Sandhill's Virtual Wine Brand

winery, you may want to heed the blueprint of one of the Okanagan's biggest success stories, Sandhill.

It's not often that a brand morphs into a winery, but in the case of Sandhill, the brainchild of the folks at Calona Vineyards and their Vancouver distributor, the well-known VQA brand without a winery, is slated to spawn an actual facility sometime in the future in the south Okanagan

For the moment the "virtual" wine is entirely focused on its vineyard partners from which all the wine flows and all labels reference. Every Sandhill wine comes from a specific vineyard/grower team that winemaker Howard Soon has worked with now for many years. Sandhill's philosophy of concentrating on single vineyards and their growers is a point of distinction many Okanagan wineries would do well to heed.

After 15 years, the designated geographical areas of VQA are tired and frankly too big to be meaningful. It's especially laughable when you start charging consumers $30 or $40 a bottle for an appellation that ranges from Osoyoos to Vernon. The result is individual wineries must pick up the baton and tell the real story about where their grapes originate and, for that, fine wine buyers are grateful.

Sandhill's home vineyard Sandhill Estate in south Oliver (a renamed portion of the former sprawling Burrowing Owl Vineyard I and II) is the basis for most of the production under the Sandhill labels with key contributions from nearby Phantom Creek (grower/owner Richard Cleave), the King Family on the Naramata bench (growers/owners Rod and Don King), Seven Mountain at Westbank (grower/owner Tony Petretta) and Osprey Ridge back in South Oliver (grower/owner Rob Goltz and his son Nathan).

Sandhill offers two well-defined series: The Sandhill (white label brand) that now totals nine labels and the Small Lots Program, something winemaker Howard Soon says, "provides a glimpse into our winemaking future, capturing the essence of small batches of promising new varietals."

Today we look the latest three Small Lots releases and three of the white labels.

Sandhill Chardonnay Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2005 meets many key requirements: It's a B.C. white and it's available in government stores. It tastes good, and the price is reasonable. It's a bit fat on entry with sweet fruit and oaky, butter, melon, peach, vanilla flavours, but it should have wide appeal with local chardonnay drinkers.

The Sandhill Cabernet Merlot Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004 really offers the best of flavour and value. The nose is an attractive mix of earth, black fruit and flecks of vanilla. It's dry and smooth, with vanilla, tobacco, shoe polish and black-fruit notes that finish with a savoury mocha note. Will keep comfortably for another year or two in bottle.

Tight and youthful best describes the Sandhill Merlot Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004 that should repay those willing to lay this away for a year or two. Look for typical smoky, spicy, coffee notes with smoky, vanilla, resiny, tobacco and cherry flavours. Serve with grilled meat for best results.

Shifting to the small production picks the Sandhill Small Lots Program One Phantom Creek Vineyard 2004 is a mix of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and malbec. Notes of olive, dill, tobacco and cassis dominate its supple palate and smoky, coffee, mocha, cassis, black olive, savoury flavours. The finish has a touch of acidity and earthy, herbal notes which should be a fine match for roast beef.

One of the best "Small Lots" is the Richard Cleave-grown Sandhill Small Lots Program Petit Verdot Phantom Creek Vineyard 2004. This has the requisite coffee, mocha, peppery notes mixed with cherry, floral, cranberry and saddle leather aromas. It's dry, elegant and supple with just a touch of youthful grainy tannins and more flavours of cranberry, peppery, tobacco leaf with cherry, smoky vanilla, coriander and caraway. Smoky with intensity if a bit light on extract. Needs hearty food to really shine.

The Sandhill Small Lots Program Three Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004 completes my picks. "Three" is a sangiovese, barbera, merlot, cabernet sauvignon blend, and you sense that with its rootsy, licorice, black cherry, chocolate pudding, savoury, gamey aromas. Similar flavours with a smoky, vanilla undercurrent from the wood makes up this dry, slightly lean red that should only be served with foods. I'm thinking lamb osso buco would do the trick.

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SANDHILL CABERNET MERLOT SANDHILL ESTATE VINEYARD 2004, OLIVER, OKANAGAN VALLEY
Price: $18.99
UPC: 058976360260
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Well made and worth holding another year in bottle.

SANDHILL MERLOT SANDHILL ESTATE VINEYARD 2004
Price: $18.99
UPC: 058976360321
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Firm on the palate with smoky oak,vanilla, tobacco and cherry flavours.

SANDHILL CHARDONNAY SANDHILL ESTATE VINEYARD 2005
Price: $16.99
UPC: 058976380282
Score: 87/100
Remarks: A ripe commercial style that will have wide appeal.

SANDHILL SMALL LOTS PROGRAM ONE PHANTOM CREEK VINEYARD 2004
Price: $32.99 VQA stores, Granville Island Brewing retail store
UPC: 058976360659
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Smoky, coffee, mocha, black olive flavours. Perfect for roast beef.

SANDHILL SMALL LOTS PROGRAM PETIT VERDOT PHANTOM CREEK 2004
Price: $26.99 VQA stores, Granville Island Brewing retail store
UPC: 058976360758
Score: 88/100
Remarks: One of the best "Small Lots" now is the Richard Cleave-grown petit verdot.

SANDHILL SMALL LOTS PROGRAM THREE, SANDHILL ESTATE VINEYARD, 2004
Price: $29.99 VQA stores, Granville Island Brewing retail store
UPC: 058976360703
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Smoky, vanilla, cherry, savoury and cassis flavours with a coffee finish.