Burrowing Owl: a family success

Photo: Burrowing Owl's Jim Wyse

In an era of winery ownership change in the Okanagan, Burrowing Owl Estate Winery stands out as a very successful family winery.

“We’re lucky,” says Midge Wyse, the wife of founder Jim Wyse. “We still have interested kids [in the business].”

She refers to Chris Wyse, their son, who is now president of Burrowing Owl; and to daughter Kerri McNolty, now a senior marketing executive at the winery. Jim, who still plays hockey at age 81, and Midge both continue to be active in the affairs of the winery.

In a previous career, Jim had been a developer of residential properties in Vancouver and the Okanagan. While working on a Vernon project in 1991, he became interested in the wine industry, initially considering buying a winery in Peachland. Then, with the help of a real estate agent, he began looking at property on Black Sage Road where there had been several large vineyards prior to the 1988 pullout.

In 1993, Jim began assembling vineyard property to plant Bordeaux varieties in partnership with Calona Vineyards. Calona used the grapes for its premium Sandhill wines. The success of those wines spurred Jim to build the Burrowing Owl winery, which opened in 1998 with wines that won immediate acclaim.

“We went into this knowing we knew nothing about the business,” Jim once told me. “I compared it to real estate development. If you want to ‘play’ in the real estate game, you go and buy yourself a duplex and run it yourself. But if you want to do it on a businesslike basis, you get a big enough building that you can hire professionals. You buy a 20-storey apartment building with a manager’s suite. That’s my analogy. We bought a 20-storey apartment building.”

Burrowing Owl’s first seven vintages were made by Bill Dyer, an experienced winemaker recruited from the Napa Valley. He established a house style that has survived to this day, even though Burrowing Owl has changed winemakers several times since. One reason is the institutional memory of the cellar hands, some of whom have been there almost from the beginning. The other reason has been the consistency of the winery’s well farmed vineyards.

“The Okanagan is infamous for its thin reds,” Jim once told me. “Well, I wanted to be the opposite of that and Bill also wanted to be the opposite of that. Wine writers talk about big extracted wines. I like them, quite frankly. To me, that’s the name of the game -- to get everything out of those grapes that’s in there.”

Today, Burrowing Owl farms about 220 acres primarily on Black Sage Road and on the Osoyoos East Bench. The winery also has a small Similkameen vineyard that supports its Calliope brand and produces Burrowing Owl’s Sauvignon Blanc. And the wines still deliver all the flavours that the vineyards produce.

Here are notes on current releases.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2018 ($24). This is textbook Pinot Gris, fermented and aged in stainless steel and bottled early to preserve the fruity aromas and flavours. It begins with aromas of peach, pear and citrus. Crisp and vibrant on the palate, the wine has flavours of pear and green apple. 91.

Burrowing Owl Sauvignon Blanc 2018 ($28). There is eight percent Sémillon in this blend. A quarter of the juice was fermented and aged in barrel, primarily new French oak. The rest was fermented and aged in stainless steel.  The wine begins with herbal aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of citrus and nectarine mingled with spice. The wine has a bright, tangy finish. 90.

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2017 ($30). Fermenting 85% of the juice in French oak and 15% in stainless steel has resulted in a fruit-driven wine with well integrated oak. The hint of oak on the nose and palate adds complexity. The wine has flavours recalling a fine marmalade with good acidity to keep the fruit flavours fresh. 91.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir 2017 ($35). This is the classic Burrowing Owl style, a Pinot Noir with South Okanagan ripeness and richness. The wine, which was aged nine months in French oak (30% new), begins with cola and cherry aromas, leading to flavours of dark cherry and spice. 90.

Burrowing Owl Merlot 2017 ($32). This wine was aged 14 months in a complex selection of barrels: 57% French, 19% American, 17% Hungarian and 7% Russian (of which 22% was new). The winery explains: “The selection of barrels helped round out the tannins, and contributed to complex notes such as smoky, savoury and spice.” It made for a delicious wine, with aromas and flavours of cassis, black cherry and spice. The finish lingers. 92.

Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2017 ($35). Burrowing Owl has been a leading exponent of this variety from the start. This vintage was aged 18 months in barrel – 90% French, 10% Hungarian – of which 20% was new. This is a generous wine with aromas of blackberry, black cherry and spice. The palate delivers flavours of black cherry, blackberry, raspberry mingled with a hint of chocolate and sage. 92.

Burrowing Owl Meritage 2016 ($50). This is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. The varietals were vinified and aged separately in barrel (75% French). When the components for the Meritage were combined, the wine was aged another four months in oak. The wine begins with aromas of black currant, vanilla and cedar. The structured palate delivers flavours of dark fruits, leather, black olives and dark chocolate. 94.

Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 ($38). The 2016 vintage produced many fine Cabernet Sauvignons in the Okanagan and this is one of the best. The wine was aged 18 months in oak (30% new). It begins with aromas red fruit and spice. The palate delivers flavours of black currant, raspberry, leather, chocolate and sage. The long ripe tannins add to the elegance and lingering finish of the wine. 93.

Burrowing Owl Syrah 2017 ($35). This wine was aged 16 months in French, American and Hungarian oak barrels (35% new). This is a classic meaty Syrah, with aromas and flavours of dark cherry, fig, plum mingled with pepper, backing spices and vanilla. 92.