Clos du Soleil at Vancouver wine festival

Photo: Clos du Soleil's Michael Clark

An astonishing 33 British Columbia wineries will appear at the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year.

That is astonishing only because the theme this year is France, not British Columbia. But given the quality of the wines, it must have been hard for the festival to whittle the BC list down to just 33.

One of the wineries is Clos du Soleil Winery, one of the star producers in the Similkameen Valley. Opened in 2008, the winery was a venture of four professional couples with a shared admiration of Bordeaux wines.

Michael Clark joined the Clos partnership in 2012. Now he is the winery’s managing director as well as the winemaker. This is his second career. He was previously a banker and a bond dealer.

Michael, who was born in Cambridge, Ontario, in 1972, describes wine as “my number one passion literally before I could drink wine. When I was a kid, I was fascinated with wine. Champagne is for Breakfast – I read that book when I was probably 10 years old. I don’t know other children who love to read wine books.”

Initially, he set out on a career in theoretical physics with bachelor’s degree from Queens University and then a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia. Then he switched to finance with a master of business administration from UBC, where he also founded a campus wine tasting society.

“Then I worked in finance in Canada and in the U.S. and Switzerland, for about 15 years.” That included eight years with two Swiss banks where, while holding senior positions, he committed to winemaking by taking winemaking and viticulture courses there in 2010. He then gained experience by doing crushes at wineries in Switzerland and in Bordeaux.

In 2011, he enrolled in the rigorous winemaking program from the University of California at Davis. While still in Europe, he began researching British Columbia winemaking opportunities before making Clos Du Soleil his choice. Consulting winemaker Ann Sperling had made the first five vintages before handing over to Michael.

He is a very capable winemaker. Consumers who have not visited the winery itself have a chance to meet him at the wine festival.

Meanwhile, here are current releases.

Clos du Soleil Capella 2018 ($24.90 for 580 cases). This is 85% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Sémillon. The style seems inspired by Graves, not New Zealand. The wine was fermented primarily with wild yeast entirely in barrel (65% French puncheons, 35% stainless steel) and aged in barrel for nine months. It begins with herbal and citrus aromas. A weighty palate supports intense flavours of lime and lemon mingled with herbs. The finish is tangy. 91.

Clos du Soleil Syrah 2017 Winemaker’s Series ($29.90 for 213 cases). The grapes for this wine were fermented in small-lot open top fermenters for a month and then aged 16 months in French oak barrels (12% new). The wine begins with earthy aromas of dark fruits, leading to robust flavours of plum and fig mingled with sage and spice. 90.

Clos du Soleil Signature 2016 ($39.90 for 450 cases; large formats available). This wine is a blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 6% Malbec. The grapes were fermented on concrete tanks entirely with native yeasts. The wine was then aged in French oak barrels for 15 months. The final blend was made with the best barrels. The wine begins with aromas of blackberry and blueberry, leading to flavours of cherry, cassis and blackberry. The flavours show a youthful brightness now; but this is a wine that will benefit from cellaring. 92.

Clos du Soleil Estate Reserve Red 2015 ($52.90 for 148 cases). The winery describes this as the “pinnacle of our portfolio.” No doubt about that – this is an exceptional wine made with the best grapes on the estate. It is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 8% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. Each variety was vinified separately with native yeast and matured separately for 15 months in French oak barrels. The enveloping aroma is a medley of spice, cherry, blackberry and black currant. That leads to a full-bodied, complex wine with flavours of mint, black currant, blackberry and spice. The finish goes on and on and on. The texture is elegantly polished. 94.