Chaberton's Fraser Valley vineyard backstops wine production

Photo: Eugene Kwan

Chaberton Estate Winery’s 50-acre vineyard in Langley Township is the largest and oldest vineyard in the Fraser Valley. In previous vintages, Chaberton has also purchased significant tonnages of grapes from the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, enabling the winery to produce as much as 50,000 cases a year. In the 2024 vintage, severe winter damage reduced the crop from the interior practically to zero. “To help out our growers, we bought what little fruit they had, but it was minimal,” says Eugene Kwan, the winery’s co-owner. “We brought in approximately 150,000 liters of white juice from Washington State. We haven’t made a final decision on how that is going to be used.”

The Fort Langley vineyard came through with full crop of high-quality grapes. “In the Fraser Valley, we were fortunate to avoid the severe winter freeze that the vineyards in the Okanagan and Similkameen suffered,” Eugene says. It is a tribute to the late Claude Violet, who founded the winery and produced the first vintage of 3,000 cases in 1991. When Claude and Inge, his wife, decided to move from Europe in the 1980s, he did extensive research on possible vineyard locations before deciding on Langley Township and its moderate climate. The white varietals he planted are still be cultivated: Bacchus, Siegerrebe, Madeline Sylvaner, Madeline Angevine, Ortega and Reichensteiner, along with a more recent addition, Gamay Noir. The winery began buying red varietals from interior growers in Claude’s day. Langley Township lacks the heat units to mature the big reds – but also does not get the vine-killing winters that have hit the Okanagan in recent years.

Chaberton was acquired in 2004 by Eugene Kwan, a Vancouver lawyer, and his friend, Anthony Cheng, a Hong Kong businessman and wine connoisseur. They have grown what was already a successful winery, making it the major attraction for Fraser Valley wine touring. It also is noteworthy the wines are among the most reasonably-priced in the B.C. wine industry. Chaberton wines deliver great value for money. Here are notes on some current releases.

Chaberton Chaberton White 2023 ($15.95). This is astonishing value – a delicious and fruity wine. It is a blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe, Sovereign Opal, Madeleine Sylvaner, Riesling, Reichensteiner, Sauvignon Blanc, Ortega, Pinot Auxerrois, Viognier, Schönburger and Kerner. It is hard to pin down the aromas and the flavours but the wine is easy to drink. 89.

Chaberton Siegerrebe 2023 ($19.95 for 1,111 cases). This is an intensely aromatic wine turbo-charged with the addition of 15% Schönburger. A long, cool fermentation in stainless steel preserved the medley of orchard fruits that greet the nose and the palate. The grapes are from the estate vineyard in Langley. 90.

Chaberton Bacchus 2023 ($19.95). The grapes for this wine are from the estate vineyard in Langley. The wine begins with floral aromas and goes on to deliver exotic fruit flavours – lime, gooseberry and pineapple mingled with ripe peach. 90.

Chaberton Unoaked Chardonnay 2022 ($19.95). This wine was aged in stainless steel for about 18 months, including 5 ½ months on the lees. The wine is crisp and fresh with aromas and flavours of apple, pineapple and peach. 88.

Chaberton Gewürztraminer 2023 ($19.95 for 700 cases). This wine was made with Okanagan grapes. The winemaker gave the fruit a short skin contact to lock in aromas and intense flavours. The wine begins with the varietal’s classic notes of spice and lychee on the nose. The palate delivers these characters along with hints of orange peel. The wine is balanced to finish dry. 90.

Chaberton Chaberton Pink 2023 ($19.95 for 1,023 cases). This is a blend of 42% Zweigelt, 25%Gewürztraminer, 16%Pinot Blanc, 11%Pinot Noir and 6%Pinot Gris. This is a crisp and refreshing rosé with aromas and flavours of cherry and strawberry. 89.

