Lunessence wines continue to hit the right notes

Photo: Michal Mosny, the maestro at Lunessence

Michal Mosny, the general manager and winemaker at Lunessence Winery & Vineyard in Summerland, plays classical music in the vineyard, in the cellars and in the tasting room. The vines are treated to Bach and Mozart. The red wines get Puccini operas while the whites get Verdi operas.

Michal, who was born in Slovakia in 1982, lives and breathes classical music. “In Slovakia, I had a small garage winery next to a village where Beethoven used to go,” Michal says. “He wrote Für Elise there.”

In 2011, Michal and his wife, Martina, emigrated to the Okanagan. He set up a vineyard management company; that led to him being recruited in 2014 to manage Lunessence and its six-and-a-half-acre vineyard. The property formerly was the Sonoran Estate Winery until it was purchased and rebranded by Zhizhong Si, a China-born environmental consultant who was educated in Canada. He is now based in Vancouver.

Since 2014, the tasting room has been renovated and a new production facility has been built elsewhere on the property. And, of course, speakers have been deployed in some parts of the vineyard.

“There are a lot of studies about how music impacts the plants,” Michal says. “I did a lot of research about it. I think there is something. I can see something in the wines, that they have a different integrity. I think they are happier. With classical music, every single instrument produces some emotions.”

He continues: “When we ferment white wines, usually it is opera we are listening to, to bring some stories into the wines. White wines are usually fermented to Giuseppe Verdi. When the reds come into the cellar, we switch to Puccini. It is fun when you are listening to Puccini and there is some tragedy and you are doing punch downs …”

Michal will concede that it is difficult to prove that wine benefits from good music. But there is no harm in it. Besides, he loves classical music. Those who share his taste will agree that the Lunessence tasting room is one of the most listenable in the Okanagan.

Previous vintages at Lunessence have been excellent. However, the recent releases are even more in harmony than before.

Here are notes on current Lunessence wines. Winemaker’s Cut refers two special selections from the vineyards – or as Michal says, “a moment in time captured.”

Lunessence Muscat 2016 ($20 for 88 cases). The lovely wine begins with aromas of rose petals and spice, leading to flavours of peach, mandarin orange and spice. A touch of residual sweetness accents both the aromas and the flavours. 91.

Lunessence Sauvignon Blanc Muscat 2016 ($22 for 660 cases). This blend also includes small amounts of Viognier, Chardonnay and Sémillon. The wine has aromas of apricots. On the palate, there are flavours of apricot, citrus, ripe apple and pink grapefruit. The body is light but the texture is juicy and refreshing. 90.

Lunessence Sauvignon Blanc Winemaker’s Cut 2016 ($24 for 270 cases). The wine begins with aromas of herbs and citrus. On the palate, there are flavours of citrus supported by subtle oak notes (20% of this wine was aged five months in Slavonian oak). The finish is dry. 89.

Lunessence Pinot Blanc Oraniensteiner 2016 ($22 for 270 cases). The wine begins with aromas of melon and green apple, which are echoes in the flavours. A touch of residual, nicely balanced with acidity, give wine a rich texture. The spine of minerality creates the impression of a dry, spicy finish. 90.

Lunessence Quartet 2016 ($18 for 550 cases). This is a blend of Viognier, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Orange Muscat. The wine was fermented in stainless steel, partially with wild yeast, and had some time on lees. Consequently, a delicate bready note mingles with the fruit aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of ripe pineapple. A hint of residual sweetness gives the wine a rich finish. 91.

Lunessence Blanc De Noirs 2016 ($20 for 270 cases). This fashionably pale rosé is 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Pinot Noir. It was fermented with natural yeast and was aged four months on the lees and another four months in stainless steel before bottling. The wine begins with delicate strawberry aromas. The texture is fuller than the colour suggests, with appealing flavours of strawberry and raspberry. The finish is dry and crisp. 90.

Lunessence Duet 2016 ($20 for 400 cases). This fruit-forward red is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Syrah. It was fermented 80% in stainless steel and 20% in American oak. The wine has aromas of red berries with a hint of cedar. On the palate, there are flavours of cherry with a touch of black pepper. The soft ripe tannins give this wine a juicy and approachable texture. 90.

