Black Market's Bacchus and friends

Photo: Black Market's Rob Hammersley

At Kaleden’s Black Market Winery, the best-selling white is Bacchus. At this writing, the 2021 vintage is sold out. Rob Hammersley, Black Market’s co-owner and winemaker, had never made wine with Bacchus grapes before buying the Kaleden vineyard in 2018 and basing his winery there. The 4 ½-acre vineyard initially was planted entirely to Bacchus about 40 years ago. Subsequently, half of the Bacchus vines were grafted to Merlot. Today, the vineyard still has two acres of Bacchus, along with Pinot Blanc and a little Pinot Gris in addition to Merlot.

“Bacchus is rare,” Rob says. “There is less than 50 acres left in all of British Columbia now. I believe there are six wineries that produce it. It is a fairly rare wine, which is shocking. It is a fantastic grape for our climate. It grows well everywhere and it produces amazing wines.” In the first two vintages from the Kaleden vineyard, Rob incorporated the Bacchus into various white blends. “In 2020, I had the courage to bottle it on its own,” Rob says. “I didn’t think anyone would buy it. No one knows the grape. They will assume it is a hybrid, and will assume it is sweet. So we just bottled 60 cases – and it sold out in about two weeks. In 2021, we produced almost 180 cases and we pretty much sold out after just four months.” And it is the driest white wine that Black Market produces. For a small winery, it is a good strategy to have a niche wine with a growing following.

Black Market, which Rob operates with wife Michelle Shewchuk, produced its first 200 cases of wine in 2012 with purchased wine. Rob began making wine with purchased grapes in 2014. Both kept their day jobs (Michelle is still an Air Canada flight attendant) while developing the brand and looking for a vineyard. They found the Kaleden vineyard in 2018 and opened the tasting room in July, 2020, in the middle of the pandemic – which put a damper on wine touring. “Our online sales went through the roof,” Rob recounts. “The double-edged sword with that is the norm became free shipping.” “We weren’t complaining during Covid,” he told me during my visit to the winery in September. “To be honest, a slightly lower volume of people probably helped us settle into a routine a bit better. This year was a lot busier - fewer reservations than last year but a lot busier. We’ve had a great year for sales.”

Here are notes on the wines I tasted at the winery. The vintage dates are always in Roman numerals.

Black Market Secret Society Frizzante NV ($25 for 250 cases). The varietals in this sparkling blend are not disclosed. In fact, none of the winery’s three Secret Society wines disclose the components on their labels, giving Rob the flexibility to include unfashionable varieties in blends that are invariably delicious. This is a crisp bubbly with a creamy mousse. 88.

Black Market Bacchus MMXXI (Sold out). This is refreshing dry wine with aromas and flavours of citrus and honeydew melon. 90.

Black Market Pinot Blanc MMXXI ($26 for 70 cases). This wine was fermented and aged eight months in neutral French oak. The objective was to add texture to a varietal often made in a lean, crisp style. This wine has aromas and flavours of apple and stone fruit with, yes, mouth-filling texture. 90.

Black Market Secret Society White MMXXI ($21 for 250 cases). Spoiler alert: the blend is 34% Bacchus, 44% Gewürztraminer and 22% Pinot Gris. The wine is a fruit bomb with aromas and flavours of spice, lychee and melon. 90.

Black Market Unsanctioned Series Pinot Gris MMXXI (70 cases but sold out). This was fermented 2/3 in oak puncheons and 1/3 in stainless steel. There is an intriguing whiff of oak on the nose along with citrus notes. On the palate, the texture is luscious with flavours of stone fruits. 90.

Black Market Syrah MMXIX ($35 for 160 cases). There is seven percent Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah in this blend, which was aged 21 months in French and American oak barrels (33% new). Meaty aromas lead to flavours of dark cherry and black olives. 91. Black Market Syrah MMXX ($35 for 136 cases). This was not yet available for tasting in September but, on the strength of the portfolio, I would not hesitate to buy it.

Black Market Secret Society Red MMXX ($28 for 260 cases). There are five red varietals in this blend, with Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon each at 35%. It is a brooding red wine with aromas and flavours of black cherry, dark fruits and leather. 91.

Black Market Syndicate MMXIX ($35 for 225 cases). The winery’s flagship red, this is a blend of Merlot (41%), Cabernet Franc (31%), Petit Verdot (20%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (8%). The wine was aged 21 months in French oak barrels (33% new). The wine begins with aromas of black currant and dark cherry. On the palate, the black currant flavours mingle with blackberry. 92.

Black Market Unsanctioned Series Merlot MMXIX ($35 for 120 cases). This wine was aged 30 months in French oak (40% new). It is a bold and rich wine, with cassis aromas leading to flavours of cassis, plum, black cherry and mocha. The ripe tannins support good cellaring potential. 93.

Black Market Unsanctioned Series Petit Verdot MMXIX ($40 for 65 cases.) This dark and muscular red is available just to the 200 members of Black Market’s wine club. It was aged 30 months in new and neutral French oak. It begins with aromas of dark fruits and sage. On the palate, there are dense flavours of fig, plum and black currant mingled with notes of graphite that are typical of Petit Verdot. 94.