Chaberton La Fleur de Chaberton 2023 ($24.95 for 580 cases). This premium rosé is a blend of 80% Cabernet Franc, 10% Gewürztraminer, 8% Petit Verdot and 2% Pinot Blanc. The grapes were pressed directly without prolonged skin contact. Seventeen percent of the juice was fermented and aged in new French oak for 2 months before being added to the rest of the wine in stainless steel tanks. The wine begins with aromas of grapefruit, and cantaloupe leading to flavours of pomegranate, red currant and strawberry. 88.

Chaberton Chaberton Red 2022 ($15.95). This is an easy-drinking red blend. Aromas of cherry and blueberry are echoed on the palate. 88.

Chaberton Merlot 2019 ($27.95 for 1,007 cases). This is a wine with good concentration, giving it a bold and brooding personality. The wine was aged 24 months in oak (33% new). The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits. On the palate, there are flavours of dark cherry, blueberry and fig, with spice on the long finish. 91.

Chaberton Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 ($27.95 for 675 cases). This is big, firm wine that should be decanted. It was aged 30 months in oak, mostly French and 80% new. The aromas of dark fruits, chocolate and even licorice are echoed on the palate. 91.

Chaberton Syrah 2021 ($33 for 267 cases). The wine was aged 25 months in a combination of French, Hungarian and American oak barrels. This is a big, rich wine which benefits from being decanted. It opens with aromas of cherry, plum and a touch of white pepper. The aromas are echoed on the palate. 91.

Chaberton Meritage 2019 ($29.95 for 686 cases). This is a blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot/Malbec. The wine delivers aromas and flavours of dark cherry, black currant, chocolate and spice. The long, ripe tannins give the wine a long and satisfying finish. 92

Maréchal Foch comes through for Quails' Gate

Photo: Label of the first Old Vines Foch wine

A year or two ago, I suggested to Quails’ Gate Estate Winery president Tony Stewart that he should consider replacing the Maréchal Foch in the winery’s Osoyoos vineyard with a vinifera red (like Cabernet Franc) which arguably produces better wine. In view of the damage suffered by Okanagan vineyards in the 2023 and 2024 winters, I am glad he did not take my advice. The winery farms about 400 acres of vineyard and usually harvests between 1,100 and 1,200 tons of grapes. In the 2024 vintage, those Okanagan vineyards produced just 75 tons of grapes. Maréchal Foch comprised 60 tons of that. That winter-hardy French hybrid varietal produced an almost normal crop while most of the vinifera were devastated by a succession of three increasingly colder winters.

Maréchal Foch was developed in France more than 100 years ago to thrive in cold climates. The vine was brought to Ontario and New York vineyards in the 1940s and made its way to the Okanagan (along with other hybrids) in the 1950s. The wine reviewed here is from a vineyard planted in 1978. Before the great vine pull-out after the 1988, hybrid varietals like Maréchal Foch, De Chaunac, Rougeon and Chancellor were the backbone of red wines from the Okanagan. Most of those varietals were replaced, beginning in the mid-1990s, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Consumers judged that the vinifera wines tasted better. While that may be generally true, the comparison was not fair. The hybrids suffered because they were just not cultivated to the same high standards as the vinifera were. Overcropping was routine with the hybrids; and overcropping is the enemy of good wine.

During the 1988 pull-out, the Stewart family, owners of Quails’ Gate, retained two blocks of Maréchal Foch. In 1994, they hired an Australian winemaker, Jeff Martin. He talked the winery into reducing the crop load in the estate vineyard’s Foch block, which was then 25 years old. The result was a concentrated red with tons of aroma and flavour. The wine was called Old Vines Foch and it has been a cult wine ever since. I have often wondered what a similar approach would have done with De Chaunac or the other red hybrids. I don’t think the resulting wines would have been iconic – but there could have been a vintage of quaffable BC reds from the 2024 vintage.