Lunessence Essence 2015 Special Late Harvest ($26 for 173 cases of 375 ml bottles). This is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Oraniensteiner and Gewürztraminer. The aromas and flavours are ripe and exotic – hints of honey and orange marmalade with a spicy accept. The texture is fleshy. The lingering finish is sweet and well-balanced. 91.

Lunessence Merlot 2015 ($30 for 330 cases). A bold, dark wine with 15% alcohol – reflecting a warm vintage – this begins with powerful aromas of black cherry, plum, cassis and vanilla. It is a powerful wine with concentrated flavours of black cherry mingled with dark chocolate, vanilla and leather. It is a wine that will command the table. 92.

Lunessence Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 ($30 for 330 cases). This dark wine begins with aromas of cassis, leather and vanilla. The palate is rich with flavours of dark fruit mingled with vanilla. The long ripe tannins contribute to a generous texture, but with the structure to age well and develop further complexity. 91.

Lunessence Winemaker’s Cut Syrah 2015 ($32 for 150 cases). The heavy bottle announces a bold Syrah, a wine that begins with intense aromas of fig, plum, black cherry and vanilla. The flavours follow through with dark fruit, leather and pepper. This is an example of why the Okanagan is getting a reputation for powerful Syrahs. 92.

Lunessence Crescendo MMXV 2015 ($30 for 550 cases.) This is the winery’s initial Bordeaux red – a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The wine was aged six months in French and Slavonian oak and six months in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas 0f cherry, red currant, vanilla and mocha. On the palate, there are layers of flavour beginning with black currant, black cherry and blackberry. The texture is rich. The finish has notes of spicy red and black fruits mingled with hints of cedar. 91.

Class of 2017: Forgotten Hill Wine Co.

 Photo: Wine growers Maya and Benoit Gauthier

Forgotten Hill Wine Co.

3960 Cottonwood Lane

Naramata, BC

Tel: 1-250-496-5600

At 2,100 feet above sea level, Forgotten Hill proprietors Maya and Benoit Gauthier have the highest-elevation winery vineyard in the Okanagan.

This Naramata Bench winery, which has just opened its by-appointment tasting room, grows primarily Pinot Gris, with a few rows of Pinot Noir, in a four-acre vineyard. The vines are above the Kettle Valley Railroad right of way, now a popular hiking and biking trail.

The tasting room is adjacent to an elegant bed and breakfast destination, also called Forgotten Hill, which opened five years ago. The view from the B&B is nothing short of breathtaking, encompassing vineyards and wineries along Okanagan Lake from Naramata to Penticton.

It was that view that led Maya’s parents, Denys and Cherry Bouton, to buy this property in 2004.

“There was no name to this hill,” Maya says. “That is why we call it Forgotten Hill. When we first moved here, there was nothing – no power, no water. Nobody knew that this land was available. Everybody thought it was just crown land up in the woods. No, it was land that had been owned by a logging company for 90 years.”

Maya continues the story: “My parents wanted to have family land. Both sides of the family had vineyards and land but over time, everything was lost. My dad is French, from Paris, and my mom is from India. My Mom’s family lost everything in Partition and Dad’s family lost stuff during the war. They both had this dream of having a piece of land for the family. Once we started coming here, we all fell in love with it.”

Maya grew up in North Vancouver and went to Simon Fraser University to earn a degree in English literature and communications. She thought about continuing on to a master’s degree. However, when the decision was made to plant a vineyard in 2008, she enrolled in the viticulture and winemaking program at Okanagan College.

“I spent a year doing viticulture,” she says. “Driving a tractor was too much fun.”

She met Benoit at Okanagan College, where he was also studying winemaking and viticulture after catching the wine bug in California. He was born in 1980 in Rouyn Noranda in Québec. He took a degree in chemistry in a co-operative program at the University of Sherbrooke.

“Every second semester, I had a work placement in industry,” he says. That included experience at a pharmaceutical company and a paint company. One assignment with the federal government in Ottawa had him determining the age of legal documents by analyzing solvents in the ink.

