Blasted Church's Nebbiolo and friends

Photo: Blasted Church winemaker Evan Saunders

In its 21-year history, Blasted Church Vineyards has had some of the Okanagan’s most memorable labels. It began in 2002 when founders Chris and Evelyn Campbell bought what was then called Prpich Hills Winery. They hired the Vancouver marketing consultant Bernie Hadley-Beauregard to rebrand the winery. He hit a home run with the Blasted Church name and the labels. Since then, the labels have been redesigned at least three times. The first two generations were colourful caricatures, some of which were exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The current labels draw their inspiration from the religious art of the Renaissance.

The Blasted Church name comes from how the movers took apart a church in 1929 when relocating it to Okanagan Falls from the abandoned mining town of Fairview. They loosened the nails in the heavy timbers with a small dynamite charge. The church still serves a congregation in Okanagan Falls. That story provided a narrative for many of the labels. The labels, in turn, have kept alive the conversations about the wines even as the Campbells exited the business. The current majority owner is Sean Morrison.

For proof that labels are effective, just ask Evan Saunders, the winemaker at Blasted Church. “The first wine I started drinking consistently at University of Victoria was Hatfield’s Fuse,” Evan says, referring to a popular Blasted Church white blend. “I walked into a wine store. The colours [on the label] were bright, and it caught my eye. It is a funny coincidence that I ended up here.” Born in Manitoba in 1984, Evan took a microbiology degree, originally to prepare for medicine until an interest in wine took over. In 2011, he went to Brock University for a diploma in grape and wine technology. He returned immediately to the Okanagan and spent three years at Osoyoos Larose before moving to Blasted Church in 2014.

Here are notes on the wines.

Blasted Church Viognier 2022 ($24 for 973 cases). The winemaking for this wine is quite involved: fruit from two Osoyoos vineyards as well as from the estate vineyard on the Skaha Bluff. A portion of the grapes had skin contact to increase the aromas and the mouth feel. A quarter of the wine was fermented in barrel; the rest was fermented in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of peach, pineapple and apricot. The flavours offer a medley of orchard fruits including apricot, mango, peach and green apple. 91.

Blasted Church Bible Thumper 2022 ($30 for 96 cases). This wine is in the Small Blessings Series. It is estate-grown Viognier but has been fermented in French oak barrels (50% new, 50% second-fill). It was aged eight months on the lees in barrel; and two more months in barrel after being racked from the lees. The wine begins with aromas of apricot and pineapple. The palate is rich, almost honeyed, with flavours of stone fruits. The finish is very long. 92.

Blasted Church Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon 2022 ($28 for 490 cases). This is 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon. If I interpret the specifications correctly, there were two sources of Sauvignon Blanc and one of Sémillon, all picked and fermented separately in neutral French oak barrels and aged on the lees for six months. The wines were all blended into stainless steel, where they rested for two months. The wine begins with aromas of lime mingled with herbs and sage. The palate delivers flavours of lemon and lime along with a hint of green apple. 90.

Blasted Church Merlot 2021 ($34 for 385 cases). The fruit came from the estate’s 30-year-old vines. There are several distinct blocks which are managed separately and fermented separately, to be blended in the cellar. Three to four weeks of maceration have given this wine depth of colour and flavour, all of it polished with 18 months of barrel-aging (30% new oak, 70% second-fill). The wine begins with aromas of cassis, blackberry and dark cherry, all of which is echoed on the palate, mingled with blueberry. 91.

Blasted Church Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 ($36 for 1,675 cases.) This is 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot. Fruit was sourced from vineyards in Osoyoos, Oliver and the estate; all was fermented separately with 18 to 28 days of skin contact. The individual wines were racked into French oak (30% new) for 12 months; then racked into stainless steel and blended; and returned to barrels for six more months. The wine begins with aromas of cassis and dark cherry. The palate delivers flavours of dark fruits mingled with chocolate, all wrapped around long, ripe tannins. 91.

Blasted Church Mourvedre Syrah Grenache 2021 ($40 for 300 cases). Another Small Blessings wine, this is 35% Mourvedre, 33% Syrah and 32% Grenache. The grapes were destemmed to tank, with the varieties co-fermented on the skins for 20 days. The wine was aged 16 months in puncheon and mostly neutral oak. The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits with a hint of pepper. On the palate, there are flavours of cherries, plums, figs and pepper. 92.

Blasted Church Nebbiolo 2021 ($40 for 25 cases). This wine is in the Small Blessings tier. The grapes are from a small block in the Mariposa Vineyard in the Similkameen. The heat-loving varietal is rare in British Columbia – but it seemed to have thrived in the 2021 heat dome. The grapes were destemmed into a clay amphora where they fermented and stayed on the skins for three months. The wine aged another 16 months in neutral oak. The wine begins with aromas of violets mingled with strawberry and leather. On the palate, it delivers flavours of cherry, pomegranate, red licorice and spice, with a persistent finish. 93.