On “those lazy, hazy days of summer” as we watch the clouds sail across the skies so, too, in the Okanagan Valley you’ll find Black Cloud Pinot Noir on the move.
After nine vintages with Township 7 Vineyards and Winery, Okanagan winemaker Bradley Cooper is making a move down the Naramata bench and bringing his “garagiste” wines with him to Serendipity Winery. Garagiste wines are those small lot wines that are a labour of love for the winemaker which address a commitment to the wine connoisseur and are truly limited production. Says Cooper, “We started Black Cloud six years ago with less than 500 cases and it’ll continue to be a small production, exclusively Pinot Noir. I’m excited that it will have a new home with me at Serendipity.”
Full disclosure here: Cooper, along with his partner Audralee Daum, have become friends of mine since I moved to the Okanagan. I have been a huge fan of his winemaking at Township 7 and Black Cloud and think he is a bit of an unsung artisan. He has a great sense of humour and self-deprecating style so while he’s quick to comment on a number of things, he rarely draws attention to his tremendous skill. While it is well-known that he spent the last decade producing critically-acclaimed red and white BC wines at Township 7, his consulting role is less publicized. He has provided winemaking expertise to Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet, The McWatters Collection, Time Estate Winery and Bonitas Winery to name a few. His winemaking career began in the 1990s with Hawthorne Mountain, now See Ya Later Ranch.
He is looking forward to a fresh chapter in his career and delighted to be joining the Serendipity team. Still he remains committed to advising Township 7 through the upcoming harvest. As for me, I look forward to tasting the impact he has at Serendipity in future vintages as its winemaker working closely with its dynamic owner Judy Kingston and gregarious second-in-command Katie O’Kell.
Black Cloud is also putting sweat equity into renovating an administration space in Penticton’s historic Cannery Trade Centre. Black Cloud wines are available through the Cloudy Day (www.blackcloud.ca) Wine Club. You can access the 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages of Black Cloud Altostratus, my personal favourite which is an elegant new world Pinot Noir along with the 2012 Fleuvage, a light-bodied Pinto from an exceptional growing season. Sorry though, you’ll have to wait for the newly launched rosé Red Sky because two vintages were snapped up immediately. Cloudy Day Wine Club members have first access to Black Cloud releases, with limited bottles available in select private wine stores and restaurants.
As a small producer, Black Cloud joins a number of other smaller wineries and wine clubs at Garagiste North: Small Guys Wine Festival on September 14, a new event on the BC wine circuit, focussed on “garagiste” style wines, a phrase coined in France for small, risk-taking producers.
For more information, talk to Cooper directly at Black Cloud/Daum Cooper Winery Services Ltd. at 250-490-7314 or by email bradley@nullblackcloud.ca
Save some Altostratus for me!
Note: I remain a big fan of Township 7 Winery and look forward to how the story unfolds there as well. After all it is the first winery I hit from my home when I head to town!
– Roslyne Buchanan