“At the end of my bachelor, I did not see myself going into chemistry, either for a master’s or for a living,” Benoit says. “It was just too specialized and too narrow. I love nature and I love to work with my hands; and I love science. And I love wine, beer and good food. So I just decided to take a pause and go travelling a little bit.”

He spent a month with a friend in San Francisco. “I visited Napa and Sonoma, drank some really good wines and visited some vineyards,” he remembers. “I thought that maybe winemaking would be suitable for me.”

Returning to Canada, he considered Brock University but settled on the practical training at Okanagan College.

“All the teachers are winemakers and viticulturists,” Benoit says. “I thought it was a good way to learn the hands-on experience right away. With my bachelor of chemistry, I also looked at a master in winemaking. Sitting at a desk, you learn good things, but winemaking is really hands on.”

He then spent two years at Wild Goose Vineyards, mentoring with Hagen Kruger, the winemaker and co-proprietor there. Maya, meanwhile, spent two years at Township 7 Vineyards, working with winemaker Brad Cooper.

When Benoit and Maya married in 2009, they spent their honeymoon at a large winery in New Zealand’s Marlborough region, working a vintage.  Returning to Canada, he spent a year at Pentâge Winery and then took a year off to help build the Forgotten Hill bed and breakfast house. Maya worked in winery tasting rooms until the demands of raising two young daughters and managing the B&B took all her time.

When the house building project was concluded, Benoit resumed his winemaking career, joining Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery in 2011. Since 2014, he has been fulltime winemaker there.

Photo: The view from Forgotten Hill

He and Maya acknowledge that it was controversial to plant their high-elevation vineyard. “Nine years ago, when we were looking to plant our vineyard, there was no information,” Maya says. “You can get charts for the whole valley – temperature, soil, all the information you could want for planting. Everything stopped right at the KVR and there was nothing beyond it. We started calling this ‘forgotten hill’ at that point.”

So they established their own weather station to gather the necessary data. “When we took our own measurements over a few years, we were confident the growing conditions would not be that much different from the vineyards just below us,” Maya says. “We have a big rock face just behind the vineyard that reflects the heat.”

“And the slope is perfect, too,” Benoit says. “It is a gentle slope facing south/southwest.  There is really good air drainage.” In winter, an insulating layer of snow usually remains on the vineyard while vineyards lower on the hillside are often bare.

While the vineyard is planted almost entirely to Pinot Gris, a small block of Pinot Noir was planted as an “experiment,” Benoit says. It proved to be a suitable choice and, with as much as 10 more plantable acres, more Pinot Noir vines will be planted next year. He also purchases varieties such as Merlot and Syrah which would not flourish at this elevation.

Maya and Benoit sold grapes in 2013 but, to assess quality of the fruit, made wine for person consumption in 2012 and 2014. The results led to the production of commercial quantities in 2015 under another winery’s license while getting Forgotten Hill licensed last year.

“In 2016, I think we produced 560 cases,” Benoit says. “This coming vintage, we need to produce about 660 cases. And probably step it up to 750 or 800 cases the year after. We will take it slow and easy to establish ourselves. We are pretty busy.”

Indeed. He is also working the vineyard and making wine at Noble Ridge. Jim and Leslie D’Andrea, owners of Noble Ridge, are rare among winery owners who allow their winemakers to pursue sideline projects.

“This is kind of my weekend project,” Benoit laughs. “Noble Ridge is my fulltime gig. This allows me to experiment with different winemaking methods, different styles. I am doing Syrah here, so it kind of extends my winemaking skills. Who knows, maybe in 10 years? For the time being, I am happy to make small lots and serve them to our guests.”

Here are notes on current releases which, except for the Pinot Noir, can be found in  VQA marketing channels.

Forgotten Hill Pinot Gris 2015 ($19.04 for 185 cases). This wine reflects a warm vintage. It is rich in texture with flavours of ripe pear and almond and with a hint of spice and minerality on the finish. 90.

Forgotten Hill Pinot Gris 2016 ($19.04 for 108 cases). Benoit split the juice into three lots, using a different yeast with each one to achieve complexity. The wine begins with floral and citrus aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of citrus, apples and pears. The bright acidity gives a refreshing lift to both the aromas and the flavours. 91.

