Top Ten BC Wineries at The Nationals

As Anthony mentioned in his National Wine Awards of Canada article, and as the detailed coverage on WineAlign reveals, competition at the Nationals was tight this year, with the quality of the wines higher than ever before. BC did incredibly well in 2015, with ten of the top fifteen wineries landing west of the Rockies. 

For this NWAC15 themed Top Ten, here are the top performing BC wineries, along with one of our favourite wines from each, tasted within the last year at GOW. 

1. Mission Hill Family Estate  *Also the coveted 2015 Winery of the Year 
89  Mission Hill 2013 Terroir Collection No.16 Vines and Cover Crops Southern Cross Sauvignon Blanc
Floral, grapefruit, gooseberry, chalky, light vanilla, passion fruit and light artichoke aromas. Dry, fresh, juicy and elegant palate with a touch of austerity. Good grapefruit, kiwi, passion fruit, waxy, grassy, lees, vanilla and asparagus flavours. Nice length and intensity for food. Should improve with 1-2 years in bottle. Good effort in a more reserved style. AG-ST.

2. Arrowleaf Cellars
89  Arrowleaf Cellars 2012 Solstice Pinot Noir
Punching above price, as ever, Arrowleaf strikes gold with their 2012 Solstice Pinot Noir. Darker raspberry, cherry and subtle earthy branch opens this fruit-forward, lighter bodied red. Whiffs of resin and tar play against the fragrant raspberry, cherry and pretty perfumed plum on the finely boned palate. Well balanced, drinking well now and will hold for a couple of years easily in the cellar. TR

3. Road 13 Vineyards
90  Road 13 2014 Roussanne Low Yield Wines
Nougat, honeycomb, wax and white florals open this fat, rich roussanne, one complexed by low yields, whole cluster pressing and fermentation in concrete egg. Full bodied, with a waxy mouthfeel, intense honeyed pear, creamy lees, vanilla and ample finely ground exotic spices. Lovely stony sprinkle throughout this intense wine, lingering on the lengthy finish. Not shy and finishing with some heat (14.6 percent), this would be a great pour for vanilla scented lobster. Six percent viognier is included in the blend. TR.

4. Church & State Wines
90  Church & State 2013 Coyote Bowl Series Cabernet Franc
Perfumed berries and downy, dusky blue fruit on the nose of this fresh cabernet franc. Ripe, perfumed black cherry, dense cassis is appealingly cut with a bitter black current edge, and lifted with well integrated freshness. Tannins are structured, well supportive of the density. Will cellar for 3-5 years easily. Try now with pork belly. TR.

5. C. C. Jentsch Cellars
89  C.C Jentsch Cellars 2013 Syrah
Love the fragrant, rich spicy, peppery nose flecked with sausage meat, licorice, vanilla, sage and tobacco/coffee notes. Round, smooth and dry on the palate with fresh acidity but very smooth tannins. Coffee, roasted meat, peppery, licorice, sage, black cherry, five spice and vanilla flavours. Good intensity in a cooler style with a bit of acidity in the back end. Perfect for lamb chops. AG-ST.

6. Quails' Gate
90  Quails' Gate 2013 Chardonnay
Winemaker Nikki Callaway had full control over the 2013 chardonnay albeit while she was just finding her way around the winery. The wine is simply more electric from the get go. Less reductive, less overt oak more citrus this is super juicy and fun to sip. Look for fresh tropical melon and peach flavours with just a hint of fresh baked pastries. Try this with roast chicken for a perfect match. Callaway is blending clones 95, 96, 277 and 809 with a 50/50 mix of barrel ferment and tank fermented juice. Bone dry at 13 percent alcohol. Bravo to all 9000 cases. Fantastic value. AG-ST.

7. CedarCreek Winery
91  CedarCreek 2013 Amphora Wine Project Desert Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
A one hundred percent cabernet sauvignon fermented naturally with no additives and hand plunged it was left alone on its skins for 8 months in amphora (neutral unlined clay pots). The alcohol hit 14.8%; the ph. a surprising 3.87. Each amphora was filled with 500kg of berries without adding any sulphur dioxide or acid. At eight months the grapes were foot trod and the juice put in small stainless steel tanks unfiltered and again without any additives. Total production is only 360 hand numbered bottles. This is surely one of the best textured cabernet sauvignon I have tasted in BC. Full of life and bright red /black fruits and an underlying mineral, graphite stony theme. Supple, yet wild and savoury for the moment it is in excellent shape. It’s anyone’s guess how long it will live. There will be more where this comes from in 2014. AG.

8. Haywire Winery
91  Haywire 2013 Chardonnay Canyonview Vineyard Raised in Concrete
First whiff conjures up herb and salt roasted wild chicken. My mouth waters before I even put anything in it. These savoury dried herbs and scrubby meadow bush aromas last through the lingering finish, carrying a creamy, potent palate of desert citrus, herb-laced pear, musk melon, stony, savoury lees and fine spices. Fermentation with wild yeast and in concrete tank amps up the complexity and mouthfeel exponentially, and low vintner intervention allows this terraced vineyard's terroir to shine. Alert: this doesn't taste like chardonnay. It tastes like Canyonview. Well done. Serve slightly chilled and pair with that herb trussed poultry, naturally. TR. 

9. Deep Roots Winery
88  Deep Roots Winery 2014 Frosted Pinot
This late harvest pinot gris veers quite sweet, but there is bright lemon acidity to float it. Floral, pear blossom lime pulp gooseberry and soapy perfume fill the round palate. Pair with cream fruit tarts or peach pie. TR

10. Tightrope Winery 
90  Tightrope Winery 2014 Riesling
A small vineyard on Naramata Bench yields this bright, expressive riesling. Green apple, pear, pear butter and fine spice lead the nose of this off-dry white, while anise, lemon oil and lime cushion a slick, focused and oily palate. Very interesting fennel lime juiciness through the lingering finish. Well handled and characterful wines from this relatively new winery, and one to watch in the future. TR