Quails’ Gate has begun replanting about half of its 400 acres. Varieties that did not survive the hard winters, like Gewürztraminer, are not being replanted. Others are being replanted in better locations, with emphasis of newer clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, flagship varietals at Quails’ Gate. A trial block of assorted hybrid varietals is being planted in Southeast Kelowna. Among other objectives, chief winemaker Jeff Del Nin is looking for a white varietal to stand in for Chasselas, one of three varietals in the winery’s hugely successful white blend, once a 22,000-case brand. Three hard winters in a row reduced production, with none being made in 2024.

Like many Okanagan wineries, Quails’ Gate imported grapes from California, Oregon and Washington. Jeff says he spent 51 days last year in American vineyards last year, coordinating harvests in order to keep his winemaking team busy and ensure there is 2024 wine in the market from Quails’ Gate. “We are currently bottling out 2024 Pinot Gris, from California,” he says. “As soon as we are done, we will switch to doing the rosé, also from California. We did a Chenin Blanc from Washington; Chardonnay and Pinot Gris from Oregon; and some really nice Pinot Noirs from Oregon. We are trying to keep our customers supplied.”

The longer-term strategy involves winter-proofing the vineyards. The measures include protecting some vines with geo-textile fabrics. The winery is also doing a trial with a European technology with strings of lights that shed enough heat to keep the buds from freezing. It works against spring frosts in French vineyards but it remains to be determined whether it will work in a colder Okanagan winter. And given how resilient Maréchal Foch has shown itself, winter-hardy hybrids are getting a second look. “If they had been growing the hybrids with as much care and attention to quality as we currently give to vinifera, we probably would still have a lot more hybrids around,” Jeff says. “The problem was that the vines were overcropped. Growers did not know as much about growing grapes as we do now.” The latest releases from Quails’ Gate, all from the spectacular 2022 vintage, include an excellent Old Vines Foch.

Quails’ Gate Estate Chardonnay 2022 ($26.99). The fruit was whole-cluster pressed and the juice was fermented in stainless steel and neutral oak barrels. The wine was aged on the lees for nine months. It begins with aromas of apple, orange peel and apricot, leading to flavours of pear, apple and citrus. 91.

Quails’ Gate Estate Pinot Noir 2022 ($34.99). The wine was fermented on the skins for 10 to 14 days and then aged 10 months in French oak barrels (both new and used). The wine begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. These are echoed on the palate minged with a hint of chocolate. The texture is silky and the finish is long. 91.

Quails’ Gate Estate Merlot 2022 ($34.99). The grapes, which were from the winery’s West Kelowna vineyard, were fermented on the skins for 14 days. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak. The wine has aromas of black cherry, blueberry and blackberry, echoed on the full-bodied palate. 91.

Quails’ Gate Estate Foch 2022 ($28.99). The fruit for this wine is from the winery’s Osoyoos vineyard where Maréchal Foch grapes have been growing since 1978. The wine was fermented on the skins for 10 days and then was aged in French oak (20% new). The wine begins with earthy aromas of plum and fig. The palate is full, with flavours of dark fruits and wild game meats. 90.

Meyer's red wine inventory is abundant

Photo: Mayhem winemaker Ajay Chavan (photo courtesy Mayhem Wines)

Fans of Meyer Family Vineyards will be pleased to learn that this Okanagan Falls winery has a good inventory of Pinot Noir to help bridge the production shortfall caused by the 2024 winter freeze. “We have plenty of BC reds in our portfolio, including our 2021 and 2022 Cabernet Merlot plus the Anarchy Merlot 2022,” writes Angela Grant, a sales representative for both Meyer and Mayhem, a sister winery. These, she adds, “will carry us through this year [2024] and next.”

However, the inventory of white wines is not so deep. Last fall, Meyer sourced both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Rosé in Washington State. Angela continues: “Mayhem welcomed some white wine and a small amount of Merlot for rosé from a reputable winery in Washington. Our winemaker, Ajay Chavan, was excited about this opportunity and confident of producing the bright, lively and aromatic wines that Mayhem is renowned for. This was a temporary solution for us to supplement some white wines in our portfolio for the next season. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our BC growers again next vintage.” In the spring, Mayhem plans to release Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, rosé and cans of sparkling wine, all made from Washington grapes.