Forgotten Hill Rosé ($19.04 for 135 cases). The blend is 81% Merlot, 19% Pinot Noir. The wine has strawberry aromas and flavours with a dry, savoury and herbal finish. 89.

Forgotten Hill Pinot Noir 2015 ($30.35 for 25 cases). The wine begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. Intense flavours of cherry and vanilla explode on the palate. The wine has a silky and juicy texture with a long lingering finish. The varietal definition shows that this high-elevation vineyard is excellent Pinot Noir terroir. 92.

Mirabel and Painted Rock have upscale rosé wines

Photo: Mirabel owner Doug Reimer

It speaks to the surging popularity of rosé wines that both Mirabel Vineyards and Painted Rock Estate Winery have released “premium-priced” rosé wines.

Most B.C. rosés are priced in the $15 to $20 a bottle range. The imported pink wines in the B.C. Liquor Stores, while mostly also under $20, include a selection of Provence rosé wines between $20 and $30, suggesting that a market has developed for premium rosé.

Mirabel Vineyards is the new Kelowna producer owned Doug and Dawn Reimer. They released a very fine Pinot Noir last fall at $70 a bottle. Now they have released a Mirabel Rosé of Pinot Noir 2016, priced $30.

The smart packaging resembles the Miravel 2016 Provence rosé listed this year at $28.99 in the B.C. Liquor Stores. The name and the bottle shape no doubt are coincidental.

Painted Rock is the winery established by John Skinner and his family on a vineyard near the Skaha climbing bluffs south of Penticton. All the wines here are priced between $35 and $55 – except for the rosé, which is $21.69 plus tax. This is the winery’s fourth rosé vintage.

Both of these wines are made in the saignée method. That is a French term meaning “bleed” that is one of the common ways to make a rosé. It means that red grapes are crushed and the juice receives the required skin contact to achieve a rosé colour. Then a portion of the juice – typically no more than 15% by volume – is bled from the tank. It is fermented much like a white wine.

The remaining varietal juice remains on the skins for the longer period required for red wine. With the higher ratio of skins to juice, the red wine benefits by having more concentrated flavours and textures.

And the rosé does not suffer, as these wines illustrate.

Here are notes on the two rosé wines, as well as a note on Painted Rock’s 2016 Chardonnay, also just released.

Mirabel Rosé of Pinot Noir 2016 ($30 for 100 cases). This wine was fermented cool in stainless steel and spent six months on the lees, gaining texture. Packaged in a clear squat bottle with a glass stopper, the wine has immediate eye appeal. The light salmon pink hue mirrors many fine Provence rosés. The aromas of strawberry and raspberry and the fruit flavours pack more punch than the colour leads one to expect. There are flavours of strawberry with a hint of McIntosh apple. The crisp, dry finish is refreshing. 91.

Painted Rock Estate Rosé 2016 ($21.69 plus tax for 510 cases). Every red varietal in the winery was bled for this. The blend is 29% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 20% Syrah, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec and 8% Petit Verdot. The vibrant hue is a bit darker than the Provence style; more like a Tavel rosé. The aromas of strawberry and red currant just bound from the glass, leading to bold and herbaceous flavours of strawberry, cranberry, cherry and red currant. The wine is dry. 91.

Painted Rock Estate Chardonnay 2016 ($30.49 plus tax for 488 cases). To build complexity into this wine, there were three different harvests over three weeks of the Chardonnay block to capture specific characters of flavour and ripeness. Eighty percent of the wine was aged six months in French oak (55% new); the remainder was aged in stainless steel. Sixty percent of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. The object of this complex winemaking was to preserve aromatics, fruit and acidity while framing it very subtly with oak. The wine begins with citrus aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of apple, melon and stone fruit. This is an excellent wine but I wonder if it has not been released a bit too soon. There is a lot of potential yet to emerge with, say, six more months of bottle aging. 90 +.

Seven Directions 2016 rosés: pale but tasty

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Photo: Winemaker Daniel Bontorin

Pale rosé wines have become highly fashionable.

It seems that many producers in British Columbia have decided to take a cue from the rosés of Provence. One of these producers is Daniel Bontorin, winemaker and co-proprietor of Seven Directions Wine.

