Rust Winery plans to winter-proof its vineyards

Photo: Winemaker Ryan de Witte (courtesy Rust Wine Co.)

Rust Wine Co. is a sister winery to Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery but has concentrated on different varietals to set itself apart. These included a quartet of Syrah wines and a Zinfandel. Unfortunately for Rust, the January 2024 freeze devastated the winery’s sources of Syrah and Zinfandel. Winemaker Ryan de Witte has begun to make major changes in the portfolio, adding Pinot Noir and soon Sangiovese, Mondeuse and Barbera.

“Planting Sangiovese was a way of future proofing the vineyard to warmer summer temperatures as well as being hardier than the Zinfandel it is replacing,” Ryan explains. “It is mostly intended as a blending component for Solus, our halo wine but, if the vintage is good and the crops are equally generous, then we will bottle a varietal Sangiovese. It’s hard to decide what to put in premium sites as the variety needs to be one we can get a good price for (i.e. we don’t plant Pinot Gris there, but Sangiovese can fetch a fair price and is known by consumers – another problem as well). We talked about Tempranillo and some others but they were either too obscure or unlikely to make it through a severe winter.”

Ryan continues: “Mondeuse is an alpine red variety from the Savoie region of eastern France. It hits a bit like Syrah in that it ripens around the same time and can have a similar colour and weight, but it is a bit more delicate and tends to have higher acidity. Again, the hope with this is that this helps with warmer summers with its ability to retain acidity and, because it’s an Alpine grape, it will have some winter hardiness. It’s also a vanity project for me. I love the grape and have always wanted to plant it.”

As devastated as the vineyards were in 2024, they have “rebounded with aplomb” this year, Ryan reports. “We are awash with fruit and are excited to be making 100% BC wine again. We have not elected to purchase grapes from elsewhere this year but do not pass judgement on those who have elected to. We will be releasing an Oregon Pinot Noir from the 2024 vintage from the Laurelwood AVA in the coming year.” The current releases from Rust are from the 2022 and 2023 vintages. While 2022 was thought to have been the stronger vintage, Ryan did a great job with 2023. Here are my notes.

Rust Chardonnay 2022 ($N/A). This is a crisp and disciplined wine, with notes of citrus and apple mingled with minerality on the backbone. The wine was aged in French oak (20% new). 90.

Rust Chardonnay 2023 ($35). Ryan has been fine-tuning Chardonnay since joining the winery in 2019. He believes the 2023 is his best so far. The wine was aged 15 months in French oak (none new). The wine begins with aromas of apple, peach and vanilla. The creamy palate delivers rich stone fruit flavours mingled with oak. The finish is persistent. 93.

Rust Pinot Noir 2022 ($55). This is a robust wine that was aged in French and Hungarian oak (20% new). There are aromas and savoury flavours of dark cherry wrapped around a sturdy texture. 90.

Rust Pinot Noir 2023 ($N/A). Aged in neutral French oak, this wine begins with bright aromas of cherry and spice which are echoed on the lush, fruity palate. The texture is silky and the finish is long. This wine, along with the previous vintage, is made with grapes from the winery’s Three Mountain Vineyard in West Kelowna. 93.

Rust Merlot 2022 ($35). The grapes for this wine are from the winery’s Lost Horn Vineyard at Okanagan Falls. The 2022 vintage was exceptional, showing in this wine good concentration and long tannins. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (20% new). The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and spice leading to richly textured flavours of dark fruits. 92.

Rust Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 ($55). This wine is a tribute to the late Kane Morgan, Rust’s wine shop manager who died in a traffic accident a few years ago. It is a very fine wine – big and ripe, with a dark colour and aromas of black currant and dark cherry that are echoed on the palate. 92.

Rust Golden Mile Syrah 2022 ($44). This is the last Syrah from Rust’s home vineyard because the varietal did not survive the 2023 and 2024 freezes; and other varietals have been planted in its place. A pity, perhaps, because Rust made glorious Syrahs. This wine has aromas of plum, dark cherry and pepper which are echoed on the palate. The ripe tannins give the wine body and length. 93.