Top Wine Picks! – Fort Berens Estate Winery

There’s no one else doing quite what Fort Berens Estate Winery is doing right now. That’s because when it comes to making wine in Lillooet, they’re pretty much the only game in town.

So where the heck is Lillooet? Well, draw a straight line on a map between Vancouver and Penticton – there’s the base of your triangle. Lillooet is the peak of your triangle, albeit a bit closer to Vancouver than Penticton.

Um, I guess that’s why I never became a cartologist!

Anyhow, sometimes when you’re first into the game, the chances of failure (or at least middling success) is great. Not so with the group running Fort Berens! With the help of Okanagan legend Harry McWatters, along with extensive regional grape-growing testing that had already taken place, founders Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek managed to get the winery up and running pretty seamlessly since its inception in 2011.

Luckily, I had the privilege of tasting a healthy selection of Fort Berens’ wines – here are my three faves:

1) Fort Berens Estate Winery 2013 White Gold

Made from 100 per cent estate vineyard fruit, this reserve-level Chardonnay is all elegance and balance. The ripe red apple, and tropical fruit notes pair beautifully with the vanilla and spice notes imparted by some time spent in French oak barrels, and the wine is fleshed out thanks to half of the juice undergoing malolactic fermentation. The fruit tastes fresh and vibrant and the oak is in check. ($25.90, 12.9% alcohol)

2) Fort Berens Estate Winery 2013 Pinot Noir

The cooler evenings in Lillooet impart a balance of freshness, subtlety and lighter elegance that can be tough to find in New World Pinot Noir – especially from relatively new producers. Cherry, raspberry and plum notes are helped out by subtle white pepper, spice, liquorice and earthy notes. There’s plenty of complexity here without losing the focus on freshness. ($24.99, 12.5% alcohol)

3. Fort Berens Estate Winery 2013 Cabernet Franc

Grapes from both the estate vineyard as well as the Sundial vineyard on Black Sage Bench are used to make this killer Cab Franc. There’s nary a trace of the leafy and bell pepper notes found in some Cabernet Francs – rather, it brings ripe dark berry fruit, espresso/mocha notes, some white pepper and vanilla from 10 months in oak. The tannins are modest - this wine could be drunk now, or cellared for a few years. ($24.99, 14.5% alcohol)

Interested in giving Fort Berens a try? Order six or more bottles from Fort Berens through My Wine Canada, and use the coupon code FREE15 to get free shipping! The promotion ends this Sunday at midnight.

Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson is the wine columnist and literary editor for the Winnipeg Free Press. He’s on Twitter and Instagram at @bensigurdson.