Daniel is also the winemaker for Volcanic Hills Estate Winery in West Kelowna. However, Seven Directions is his own label. Under that label, he producers just rosés.

Daniel’s rosé-making pedigree goes back to the 2005 vintage when he made Vaïla, the outstanding rosé still produced at Le Vieux Pin. That wine, along with rosé from JoieFarm Winery, almost certainly started the renewed interest in a wine style made now by the majority of wineries.

Vaïla is a Pinot Noir rosé. Daniel made three vintages at Le Vieux Pin before moving on to consulting. Subsequent winemakers at LVP have continued to make it in the same vibrant and juicy style of the original.

One of the first wines Daniel made at Volcanic Hills in 2010 was a Gamay Noir Rosé. It went on to win a Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence.

So I would never doubt his rosé-making chops. But I wish he had not quite succumbed to the Provence fashion. I prefer more colour in rosé, even if that puts me at odds with a lot of sommeliers and more than a few other wine writers. I like my pink wines to put on a bit of a show in the glass.

Happily, pale does not mean flavourless. Once I get to taste these wines, I can deal with my bias while I wait for the world to return to equilibrium on the appearance of  rosé.

Here are notes of two of Daniel’s recent releases.

Seven Directions Pinot Noir Rosé 2016 Tractor & Vines Vineyard ($22.90 for 205 cases).  The grapes for this wine are from a Summerland vineyard. The winery describes this as having a “pale grapefruit hue” and cautions the consumer should not be fooled. There is lots going on in the nose and the palate. The wine begins with aromas of strawberry and raspberry. There are red berry flavours with a hint of fruit sweetness and a juicy texture. 91.

Seven Directions Cabernet Franc Rosé 2016 Fruitvale Ridge Vineyard ($16.90 for 300 cases). The grapes for this wine are from eight-year-old vines in an Osoyoos vineyard. The winery describes the colour as “pale coral.” The aromas of the delicate wine suggest strawberry, raspberry and tangerine which are echoed in the flavours. The flavours are surprising robust for such a delicate wine. The finish is dry. 90.

Black Hills releases Nota Bene 2015

Nota Bene, the flagship red made by Black Hills Estate Winery since the 1999 debut vintage, has been anchored most years by Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nota Bene 2015, which is just being released, is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon – the second highest percentage since the 57% in the 2010 vintage.

The juxtaposition of those two vintages is fascinating. The 2010 vintage began with a cool and late spring, leading to a long, but cool, summer. The winery had to remove leaves to give the fruit more sun exposure; as well, there was some reduction in the crop to assure ripeness. Then a long autumn allowed for extended hang time, assuring ripe fruit at harvest.

The 2015 vintage “experienced record-breaking weather,” according to Black Hills viticulturist Steve Carberry. Spring was usually early; June was the driest on record, followed by a warm summer and, with the exception of a cool period in September, a long warm fall. The grapes for the 2015 Nota Bene were picked between September 16 (likely the Merlot) and October 22.

The 2010 Nota Bene had 14% alcohol while the 2015 has 14.8%. In fact, the 2011 Nota Bene, with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, has 14% alcohol. The 2011 vintage was notoriously cool.

That data tells me that the key to producing a high quality Nota Bene in both tough vintages and big ripe ones is very disciplined grape growing. The wine is one of the most collectible reds from the Okanagan.

Here is an excerpt from my new book, Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s best Wineries. The book also has the specifications and tasting notes for all the preceding vintages of Nota Bene.

Nota bene suggests that a person should “take notice”. That is exactly what happened with the very first vintage of Nota Bene in 1999. The acclaim from critics and consumers gave it a cult status that the wine has enjoyed ever since.

The founders of Black Hills were two couples who had left city jobs in 1996 to plant 36,000 vines, mostly Bordeaux red varieties, in a vineyard on Black Sage Road. Senka Tennant, one of the quartet, was tasked with making the wine. She made the first three vintages of Nota Bene with advice from Rusty Figgins, a Washington state winemaker who had made numerous Bordeaux-style blends at prestigious Leonetti Cellars.

