CLOS DU SOLEIL

Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Clos du Soleil's vineyards are primarily located on the upper bench of the southern Similkameen Valley, which has an arid, hot, desert-like climate, with rocky, mineral-rich soils that produce truly distinctive wines of ripe fruit character, fresh acidity, herbal notes and striking minerality.

The team uses traditional winemaking techniques, informed by research, while adhering to the philosophies of minimal-interventionist winemaking, and organic and biodynamic viticulture. The resulting wines borrow an aesthetic derived from the great chateaux of Bordeaux, but are stamped with the flavours and aromas of our unique, rock-laden Similkameen landscape.

The name Clos du Soleil, a French term meaning an enclosed Vineyard of the Sun, refers to the rocks, soil, and sun, which together define this very special piece of land where we grow our grapes. The enclosure is the mountain that forms a tall natural stone wall at the back of our vineyard, almost surrounding the cobbled terroir which lends its unique flavors to our wines. Most importantly, our name highlights the long days of sun which pour in on the Similkameen Bench, one of BC’s most unique and promising microclimates.

2019 Clos Du Soleil Signature Red Blend

The 2019 result was 42% merlot, 31% cabernet sauvignon, 13% malbec, 10% cabernet franc, and 4% petit verdot. Each vineyard block was harvested separately, destemmed, and native fermented in concrete. After a gentle pressing, the wines aged 16 months in French oak, with the best barrels selected for the final blend. This year is back to form, with structurally firm tannins framing fragrant blackberry, black cherry, perfumed black plum on a compact palate, scented with espresso, violet perfume, and a healthy crack of black peppercorns.

PHANTOM CREEK, QUARTZ & YARROW

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

Quartz & Yarrow sources sustainably farmed grapes from across the Okanagan Valley to produce fresh, fruit-forward and perfectly balanced BC VQA wines. The name is derived from two different biodynamic preparations: crushed quartz and yarrow blossoms. The packaging was designed to minimize the carbon footprint and impact on the environment

Absolute Green Line capsule 

Made from sugar cane and water-based inks

650 gram glass bottle

Lighter weight results in more efficient transportation

 100% pure cotton paper

A tree free, renewable paper. The packaging was designed to minimize our carbon footprint and impact on the environment

2020 Quartz & Yarrow White Blend 

This wine has beautiful bouquet of aromas of Golden Delicious apple and lemon zest with hints of chamomile. A lively acidity on the palate marked by citrus fruit flavors mingles together with pineapple and baked lemon notes, creating a textural yet refreshing sensation on the palate accompanied by a long savory finish. 13.5% alcohol. 

BREA WINE CO. 

Central Coast, California, USA

Chris Brockway, a noted California natural winemaker and owner of Broc Cellars, and Tim Elenteny, the libations logistics leader of Elenteny Imports, are the masterminds behind BREA Wine Company.

They have seen the thirst for site-specific, terroir driven, and sustainably farmed wine become the driving force for many avant-garde California winemakers who gravitate toward varieties that flow outside the mainstream.  BREA Wine Company seeks to capture this thirst while also bringing the beloved classic varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir into the fold. 

The two seek to create wine that is beyond reproach by fostering close relationships with farmers and choosing vineyards known for their high- quality grapes.  BREA wines are accessible in price, quality, and ready-to-drink but also suitable for short-term aging. Their goal is to open minds back up to these classic varietals. 

Brea 2022 Chardonnay 

Wheeler Vineyard’s Chardonnay was planted in 1977 on elevated gravelly alluvial terrace. It is located in Tres Pinos. Kevin Olson Vineyard is one of the coldest vineyards in California. This is where we get the nice acid backbone in the wine. It is located right off Highway 101 in Prunedale, and grows in sandy soils. It was planted in 1999. Wheeler Vineyard and Kevin Olson Vineyard are organically farmed. 13% alcohol.

PEARL MORISSETTE 

Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada

François Morissette bid adieu to Burgundy's storied vineyards, lured by the promise of complete creative control over his own Niagara winery. Pearl Morissette is one player in a burgeoning natural wine movement attempting to craft wines that truly express the essence of the land. They favor whole-cluster fermenting, leaving grapes intact rather than plucking them off stems. This allows lactic bacteria greater access to malic acid, yielding more complex flavors and textures.

Fermentation utilizes wild yeasts from the vineyard rather than predictable commercial yeasts. While riskier, Morissette relishes discovering when volatility veers into dangerous territory through diligent tasting. The unfiltered wines age on the lees, where grape skins and yeast deposits impart evolving aromas, structure and color. Morissette wants each bottle to remain dynamic, even after release.

The winery launched in 2007 through a partnership between Burgundy-trained Morissette and Toronto developer Mel Pearl. Their Jordan home base and 14 acres of vines are part of the Creek Shore VQA on gravelly soils. They also own 23 acres on Twenty Mile Bench VQA and recently leased 60 acres near Redstone on red clay, selling most grapes but enabling growth of Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot.