Here are notes on current releases from these two wineries.

Meyer Gewürztraminer 2023 ($19.22). This is a straight-forward take on a varietal that has fallen out of favour from its glory days in the 1990s. This wine has classic aromas and flavours of spice, orange blossom and citrus. The dry finish makes it well-suited as a wine with food. 88.

Meyer Okanagan Valley Chardonnay 2023 ($21.83 f0r 350 cases). The fruit for this wine was sourced from the estate vineyard as well as from a Naramata vineyard and the Anarchist Mountain vineyard. It was fermented 50% in older French oak barrels and 50% in stainless steel. The aromas of apple and citrus are echoed on the fruit-forward palate. The wine’s lightly golden hue presents well in the glass. 89.

Meyer Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2023 ($25.30 for 1,822 cases). This wine, which was aged six months in seasoned French oak barrels and puncheons, is excellent value. It is rich in texture, with aromas and toasty flavours of cherry mingled with chocolate. 90

Meyer Pinot Noir 2023 “B” Field Blend ($31.39). This wine, which was aged in oak for 11 months, has aromas of cherry leading to flavours of cherry mingled with mocha notes. The texture is silky and full. An appealing wine. 92.

Mayhem Anarchy Merlot 2022 ($45 for 295 cases). This is an excellent Merlot from a great vintage. The wine begins with aromas of cassis, spice and black cherry. The palate is rich with flavours of plum, black cherry and spice. The finish is long. 92.

Painted Rock definitely was not sold

Photo: Painted Rock founder John Skinner

Several times last year, I heard the rumour that Painted Rock Estate Winery had been added to Anthony von Mandl’s stable of top-rated wineries. I never believed the rumour, although I am sure that von Mandl would jump at the chance if it ever came his way. But Painted Rock is still owned by the founder, John Skinner, and his family, with John’s daughter, Lauren, as marketing manager.

John was a successful investment dealer in Vancouver when he set out to develop a winery in the Okanagan. Painted Rock opened in 2007. I interviewed John a number of times when he was planning the winery. It was clear to me that it was going to be a legacy project, not something he wanted to flip. Here is an excerpt from the 2009 edition of my book, The Wineries of British Columbia.

John was approaching 50 and ready for a change from a stockbroker’s career when he took the plunge into wine. He was born in 1958 on a Manitoba military base, the son of a Canadian Forces fighter pilot. “I moved 20 times by the time I was 20,” he says. Trish, his wife and his only partner in the winery, had an oil driller for a stepfather and thus also a peripatetic adolescence. Perhaps because of that, the Skinners settled down in West Vancouver. “But I think travel was very good for me,” John says. “It either puts you in your shell or takes you out. I had new friends on a regular basis.”

He became a broker when he left university before graduation. He had been financing his studies by working in a sawmill until he saw how much more prosperous several of his friends had become as investment advisors. John promptly began a long and successful career in mining finance in Vancouver. And as part of a broker’s lifestyle, he began acquiring a taste for, and interest in, good wines. The sharp quality jump in Okanagan wines that became apparent in the late 1990s led him to develop a winery of his own from the ground up. “There is not a lot of difference between distributing new issues of your latest vintages and distributing new issues of an underwriting,” he figured.

He decided from the start not to cut corners. He hired consultants, including viticulturist Valerie Tait and Bordeaux ace Alain Sutre, to advise him. As the property was being shaped into ideal grape-growing exposure, vines - typically two clones of each variety - were ordered from France. About a quarter of the 10.5 hectares (26 acres) is planted to Syrah. Most of the remainder, except for a small Chardonnay block, is planted to Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, with modest blocks of Malbec and Petit Verdot. John calls the latter two varieties the “spice” for use in Painted Rock’s big red blend. [Syrah was planted later.]