There was a jarring disconnect between Nota Bene’s image and the original winery. The production facility was a homely Quonset hut more appropriate for tractor storage than winemaking. The tasting room, when open, was a plank across two upended barrels. However, the success of Nota Bene enabled the partners to build a new and well-equipped winery in 2006.

To allow one of the founding couples to retire, Black Hills was sold in late 2007 to a group of investors called Vinequest Wine Partners Limited Partnership. Many of the investors were Nota Bene collectors who now had an even more compelling reason to buy the wine. Senka Tennant’s final Nota Bene was the 2007 vintage, and she has been succeeded in the cellar by Graham Pierce.

Vinequest has since expanded Black Hills with the purchase of a neighbouring vineyard in 2011 on which, in the following year, a $1 million wine shop was built. The winery at last had a tasting room commensurate with Nota Bene’s prestige.

Black Hills has the ability to produce more than 5,500 cases from its two vineyards. The volume of Nota Bene, however, is capped at 3,500 to 4,000 cases. The wine’s quality is consistent; it is always made with three estate-grown Bordeaux varieties. It was aged in oak for a year until 2014, when the winery extended barrel-aging to 16 months. The current oak regime is 80% French, 20% American; one-third of the barrels are new, one-third are a year old, and the remaining third are two years old. The red wines remaining after each Nota Bene blend is assembled go into a solid second label called Cellar Hand.

Here is a note on the new release:

Black Hills Nota Bene 2015 ($59.90 plus tax). The blend is 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc and the wine was aged 16 months in barrel (90% French, 10% American and a third new). The richly dark colour and the generous 14.8% alcohol reflects a vintage that was among the warmest ever in the Okanagan. The wine begins with an enticing aroma of cassis and vanilla with hints of cherry and chocolate. The ripe flavours echo the cherry and cassis mingled with cedar, earthy minerality, leather and tobacco. The ripe tannins are firm but the texture is rich and elegantly polished. The wine is already approachable but will improve even more with time in the cellar – for at least to 2025. 94.

Blasted Church announces new winemaker

Blasted Church has just announced a change of winemakers.

That is not unusual for this Okanagan Falls winery. By my count, the winery has had seven winemakers since 2002.

The list starts with Frank Supernak, who died in November 2002 in an accident at another winery. The successors have been Marcus Ansems, Kelly Moss, Richard Kanazawa, Mark Wendenburg and, since 2010, Elaine Vickers.

Elaine’s departure was announced last week, to be succeeded by Evan Saunders, who has been at Blasted Church since 2014, initially as a cellar hand.

What strikes me, as I look at that list, is that the quality of Blasted Church wines has been consistent even as cellar personnel changed. There are other Okanagan wineries which have had significant turnover among their winemakers and quality has not missed a beat. Burrowing Owl Vineyards comes to mind.

That points to the old adage that 80% of a wine is made in the vineyard. Clearly, the vineyards at Blasted Church and Burrowing Owl are managed very well.

Here is a biographical note on Evan from the Blasted Church website:

“The perfect blend of Prairie charm and enological wit, Evan joined the congregation in 2014 as a cellar hand, rose to Assistant Winemaker, and recently promoted to Winemaker at Blasted Church.

“After completing a degree in microbiology from the University of Victoria, Evan moved to Ontario to study Grape and Wine Technology at Brock University. Applying his scientific background with wine was a perfect pairing. Returning to BC, Evan spent over three years learning the art of Bordeaux style reds at Osoyoos Larose, Oliver, BC, and traveled to Sonoma for a Pinot Noir harvest at Kosta Browne in Sebastopol, CA. Evan brings a wealth of red wine making experience to our winemaking team.

“Since joining our team three years ago, Evan has been a driving force in the pursuit of stellar quality in our wine program. His contagious enthusiasm in the cellar, along with his finely balanced artistic and scientific approach to winemaking have made Evan the natural choice to spearhead our wine operations into the future.” 

During Elaine’s time in the cellar, Blasted Church has become a much larger producer. From 2011 to 2013, Blasted Church production grew from 17,000 cases a year to around 25,000 cases. That is why, when consultant Mark Wendenburg moved on to his other Okanagan clients, the winery added Evans to the cellar staff.