2021 Racines Du Ciel Cabernet Franc

 Sultry and silken, yet finely textural, this is alive with thorny wild blackberry, sapid black plums, crunchy black cherry running along a slender, softer palate (seemingly characteristic of their Home Farm site). Tannins are fine and well integrated, finishing with a lick of balsamic. Quite an authentic view of franc, and one worth seeking out.

Destemmed grapes were native fermented and aged in one old foudre and a mix of demi-muids and barrels, racking-free, for 19 months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

RAVINES WINE CELLARS

Finger Lakes, New York, USA

When Morten and Lisa started Ravines in 2001, they were the only winery in the Finger Lakes with a Winemaker holding a formal degree and training from Europe and a winery pursuing a traditional winemaking approach – making exclusively dry, vinifera wines. Ravines quickly became regarded as a top wine destination in the Eastern USA and has consistently gained national awards, noteworthy press, high scores and international accolades.

Morten, Danish by birth, grew up on his family’s estate winery in the Côtes de Provence region of France, a region that’s world famous for its food and wine “religion”. His parents owned and operated Domaine de Castel Roubine, a 170 acre vineyard and estate winery where Morten spent years honing his viticulture skills, and in the cellar, learning the traditional methods of fine, European winemaking. Castel Roubine was a culinary paradise, surrounded by vineyards, gardens, orchards, and wild herbs and Lisa spent most of her time training in the culinary arts after previously meeting Morten in their formative years.

After secondary school, Morten received an advanced degree in both Enology and Viticulture at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie in Montpellier, one of the world’s top winemaking schools, and then went to work for Chateau Cos d’Estournel, a world-renown “2^nd Growth” winery in the Medóc region of Bordeaux. In the following years, he made wine at Cordier Estates in West Texas and then the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. In 1998 he went to work as Chief Winemaker for Dr. Konstantin Frank Cellars, one of the pioneers of vinifera grape growing in the Finger Lakes, located on Keuka Lake.

Morten will tell you without exaggeration that the Finger Lakes is a truly unique wine region with extraordinary opportunities and challenges. Because of its cool-climate nature, vinifera grape growing is confined to a narrow band around each lake, which means it will always remain small in terms of wine production. Impressively, the Finger Lakes is the American wine region that, naturally and without fail, provides a firm acidic backbone for Ravines wines each year, along with bright, pure and intense aromatics that produce wines with intensity, distinctiveness and a sense of place. 

New York, Ravines 2021 Blaufränkisch/Pinot Noir blend CERISE

A crowd favorite going back to the inaugural vintage in 2006 is our red wine, Cerise. Spiced plums, black cherries and rose petals, with a touch of cinnamon and pepper. Juicy with an acidic backbone. 100% estate fruit of Pinot Noir and Blaufränkisch from our estate vineyards on Seneca Lake: White Springs (Blaufrankisch) and 16 Falls Vineyards (Pinot Noir). 

ORIXÉ SOTELO 

Monterey County, California, USA

Born and raised in Mexico City, Gustavo Sotelo never thought much about his Spanish last name. But when some family members discovered they had a distant relative who’d emigrated from Galicia, Spain, to Mexico in the 1700s, his interest was piqued.

At the time, Sotelo had been living in New York and working at Simon and Schuster in business development. A recent graduate of Boston University, he was starting to realize publishing wasn’t his passion.

So he decided to take some classes through Instituto Cervantes New York, a Spanish language school and cultural center founded by the Spanish government.

That’s where he discovered Spanish wine.

“I thought a class on Spanish wines would give me an opportunity to learn more about my Spanish heritage through the world of fine wine,” said Sotelo, co-founder of Orixe Sotelo winery in Sonoma and head winemaker at Scribe. “

Sotelo and his wife, Jackie Sotelo, founded Orixe (pronounced o-REE-shay) Sotelo in 2019.

The winery, inspired by Sotelo’s Galician heritage and passion for Spanish varietals, focuses on both the somewhat familiar (tempranillo, garnacha) and the fresh (godello, arinto, mencia, treixadura), with influence taken from Sotelo’s prior work at Bodegas Mauro winery in Spain.

He’s also using some traditional Spanish winemaking techniques, such as aging his rosé under flor, a yeast that forms on the surface of a maturing wine that’s often used in sherry production.

Given the similar growing conditions between parts of Spain and Northern California, it’s not lost on Sotelo that Spanish varieties grow well here. Many are drought-tolerant.

2023 Orixe Sotelo Nebola

The 2023 Orixe Sotelo Nebola is a white wine blend from Monterey County, California, made from 56% Arinto and 44% Albariño grapes. It has an alcohol content of 12.65% and comes in 750 mL bottles. The wine is made in the style of Txakoli, a refreshing, low-alcohol, slightly spritzy wine from the Getariko Txakolina region of the Spanish Basque country. Some say the 2023 Nebola has notes of lemon zest, Muscadet margarita, and extra salt, while others describe it as full-bodied with notes of dark cherry, chaparral bush, and tobacco leaf.