Fort Berens remarkable wines
Photo: Heleen Pannekoek and Rolf de Bruin (Courtesy Fort Berens Winery)
When they moved from Holland in 2008, Heleen Pannekoek and Rolf de Bruin took a big chance when they established Fort Berens Estate Winery at Lillooet rather than in established winegrowing regions of British Columbia.
That risk has worked out well for the winery owners; and for communities in the Fraser Valley.
The current releases from Fort Berens are among the winery’s best. At last year’s WineAlign National Wine Awards, Fort Berens was judged number three among the ten best small wineries in Canada. That is quite impressive from a producer that pioneered a new wine-growing region in British Columbia.
This is also a winery that is giving back to its community. After the nearby village of Lytton was destroyed by wild fire in 2021, Fort Berens last summer launched a fund-raising campaign to raise $125,000 to help Lytton rebuild. Like Fort Berens’s wines, the campaign over-delivered, raising $164,000. The funds have been directed to the rebuilding of the town’s outdoor pool.
While Lytton needs more than that, this is a contribution of funds that may not have been there without a successful winery in Lillooet.
The winery’s current releases showcase three vintages: estate-grown reserve reds from 2019 along with wines from 2020 and 2021.
The 2020 vintage in Lillooet (as elsewhere in British Columbia) was of very good quality but limited in quantity. For some reason, the vines produced small bunches with smaller berries. The result was wines with more intense flavours – but with yields 20% to 40% lower than expected. Wines from the 2020 vintage are already in short supply.
In 2021, berries again were small due to the impact of the heat dome in June. Lillooet had the highest temperatures ever recorded in June. Fortunately for quality of the 2021 wines, the Lillooet vineyards were spared smoke damage from the wild fires. The 2021 Fort Berens wines are fresh and full of clean flavours.
Here are notes.
Fort Berens White Gold 2020 ($29.99 for 140 cases). The fruit is whole-cluster pressed estate-grown Chardonnay, fermented in barrel with native yeast. The wine went through malolactic fermentation in barrel and then aged about 10 months in French oak (17% new). The wine has aromas and flavours of nectarine and apple mingled subtly with buttery vanilla notes. 92.
Fort Berens White Gold 2021 ($31.99 for 260 cases). The wine was made with estate-grown fruit and benefitted from a long, slow ripening period. Half of the fruit was crushed and left on the skins for four hours. The must was settled overnight before being transferred to barrel and fermented with natural yeast. The other half was whole-cluster pressed and the juice went into barrel. Fermentation was with natural yeast. The wine was aged nine months in French oak (30% new). Only partial malolactic took place. This is a lovely Chardonnay, with aromas and flavours of peach, apple and citrus mingled with vanilla and almond. 93.
Fort Berens Riesling Reserve 2020 ($29.99 for 200 cases). This wine was made with estate-grown fruit. It was whole-cluster pressed and fermented with natural yeast in stainless steel. A hint of residual sugar is balanced well with bright acidity. However, the initial impression is austerity until the wine has had a chance to breath. A case can be made for decanting this wine – or laying it down to age a few years. The texture is concentrated. The wine has aromas and flavours of citrus and apricots with a classic note of petrol. 92.
Fort Berens Riesling Reserve 2021 ($29.99 for 325 cases). This wine was made with estate-grown grapes from low-cropped, select rows. Half of the grapes were crushed, left on the skins for 12 hours before being pressed into barrel for fermenting with natural yeast. The other half were whole-cluster pressed and fermented in barrel with natural yeast. The wine spent nine months in French oak (12% new). The wine begins with appealing aromas of lemon, spice and peach. The creamy palate delivers flavours of lemon and peach. 92.
Fort Berens Pinot Noir 2020 ($34.99 for 296 cases). This superb wine was a platinum award winner at last year’s National Wine Awards. The berries, left uncrushed to minimize tannin extraction from the seeds, were fermented with a select Burgundy yeast. Pump-overs three times a day during fermentation extracted colour and flavour. The wine was aged about 10 months in barrel: half in American oak, half in French oak, of which 25% was new. The wine is dark-hued. Aromas of cherry mingle with toasted oak. The full, silken palate delivers flavours of cherry, raspberry and even plum, with a lingering spice on the finish. 92.
Fort Berens Pinot Noir 2021 ($34.99 for 360 cases). The grapes were destemmed and crushed; then after a two-day cold soak, were fermented with select Burgundy yeast. Three daily pump-overs took place during ferment. The wine was then aged nine months in neutral oak. This is a bright, cheerful Pinot Noir, with aromas and flavours of raspberry and cherry. The wine is medium-bodied with a silky texture. 90.
Fort Berens Pinot Noir Reserve 2020 ($38.99 for 110 cases). This wine was made with estate-grown clone 115 Pinot Noir. For fermentation, 20% of the clusters were left whole. The wine was matured 10 months in French oak (20% new). Decanting is recommended to let this tightly-structured wine show its aromas of cherry and pomegranate and flavours of cherries. There is a hint of forest floor on the silky finish. 93.
Fort Berens Pinot Noir Reserve 2021 ($41.99 for 290 cases). This wine was made with estate grown fruit (clones 115 and 667). After a two-day cold soak, the destemmed and crushed grapes were inoculated with Burgundy yeast. There were twice-daily punch-downs and pump-overs during fermentation, with three days of maceration on the skins before the wine was pressed into French oak barrels (25% new) for nine months aging. The wine begins with aromas of red cherry, cranberry and spice. The silky palate delivers flavours of dark cherry and pomegranate mingled with spice and oak on the finish. 94.
Fort Berens Cabernet Franc 2020 ($32.99 for 1,000 cases). This is an intense wine, the result of a three-day cold soak; a 26-day ferment with pump-overs every four hours; and three days of maceration before the wine was pressed to barrel. It was 15 months in barrels (50% French, 50% American). A hint of toasty oak mingles with bramble berry aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of blackberry, plum and dark cherry. 92.
Fort Berens Cabernet Franc Reserve 2019 ($39.99 for 190 cases). This is an impressive estate-grown Cabernet Franc, picked late in the season for full ripeness. Extended skin contact extracted a dark colour, layers of flavour and a full body. The wine was aged 15 months in oak (40% new). Of those barrels, 70% were French, 30% American oak. The wine begins with aromas of black currant, dark cherry and blackberry which are echoed on the palate. There are long, ripe tannins on the finish. 93.
Fort Berens Meritage 2020 ($31.99 for 1,600 cases). This is 65% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon. A four-day cold soak preceded inoculation with Bordeaux yeast strains. Each varietal was fermented and barrel-matured separately for 15 months (50% American and 50% French oak). The final blend was put together after the wines came out of barrel. This is a medium-bodied wine. Aromas of cherry and cassis lead to flavours of dark cherry, plum and black currant with a hint of ch0colate. 91.
Fort Berens Meritage Reserve 2019 ($39.99 for 160 cases). This estate-grown Meritage is 86% Merlot, 14 % Cabernet Franc. Each varietal was fermented and aged separately, to be blended after 15 months aging in barrel (60% French, 40% American, with 13% of the oak being new). The wine is a tour de force, with aromas of cassis and dark cherry that leap from the glass. On the palate, the wine has rich, spicy flavours of dark cherry, plum and black currant. The finish is persistent. 95.
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