Valley Commons and its premium goals

Photo: Winemaker Kyle Lyons

The proprietors of Valley Commons Winery, Kyla Richey and Rudy Verhoeff, began thinking about a career in wine, appropriately enough, when they were living in France near the end of their careers as professional volleyball players. Both captained the Canadian volleyball team until they retired: Kyla in 2o19 and Rudy in 2016. They returned to Canada in 2020 and, backed by the Verhoeff family, purchased a small property near For Langley and planted vines 2021. “We knew we did not just want to make Fraser Valley wine,” Rudy says. “We wanted to combine the Okanagan Valley and the Fraser Valley and celebrate both.” So they also leased a vineyard near Osoyoos and established the winery in 2021 in The District Wine Village. The name, Valley Commons, reflects that the winery operates in both the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan Valley.

The Verhoeff family, already active in craft brewing and in the hospitality industry, also purchased Stoneboat Vineyards in 2021. Bill Adams continues to make Stoneboat’s wines. Early vintages of the Valley Commins wines were made with the help of consulting winemakers until Kyle Lyons has recruited as the fulltime winemaker.

Born in Kamloops in 1986 and raised in the Okanagan, Kyle says he “stumbled” into the wine industry. “I got hired by Sumac Ridge when I was 18, just to help out - sweeping floors, scraping misprinted labels off bottles,” he told me several years ago. “I got there at the right time. A couple of guys above me had left and I made my way up the ladder. Within the first year of being there, I realized that wine was something I preferred to pursue as a career.” He spent five years with Sumac Ridge and its sister wineries in the Vincor/Constellation group. He was exposed to a wide range of useful cellar experiences. In 2010, he joined Artus Bottling, the Okanagan-based mobile bottling company that, with a fleet of mobile bottling lines and a sparkling wine bottling line, bottles for the majority of B.C. wineries. “I thought it was a great opportunity that I got to visit a different winery every day and make some good connections,” Kyle says. “The next thing I knew, I found myself there for over five years.”

He left that job when he decided he “missed being inside the cellar, making wine and being hands on with the fruit.” He headed to Australia to do a harvest at Bannockburn Vineyards with winemaker Matt Holmes, who had previously worked in the Okanagan (Tantalus Vineyards and Liquidity Wines). When he returned to the Okanagan, he took a harvest job at Liquidity Wines, where he became lead cellar hand until leaving to join Valley Commons.

Last year, Valley Commons did a financing that raised about $1.3 million from about 45 investors. The initial intent was to purchase Okanagan vineyard land. Rising vineyard costs and rising interest rates led Rudy to scale back the offering and redirect the funds to winery equipment. “We want to be a premium brand,” Rudy says. “We are new and we are developing our brand and we are developing our wine, and we are going to get better. We do want to be at premium price points. The whole point of this round of investments was to equip the guys with the equipment they need to make good quality wine.”

Here are notes from current releases.

Valley Commons Pinot Gris 2021 ($27.90 for 522 cases). The wine begins with aromas of pear and citrus that carry over onto the palate. There are also flavours of pear and stone fruit. The finish is a touch hot, perhaps reflecting a vintage that was unusually warm. 88.

Valley Commons Viognier 2022 ($29.90 for 225 cases). A small portion of this wine was fermented on the skins, adding texture. The wine begins with aromas of nectarine, guava and pineapple. On the palate, there are flavours of tropical fruits and stone fruits. The wine is medium-bodied with a crisp, refreshing finish. 91.

Valley Commons Harvest Table White 2021 ($24.90 for 480 cases). This is a blend of 51% Muscat, 27% Pinot Gris and 22% Viognier. This is a gold medal winner defined by the spicy character of the Muscat but finishing dry. There is also citrus on the palate along with flavours of pear and apple. 90.

Valley Commons Harvest Table Red 2020 ($27.90 for 271 cases). This is a blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Gamay. The wine begins with aromas of cherry mingled with spice and hints of oak. The generous palate delivers flavours of cherry and plum, with a note of well-handled oak on the finish. 90.

Valley Commons Cabernet Franc 2021 ($34.90 for 107 cases). This wine was aged 18 months in barrel (27% new). The wine begins with brambly aromas – blackberry, black cherry and spice – which are echoed in the flavours. The long, ripe tannins give the wine good length on the finish. 91.

Valley Commons Garden Society Premium Red Blend 2021 ($39.90 for 304 cases). This is a blend of 43% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot and 8% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (41% new). It begins with aromas of cassis and black cherry. The palate is rich, with flavours of black cherry, plum, spice and chocolate. Long, ripe tannins lead to a persistent finish. 91.