As Elaine takes her résumé elsewhere in the wine industry, the current releases from Blasted Church should serve as excellent references. Here are notes on two.

Blasted Church Sauvignon Blanc 2016 ($24 for 665 cases). Dry and tangy, this wine begins with aromas of lime, pineapple and herbal spice. On the palate, there are flavours of lime and lemon. The bracing acidity is moderate with the texture of the 10% that was fermented in French oak. 90.

Blasted Church Rosé 2016 ($20 for 336 cases).  The blend here is complex: 63% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec  and 5% Pinot Noir. The winery’s notes do not disclose the winemaking method but one can assume some juice was bled from tanks of each of the varieties to make Blasted Church’s first rosé in six years. The wine presents with a vibrant rose petal hue in the glass. Aromas of strawberry and raspberry rise from the glass. On the palate, there is a rich fruit compote of flavours (strawberry, cherry). A hint of fruit sweetness adds to the lingering finish. 91.

Lieutenant Governor's 2017 wine awards

Photo: Winning wines in 2017

A total of 486 wines from 136 wineries were entered this year in the 2016 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines.

In keeping with the rigor in which the competition is judged, 12 wines were singled out for awards from among the 50 outstanding wines that made it into the final round. One winery owner has been quoted as saying this is like winning the Stanley Cup. It is an apt comparison, considering that award was established by a Governor General.

The wine award was established in 2003 by The Honourable Iona Campagnolo when she was Lieutenant Governor. It was continued by her successors, The Honourable Steven Point and the current incumbent, The Honourable Judith Guichon. All British Columbia producers of grape wines are eligible to enter.

This year, the winning wineries are all in the Okanagan. They include both repeat wineries and first-time winners. Burrowing Owl won a previous award also with a Cabernet Franc. As well, Noble Ridge won an award with an earlier vintage of its sparkling wine, The One.

Cassini Cellars, Gray Monk Estate Winery and Howling Bluff Estate Winery all have won awards in previous competitions. Cassini keeps winning with big reds while Howling Bluff is making is mark with Pinot Noir and Gray Monk with sparkling wine.

Kitsch Wines, a first-time winner, just opened last year. Their winning Riesling is from the first harvest at their Kelowna vineyard. Two other first-time winners occupy neighbouring vineyards beside Highway 97 south of Oliver: Maverick Estate Winery, which began sales in 2013, and Castoro de Oro, which had previously been named Golden Beaver by the current owners who bought the property in 2006.

Perseus Winery and The Hatch Wines, both first time winners, are owned by the Terrabella Wineries group. The Hatch opened in 2015 while Perseus opened in 2009.

Upper Bench Estate Winery formerly struggled under other names and owners. It was re-established in 2012 by Gavin and Shana Miller. Unique among the winners, it also incorporates a cheese-making facility operated by Shana.

The awards will be presented in September by the Lieutenant Governor, who visits each winning winery. She is accompanied by members of the Consular Corps of British Columbia. The consuls not only improve their knowledge of British Columbia wines but often make significant purchases.

Here are the winners.

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2014: ($Sold out). Winery tasting notes: “A ripe yet elegant nose showing a complex range of floral violet notes, five spice, sage, plum, black cherry and liquorice with a subtle hint of dark chocolate infused with orange zest. The palate is medium in body, elegant and refreshing with crisp acidity, soft round tannins and intense raspberry, plum, blackberry and spice on a long finish that shows some complex graphite minerality.” 

Cassini Cellars The Aristocrat Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($40). Winery notes: “The Aristocrat Cabernet Sauvignon is a big, rich, intense, voluptuous, seductive style showing supple plum, mocha, dates, cassis, vanilla toffee, chocolate and red wild berry fruit making it spicy and aromatic. Layers of flavour flood the palate, creating a long lasting and lingering finish.”

Cassini Cellars Nobilus Merlot Collector’s Series 2013 ($40). Winery notes: “2013 Nobilus is about balance, structure, character. This classy wine has intense aromas of black currant, raspberry jam, spice and hints of cedar and vanilla. Smooth silky tannins with long lingering blackberry and cocoa notes. A long velvety finish completes this elegant wine ….”

