behind the label: sandhill small lots
By Rick Watkins, CSW
Sandhill 2007 one Phantom Creek Vineyard VQA Okanagan Valley, B. C. $ 41.99
Sandhill 2009 two Sandhill Estate Vineyard VQA Okanagan Valley, B. C. $ 42.99
Sandhill 2008 three Sandhill Estate Vineyard VQA Okanagan Valley, B. C. $ 42.99
Sandhill Estates is one of the most decorated wineries in Canada. The first winemaker to ever win all three of the top awards at the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards( Best Red Wine, Best White Wine, and Winery of the Year in 2009), Howard Soon has a philosophy of strict noninterference. He believes that if you grow great grapes, the wines will make themselves.
Howard Soon has been head winemaker at the Okanagan’ s Sandhill Estates since it produced its first wine in 1997. In 2002, the winery purchased the iconic Sandhill Estate Vineyard, and was the first Canadian winery to produce only single-vineyard wines.
“ Single vineyard” does not mean that only a single grape variety is grown and bottled. The wines made from each vineyard can be blends of different grapes that are all grown in that single vineyard. In fact, Sandhill Estate is stretching the boundaries when it comes to the grape varieties it grows in single vineyards. The Small Lots program has made wine from Sangiovese, Barbera, and Syrah, which are unique grapes in Canada. Growing different varieties of grapes in the same vineyard means that the grapes will have a similar flavour profile, due to shared terroir, while retaining the unique characteristics of their varieties.
Howard Soon feels that the wines grown in the Small Lots program are the truest expression of single-vineyard wines. Wines in this program may come from special blocks of vineyards that are treated differently from the rest, or they may be aged in special barrels that stand out as exceptional from the rest. These wines show the distinctive characteristics and flavour profiles of the vineyards that they came from.
Sandhill has six different vineyards feeding the Small Lots program: Sandhill Estate, King Family, Phantom Creek, Osprey Ridge, Hidden Terrace, and Vanessa vineyards. Wine Access magazine named Phantom Creek vineyard one of the 10 best single vineyards in the world!
The only downside to the Small Lots program wines is that there is never enough produced! Some years produce as few as 95 cases.( Compare this to First Growth Bordeaux that sells for $ 500.00 –$ 2000.00 per bottle, and produces 5,000 – 20,000 cases of wine.)
With so little Small Lots wine produced every year, can you believe how lucky we are to stock three of their finest right here in Winnipeg? Sandhill 2007 one, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Syrah from the Phantom Creek Vineyard, is a full-bodied, powerful wine with velvety tannins and a long finish. Only 498 cases were produced. Sandhill 2009 two is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc from the Sandhill Estate Vineyard. A true Bordeaux blend, this wine exhibits a bouquet of black cherry, with cedar box, blackberries, black pepper, and black tea on the palate, and only 525 cases were produced. Sandhill 2008 three is a blend of Sangiovese, Barbera, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Sandhill Estate Vineyard. Only 175 cases were produced of this full-bodied wine with great acidity.
Howard Soon’ s Sandhill Small Lots program is one to keep your eye on, as they consistently produce super premium, single-vineyard wines in their Okaganan estates. �
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