Township 7
Campbell Valley Wine Tour: As we got off the bus, the jovial Jason Ocenas, manager of the Langley facility, greeted us. Township 7 is one of two BC wineries to operate out of two locations. Church and State has a winery in the Okanagan as well as one on Vancouver Island near Buchart Gardens. Township 7 also has a winery in the Okanagan, in Penticton as well as their local facility on 16th Avenue in Langley.
There have been a lot of changes at the winery since my last visit. The patio has been expanded and raised with long tables to enjoy a glass of wine while looking out over the vineyard. They have also added a new, much bigger parking lot, which was badly needed, given how hard it used to be to find parking there especially on sunny days when they were flooded with visitors.
Township 7 also has a new wine maker, Mary McDermott, an Ontario native who later spent several years in BC where her interest in wine began. She also has several Niagara vintages under her belt. This sommelier-trained winemaker came to Township 7 in 2014 and has clearly made her mark. Township 7 has grown a lot over the years and they now produce about 10, 000 cases of wine annually.
Here are my short notes on the wines we tried. Our first taste was the 2014 Estate Pinot Gris. This wine was clean, crisp and refreshing with delicate peach, pear and citrus notes.
Next we sampled the 2014 Sauvignon Blanc from Black Sage Bench. Ten percent of this wine spent time in new oak. Great nose with classic varietal nose. Big and round in the mouth with juicy fruit flavours.
7 Blanc is an off-dry white blend made from gewürztraminer, pinot gris and a hint of muscat. This is a lovely social wine with aromas of stone fruit and floral notes.
2013 Reserve Chardonnay – beautiful rich and buttery with well-integrated oak and fruit. An excellent example of what BC can do with this grape. Only 200 cases made.
2012 Merlot – drinking very well now, but would also benefit from another two to three years. Dark fruit and berries, especially blue berries and a hint of bramble. Good structure with a medium finish.
2013 Cabernet Sauvignon – Blue Terrace. 85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% merlot. Needs time. Good fruit flavours and dry cocoa on the finish.
The last wine was the 2012 Reserve 7 – a Bordeaux style blend made from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Classic aromas and flavours. It will age well.
Township makes three chardonnays – an unoaked one, another which is made half in oak and half in stainless steel and a reserve chardonnay with receives 100 percent French oak treatment.
An important feature at Township 7 is their wine club, which currently has about 1300 members. Besides discounted prices, another advantage members get is access to small lot wines that are made exclusively for wine club members. People also enjoy the convenience of picking their wines up locally instead of heading to the Okanagan or having to pay for shipping. Twice each year, wine club releases include pick-up parties, which are always a lot of fun. These include Spanish themes with paella, guest chefs and cooking demos.
Township 7 is a fun winery with lots of events held throughout the year. The week before our visit, they had just finished their annual grape stomp, which sees visitors stomping grapes in a half-barrel and filling bottles with the resulting juice.
Long time fans of Township 7 will remember the names Gwen and Corey Coleman who opened the Langley winery in 2000 and gave it its original branding. In 2004 they opened the second location in Penticton and then sold it in two years later.
Township 7 wines are better than ever. Give them a try. The winery is open from 11 – 6, all year round.
