Liber winery is now near Osoyoos

Photo: Liber's Mike Dowell

The difference between Liber Estate Winery’s former location in the Similkameen Valley and its new location north of Osoyoos is evident from the busy traffic in front of tasting room. Liber’s original location was a bucolic seven-acre organic vineyard slopping down to the Similkameen River. The new location fronting on Highway 97 is hardly bucolic but it ensures far more traffic to the wine shop than ever reached the Similkameen location.

The winery was launched in 2016 by former Edmontonians, Mike and Nicolle Dowell. It was a decision to change lifestyles. Mike, born in 1974 just outside Edmonton, has been a manager with a heating and air-conditioning company. Nicole, born in 1977 in Edmonton, has a degree in chemistry. They are also importers of premium Colombian rum. “I remember being stuck in traffic, driving to work in the snow, and saying, Enough is enough,” Mike says. They retained Pascal Madevon, a leading consulting winemaker, who helped finish 16,000 litres of 2015 wines that had come with the purchase of a winery project started but not completed by a former owner. “We wanted to hire someone who could help us learn,” Mike explained the decision to bring Pascal on board. “We felt we needed to make sure our first vintage was good. We had to hire the best person we could.”

Pascal assured them that their vineyard, not far from the Similkameen River, is top-rated terroir. “Here, everything is class one,” Pascal confirmed. “It could be very hot in the day, but at the end of the day, there is the river here and it cools the valley down fast. That is perfect for the Chardonnay and the Merlot. For me, this is an incredible spot for Chardonnay.” The winery’s Chardonnays have proven him right. The Merlots were equally fine but, alas, much of the 3.5-acre Merlot block suffered damage in the brutal 2022-2023 winter. ‘The problem is that the top half did better than the bottom,” Mike Dowell told me in an interview this summer. “But if we replant, we will be interplanting for years to come because managing the watering requirements from top to bottom will be just too hard. We are probably just going to pull it. We may plant a little more Merlot or we may to just go to different varietals.” Pinot Noir is a possibility.

The Highway 97 property, the former home of a cidery, has a 3.5-acre vineyard that was planted in 2022. “We planted Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon here,” Mike Dowell says. Those vines made it through the winter because they were protected by snow and by the cartons around each vine. Liber also leases ten acres near Osoyoos. That vineyard has a mature block of Cabernet Franc. Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Cabernet Sauvignon were added recently. “I have a strong feeling that Cabernet Franc could be BC’s red grape,” says Mike Anderson, who became Liber’s fulltime winemaker in 2022. “It does very well here. It delivers so much to our palate.”

“I was born and raised in Penticton,” Mike Anderson (above) says. “I got into wine when I was doing my university degree. I was doing biology, microbiology. At the end of my science degree, I got into wine-related research at the UBC Wine Research Centre. I did a practicum there and then completed a master’s thesis there as well. By the end of that, I wanted to make wine.” He started in the laboratory at the Jackson-Triggs winery and then, in 2011, did a vintage with Randy Picton at Nk’Mip Cellars. “Then I did a year at Stag’s Hollow Winery, bounced around and did a few vintages in New Zealand.” Mike had met Pascal Madevon at Jackson-Triggs when Pascal was the winemaker at Osoyoos-Larose Winery, then sharing the Jackson-Triggs premises. In 2020, Pascal arranged to have Mike do the vintage at Liber.

Here are notes on current releases. Reserve wines are designated Rebil, which is Liber spelled backwards.

Liber Rebil Riesling 2021 ($N/A). This is a delicious wine with aromas and flavours of lemon, lime and peach. The finish is persistent. 92.

Liber Everyday Chardonnay 2022 ($21.99). Fermented in stainless steel, this is a crisp, fruit-forward Chardonnay with aromas and flavours of apple, pear and citrus. 89.

Liber Rebil Reserve Chardonnay 2019 ($27.99). This is a big, ripe Chardonnay with aromas and flavours of butter, apple and oak. The texture is rich and the finish is very long. 91.

Liber Rosé 2022 ($23.99). This is 80% Merlot, 20% Pinot Noir. The pale hue does not do justice to the appealing strawberry and watermelon aromas and flavours. 90.

Liber Let Me Be Franc 2019 ($34.99 for 214 cases). The playful label is a reference to Cabernet Franc, a varietal that the winery owners champion. This wine has the classic brambly aromas and flavours of the varietal, mingled with dark cherry and black currant. 92.

Liber Rebil Pinot Noir 2020 ($Wine club only). This wine was made with Similkameen fruit and was aged 10 months in French oak. It begins with aromas of cherry, spice and black tea. It is full on the palate with flavours of cherry and dark fruits mingled with notes of forest floor. 90.

Liber Rebil Merlot 2018 ($34.99). Made with fruit from the Similkameen, this barrel-aged wine has aromas and flavours of black currant and dark cherry. The texture is concentrated; and the long ripe tannins still have grip. 92.

Liber Rebil Craftsman 2018 ($Wine club only). This is the winery’s iconic Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. The wine is loaded with aromas and flavours of ripe, dark fruit. The wine should be cellared or decanted for immediate consumption. 94.

Liber Hello Sunshine White NV ($191.76 for 24 250 ml cans). This is a refreshing blend of Riesling, white Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, lightly carbonated. It is fresh and fruity. 88.

Liber Hello Sunshine Rosé NV ($191.76 for 24 250 ml cans). This primarily a Cabernet Franc rosé, lightly carbonated. It has aromas and flavours of raspberry. 88.