“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”
Always on our list of #FavouriteThings today we feature two of what must be the most popular Clos du Soleil wines. In our house we refer to these wines as his and hers. Both of these wines I personally recommend for your holiday shopping and sipping pleasure.
Capella 2018
Tasting Notes
Our flagship white wine is a classic Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. A wine of grace and elegance: light golden in the glass, displaying intense aromas of grapefruit, lemon curd and meadow grasses.
The palate shows an array of flavours: lemon zest, ripe grapefruit, Anjour pear, tangerine and wisps of wood smoke all tied together with bright, crisp citrus acidity. On the palate the wine is full and rich with a softness resulting from sur-lie ageing. A lovely saline minerality strings it all together, through to the long finish. This is a seafood wine par-excellence, but roast chicken or herb-crusted pork would be excellent too. Enjoyable now, this is a wine which will develop an added sense of richness with age.
Each vineyard block was separately harvested, by hand, at peak maturity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed, and then fermented entirely in barrel (65% French oak puncheons, 35% stainless steel barrels) with the majority undergoing only wild, spontaneous fermentation. One quarter of the barrels were also allowed to undergo wild malolactic fermentation. All lots were barrel aged for nine months, on the lees, with lees stirring. The final wine was created by blending together just the very best barrel lots, in order to create a wine of true complexity and elegance.
Signature 2017
Tasting Notes
Signature is our flagship blend of red Bordeaux varieties, produced by hand, and aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. The 2017 vintage is the product of a long growing season of more moderate temperatures and was perfect for producing this classically styled iconic wine. The taster is enveloped in aromas of raspberry and blackberry, black currant, with hints of cassis bud and notable floral aromas such as violet. On the palate the wine is layered with flavours of black cherry, raspberry, cassis, mint and blackberry, with complex notes of graphite, and sagebrush and a delightful freshness. Structure is provided by the soft but full tannins, and a stony mineral quality to the long finish. Enjoyable in its youth, the balance and structure of this wine will ensure its ability to age for many years.
Our winemaking philosophy is to treat our grapes gently and with respect, in order to produce complex, age worthy wines that showcase the very best expression of the Similkameen Valley terroir. Each vineyard block was harvested separately, by hand, when judged to be at optimal maturity. The grapes were then gently destemmed, crushed, and fermented in concrete tanks following a moderate cold-soak. The wines were fermented using only native wild yeasts to reinforce terroir expression. After a gentle pressing the wines were aged for 15 months in 100% French oak barrels. Only the barrels showing the greatest complexity, depth and elegance were selected for our Signature blend. Simplicity and a light hand in the winery have allowed us to deliver a wine which speaks of the beauty of our land.
These can be bought separately, or as part of a gift pack with a lovely branded wooden gift box.
FLAGSHIP WINES GIFT PACK
Some places you may find Clos du Soleil wines before they sell out:
Swirl Yaletown
Sutton Place
Kitstilano Wine Cellar – Vancouver
Berezal Langley
Langara Landmar Liquor – Vancouver
Save On Tsawwassen
RCS South Surrey 1551
Everything Wine Langley
Save On North Vancouver
Save On Langley Downtown
Everything Wine Morgan Crossing
Otter Co-Op – Aldergrove
Nesters Liquor Store Whistler
Clos du Soleil is a small artisan winery and estate vineyard on the Upper Bench of the South Similkameen Valley, in British Columbia, Canada.
We produce ultra-premium quality wines, borrowing an aesthetic derived from the great wines of Bordeaux, but stamped with the flavours and aromas of our particular piece of rocky Similkameen land. Through traditional winemaking techniques, informed by research, but adhering to the philosophies of minimal-interventionist winemaking and biodynamic viticulture, we produce wines that are complex and classic, ageable and elegant.
Our tasting room is open by appointment only from October 1st. We will be open Thursday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm; closed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. Make your wine tasting reservation via our website.
Feature image and tasting notes, courtesy of the winery. Bottle shots MyVanCity.ca. I received one complimentary bottle of each wine for facilitating this feature. All opinions are my own.
If you would like to be featured on MyVanCity.ca please connect with your pr agency or email myvancityval@nullgmail.com for full details. Wine samples accepted for review.
