syrah 2022 ($29.99 for 311 cases). This wine, which has 7% Merlot in the blend, is made from grapes from the winery’s Cerqueira Vineyard. Fermentation temperatures were allowed to run high; and the wine stayed on the skins for 23 days. It was aged 16 months in French oak. The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruits mingled with black pepper. The texture is generous and the finish is long. 90.