Born and raised in Penticton, the heart of the Okanagan Valley, Mike is a seriously talented winemaker with his own boutique label. With over 15+ years of winemaking experience, he has a way of beautifully showcasing Okanagan fruit. He’s also just a really nice guy.
Diving Headlong
Sometimes things just fall into place.
Our friend Mike Anderson had just started a new winemaking job, and he didn’t have the time to finish a small batch of Viognier that he was making for his wife.
We didn’t plan on launching with an Okanagan Viognier. But then we tasted it. Her loss. Our gain.
We had our first release: 500 litres of Viognier.
Okanagan Valley
VINEYARD
SUB-REGION
Osoyoos West Bench is one of the few locations ideally suited to Rhône whites in the Okanagan Valley. There is no shortage of sunlight and heat, but it largely comes from morning to midday, protected by Mt. Kobau from the intense afternoon sun. This allows the fruit to achieve beautiful ripeness, while retaining a good amount of freshness.
Soil
Grown on sandy loam fluvioglacial deposits from melting glacier water outwash, the soils are low vigour and well-draining, resulting in grapes with excellent concentration.
elevation
The gentle slope down to Osoyoos Lake mitigates the severity of winter on a variety that is very susceptible to cold injury.
Our Note
Viognier can often become a caricture of itself. The challenge is that it goes from underripe to overripe in a heart beat. When that happens, the wines become fat, unctuous, and cloying, showing canned fruit aromas that are better left as grade three memories.
For us, Viognier is at its best when its confidently understated. We look for fresh fruit character along with delicate floral aromatics that heighten the wine without overpowering it. That’s exactly what we tasted from barrel with Mike Anderson. Okanagan Viognier is so underrated when it’s done right.
This 2021 Viognier shows juicy, just-picked apricots along with orange blossoms and honeysuckle. There’s a touch of delicate sweet spice from the oak, but it’s beautifully integrated, keeping the fruit front and centre in the glass. Best of all, it’s richly textured yet fresh, making it both versatile at the dinner table and easy to pour another glass.
vintage
2021
grape variety
100% Viognier
Harvest Date
October 7
Yield
4 tons per acre
ripeness
25.5° Brix
Winemaking
Barrel fermented to dryness and aged in two seasoned 225L French oak barrels for 10 months, with no new oak. Blended and transfered to tank, and then lightly fined using clay bentonite (vegan friendly) for protein stability. Naturally cold stabilized before bottling to prevent tartrate crystals.
bottling date
September 10, 2022 by hand
PRODUCTION
41 cases
Alcohol
14.4%
RS
2.1 g/L
Free SO2
22 ppm
pH
3.55
TA
6.2 g/L
Total SO2
105 ppm
Now Available
You can find Søren at select retailers across British Columbia, including:
ARC Liquor Kelowna - Guisachan Village