Without a winery or a winemaker yet in 2007, John had Painted Rock’s first vintage, 105 barrels of red wine, made at Poplar Grove by that winery’s founder and winemaker extraordinaire, Ian Sutherland. “I know and trust Ian,” John says. “I needed ‘a safe place’ to make sure it was done right.” To ensure a differentiated style for the Painted Rock wines, John introduced some California-inspired winemaking techniques under the direction of Painted Rock’s own consultant. John firmly resisted suggestions that he should make the wines. “I am not going to be the winemaker,” he says. “I am an eager student but I really am intent on bringing in somebody who knows what they are doing.”

Eighteen years later, Painted Rock is one of the Okanagan’s most respected wineries. Many of the wines are snapped up by Painted Rock’s 2,000-member wine club (there is a waiting list to join). The winery also has six distributors in Europe. “I want to be a winery in this wine region that is internationally recognized,” Lauren Skinner says. Painted Rock’s wines are available in London, in Germany and in France.

I did a limited review of current Painted Rock wines several months ago. I have now had the opportunity to taste all the current releases. Here are my notes.

Painted Rock Chardonnay 2023 ($44.99; sold out). This attractive Chardonnay has aromas and flavours of citrus, apples and stone fruits with a well-integrated hint of spicy oak on the finish. To quote the winery: “It was respectfully oaked, with 80% aged for 6 months in oak, 55% of new and 45% old. The remaining 20% was aged in stainless steel. 30% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation.” 92.

Painted Rock Rosé 2023 ($32.99; sold out). The blend is 51% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 11% Malbec. This is a delicious wine with aromas and flavours of strawberry and cherry. 91.

Painted Rock Malbec 2022 ($59.99). This is a wine club member exclusive. There is just a 1.15-acre block of Malbec in the Painted Rock vineyard, with most of the fruit destined for the Red Icon blend. A little has been spared in recent vintages for wine club members. The wine, which is aged 18 months in French oak barrels, displays the classic slightly perfumed aromas of the varietal, setting off aromas and flavours of dark fruits. 92.

Painted Rock Merlot 2021 ($49.99). The winery has four blocks of Merlot grapes. These are harvested individually; broken into small batches, cold soaked on the skins for four days and fermented in tank an additional 21 days on the skins with twice daily pump-overs. The winery succeeded in extracting abundant flavours and aromas. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). The wine begins with aromas of blueberry and dark cherry leading to flavours of plum and cherry mingled with notes of cocoa and spice. 92.

Painted Rock Cabernet Franc 2022 ($54.99). This excellent wine elevates Cabernet Franc’s under-appreciated image. The varietal is definitely not second fiddle to Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine begins with aromas of blackberry, black currant and spice. The palate is rich and ripe with flavours of dark cherry, plum and chocolate. 94.

Painted Rock Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($49.99). This is a wine club member exclusive, a pairing of varietals that go together so readily. The wine begins with aromas dark cherry, black currant and spice, with a hint of white pepper. This is all echoed on the savoury palate, along with a hint of black licorice and pepper. 92.

Painted Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 ($59.99). The winery has a 2.15-acre block of this varietal, one of the building blocks of Red Icon. Happily, a modest volume is released on its own. This is a richly-textured wine with aromas and flavours of cassis and dark fruits, mingled with mocha on the finish. The ripe tannins give this a long finish. 93.

Painted Rock Syrah 2022 ($49.99). The winery has two Syrah blocks, each planted to a single clone. This insures complexity in the final blend. This elegant wine is aged 18 months in oak, usually 80% French oak and 20% American oak. The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and pepper. The wine is rich on the palate with flavours of fig and dark cherry mingled with a hint of white pepper. 92.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2021 ($79.99). The blend is 41% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 8% Petit Verdot. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). The wine begins with a cornucopia of aromas: cherry, blueberry, cassis, hint of chocolate and spice. The concentrated texture delivers flavours of dark fruits. There is a persistent and polished finish. 96.