Mt. Boucherie plants Mondeuse and Trousseau vines

Photo: Winemaker Jeff Hundertmark

The current releases from Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery include an addition to the portfolio: White Summit, a partner to the winery’s flagship red blend. “Finally, after years of pleading from our wine club, we have created a white companion for our flagship Summit,” writes Jeff Hundertmark, Mt. Boucherie’s general manager and director of winemaking. “A barrel selection mimicking the process for Summit … It is a white Meritage of sorts with a twist.” That refers to the Chardonnay in the blend.

It will be interesting to see what Jeff and his team do for an encore. The backbone of the 2023 White Summit is Sémillon from the winery’s Lost Horn Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. Unfortunately, the devastating freeze of January 2024 hit the Similkameen especially hard. The Sémillon did not survive. “Harvest is going well,” Jeff told me in a recent email. “The vineyards have definitely fought back. The picture I attached is a Zweigelt cluster from our home vineyard to show how much mother nature heals herself. Overall, we lost about 40 % of our vineyards, but have replanted and the vines are doing well. I think in three to four years, we will be producing some really interesting wines from Albariño, Trousseau, Mondeuse, Sangiovese, to name a few of the varieties we pivoted with.”

Trousseau (one of its alternate names is Bastardo) is described in the Jancis Robinson book, Wine Grapes, as a “demanding variety making powerful, age-worthy wines.” It a varietal identified with Jura in eastern France but is also common in Portugal. To my knowledge, this will be the first planting of Trousseau in the Okanagan.

The Robinson book says: “Mondeuse Noir is an old variety from the Dauphiné, a former province in eastern France … .” The variety “produces wines that are aromatic, tannic and deeply coloured, with good aging potential, and, in the best sites, an Italianate bitter cherry bite.” There are a few producers of Mondeuse in California and Australia. Again, this is probably the first planting in British Columbia.

Both Albariño and Sangiovese have been grown in the Okanagan for some time. The former produces interesting white wines. One could still argue that Sangiovese does not travel well from its native Italian terroir but I look forward to what Jeff does with it and the other new varietals. Here are notes on current releases from Mt. Boucherie.

Mt. Boucherie Blaufränkisch 2023 ($27.99). The winery describes this wine as “a rare and unique medium-bodied wine that showcases notes of wild blueberries, sour cherries, and baking spices.” I cannot argue with that. I also found aromas and bright flavours of blueberries and sour cherries. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Malbec 2022 ($44.99). The fruit is from the winery’s Similkameen vineyard. The wine was aged 14 months in American and French oak (15% new). This is a richly-textured wine with aromas of blackberry leading the flavors of blackberry mingled with oak. 92.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Syrah 2022 ($44.99). The fruit for this wine is plantings Mt. Boucherie had in the Similkameen, on the Golden Mile and in Okanagan Falls. Sadly, not all of these vines survived the devastating freezes of 2023 and 2024. However, 2022 was a great vintage and this is a great Syrah. It begins with aromas dark cherry and pepper. On the palate, the dark fruit flavours are rich and the finish is long. 93.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Petit Verdot 2022 ($44.99). This dark, mineral-driven Bordeaux varietal is seldom made on its own because it is so useful as a backbone in Bordeaux blends. The fruit for this wine came from an Osoyoos vineyard. The wine was aged 18 months in oak (20% new). The wine has aromas and flavours of dark fruits mingled with spice and tobacco. The long wood aging has mellowed the firm tannins. 93.

Mt. Boucherie White Summit 2023 ($55). This wine is a blend of 60% Sémillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc and 17% Chardonnay. It was aged 15 months in barrel: 50% new French oak, 10% new Acacia wood and 40% in neutral oak. This is a sophisticated white with aromas of lime, apple and new-mown hay. The dry palate delivers citrus flavours mingled with spice and oak. 93.

Mt. Boucherie Summit 2020 ($66). This is a blend of 45% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah and 2% Malbec. The varietals were fermented separately for 14 months, mostly in French oak, both new and seasoned. The wine was aged four years in French oak (20% new.) All that time in oak has polished the long, ripe tannins and added notes of spice to the wine. It is a full-bodied wine with aromas and flavours of black cherry and black currant. There is a hint of chocolate on the persistent finish. The wine benefits from being decanted. 93.