Castoro de Oro Estate Winery Crimson Rhapsody 2014 ($NA). Winery notes: “A Bordeaux style red with a kick from Syrah, this full-bodied red offers flavours of plum, currant and blackberry, and notes pepper and coffee. The blend is finished in French oak barrels for 18 months, adding to its sumptuous richness.”

Grey Monk Estate Winery Odyssey White Brut 2014 ($21.99). Winery notes: “Our Odyssey White Brut sparkling wine is made from a blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay Musqué  grapes. The wine's second fermentation is in the bottle and is left on the yeast for 13 months. The bottles are then riddled and disgorged and the dosage is added. Served chilled in a Champagne flute, this pale straw-coloured wine provides a lively display of fine bubbles. The aroma is fruity and fresh. On the palate, the wine has a full creamy texture with flavours hinting of citrus fruits and apricots. The finish is crisply refreshing.”

The Hatch Crown + Thieves “The Broken Barrel” Syrah 2013 ($NA).  Author’s tasting notes: “The grapes were from a vineyard in east Osoyoos. The wine completed fermentation in American oak barrels and then was aged for two years in an American oak puncheon. Only 50 cases were made. The wine begins with aromas of deli meats, prunes and bacon fat. That is echoed on the robust palate, along with earthy flavours of plum and black cherry. A note of pepper punctuates the finish. The term, Broken Barrel, apparently refers to a forklift accident.”

Howling Bluff Estate Winery Century Block Pinot Noir 2013 ($75). Winery notes: “The Century Block is sited on a slight western facing slope on what was the stream bed of Three Mile Creek. Terroir: rocks, sand, gravel and silt with "river wash" from the action of Three Mile Creek as it carved the stream bed into the bottom of Lake Penticton. Vineyard size: 1,200 vines, clones: 667 and 777. In the 1980’s there were 100 different species of apples on the site, hence the name “Century Block”. Tonnage was 1,320 kilograms. The wine was aged in 100% new French oak puncheons for 12 months. Because 2013 was the first year, we decided to bottle the Century Block separately. We only bottled 2 puncheons under the Century block label and the rest of the wine was put into our Summa Quies label. Case production: 60.”

Kitsch Wines Riesling 2015 ($25.90).  Author’s tasting notes: “This wine begins with aromas of lemon and lime, echoed on the palate. The flavours are surprisingly concentrated for fruit from young vines, with a vibrant tension created by balancing nine grams of acidity with 15.4 grams of residual sugar. The wine has begun to show a note of the classic petrol that develops as Riesling ages.”

Maverick Estate Winery Bush Vine Syrah 2014 ($32). Winery tasting notes: “This expressive, terroir-driven Syrah is made from a single vineyard. [The vines are] grown in a traditional ‘bush vine’ style. It has a rich, velvety red colour and boasts a masculine bouquet with intense cranberry, cherry and tobacco leaf aromas…. This Syrah has an expansive palate that exudes decadent layers of Black Forest cake, yet it has a tailored tannin structure which captures aromas of black fruit, licorice and nuances of white pepper.”

Noble Ridge Vineyards & Winery “The One” Sparkling 2012 ($39.90). Winery tasting notes: “Elegant aromas of Granny Smith apple and refreshing pink grapefruit are complimented by hints of fresh biscuit and caramelized stone fruit. This medium bodied, traditional French style brut highlights our single vineyard estate grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.”

Perseus Winery Invictus 2013 ($49.99). Winery notes: “Inspired by the ‘Grande Vin’ of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, our 2013 Invictus showcases the true potential that Cabernet Franc can achieve here in the South Okanagan. This wine bursts out of the bottle with concentrated aromas of black cherry, truffle and shades of pencil lead which lead into an opulent yet well structured wine of impressive complexity. Flavours here straddle both old world and new, with boysenberry, anise and dark chocolate hints. The mouth-feel is all velvet with long, lingering tannins.”

Upper Bench Estate Winery Estate Chardonnay 2015 ($26). Author’s tasting notes: “This wine was 50% fermented and aged three months in new French oak; and 50% fermented and aged in stainless steel. The minimal oak treatment imparted a creamy texture to this fruit forward wine. The flavours mingle notes of marmalade with peach.”