BC's Coastal Pacesetter, Sea Star Looks to the Future

A blend of 60 percent Ortega with 40 percent Siegerrebe lures with seductive rose petal hints and orange blossom on the nose, before a complex blend of grapefruit and citrus notes almost reminiscent of Riesling, which is a parent of Siegerrebe. Superbly focused and balanced with lingering, juicy acidity. $24.90

93 Sea star Ortega 2018 (Gulf Islands)

From Sea Star estate. Aromas of orchard fruits, apple and pear with a bright entry, underpinned by firm acidity. Some pink grapefruit citrus, zesty notes and guava, with well defined acidity and varietal character through the close. One of the best examples as to just how well, in the right hands, this variety performs in the Gulf Islands and parts of Vancouver Island. $23.90

93 Salish Sea Blanc de Noir 2018 (Gulf Islands)

100 percent Pinot Noir from Clam Bay, Sea Star and Saturna: red berries and red apple hints with an entry of juicy strawberry, cranberry and raspberry, underpinned by an appealing savoury edge. Light to medium bodied with supple tannins wrapped in bright acidity, a fitting tribute to the late Jean Luc Bertrand, who commenced planting the Saturna vineyard in 1995. $24.90

93 Sea Star Siegerrebe 2018 (Gulf Islands)

This cross between Madeleine Angevine and Gewürztraminer yields an appealing rose petal nose with stone fruit and tropical notes before a palate of citrus and tangerine with a hint of rose petal, and a touch of gently herbal edge before lingering lychee and citrus close. $23.90

91 Sea Star Stella Maris 2018 (Gulf Islands)

This blend of Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Schoenburger and Ortega with Chardonnay from just across the water on Saturna Island, offers a pretty pale pink hue from the Pinot Gris, with orchard and stone fruit before a juicy palate of peach, citrus and melon, wrapped in good acidity through the finish. $24

90 Sea Star Marechal Foch 2018 (Gulf Islands)

Red berries on the nose with some anise hints before a palate of fresh, juicy mulberry and raspberry, plus a touch of savoury and five spice, wrapped in easy, approachable tannins. Chill it down for a few mins for best results. $26

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As the saying goes, wine is all about place and people. That’s one of the reasons I’m always excited to taste the latest releases from Sea Star Vineyards on Pender Island. These wines have never failed to impress since they arrived on the scene just a few years ago. More to the point, it’s apparent now that diminutive Sea Star has emerged as a flagship BC producer.

I’ll return to the ‘place and people’ reference shortly. But, first, I think it’s important to put Sea Star’s achievements into perspective. This relative newcomer is emblematic of what can be achieved in a Gulf Islands winery.

As someone familiar with Gulf island life, I have no illusions about what it takes to succeed. The challenges are significant, from finding and keeping skilled labour to reliance on ferries. Not to mention the added costs at every turn.

A star is born

Sea Star arose from the ashes of valiant but long-struggling Morning Bay, established in 2003. After buying and improving the winery, Sea Star made its first vintage in 2013.

Owner David Goudge and wine-maker Ian Baker quickly turned things around. As the former winemaker at Mistaken Identity on close-by Salt Spring Island, Baker brought with him strong local knowledge. Before that, he was an award-winning amateur winemaker.

A few coastal wineries source Okanagan grapes to flesh out their range. Bordeaux varieties, in particular, tend not to ripen on the coast. Occasionally they make a second tier after their estate wines. These days, though, with an assist from climate change, the ‘islands’ focus overall is more local. While the first decade of the new millennium proved challenging, a string of good vintages since has helped the coastal wineries.

The coastal advantage

In a recent interview for Sip magazine, (watch for their new guide!) Baker told me he doesn’t want to mimic wines from other regions. He says it took him a while to learn the differences between working with coastal and Okanagan grapes. In particular, the higher acidity on the coast can prove challenging. But, he suggests, handled properly, it also offers an immense benefit.

“We don’t wind up with flabby wines. Now we embrace the acidity. In fact, I’d rather work with coastal grapes than Okanagan grapes any day,” says Baker.

It’s true. There is a common theme to these wines. They all enjoy a discernible freshness and purity of fruit—balanced by just the right acidity. Baker seems to have found the ‘sweet spot’ between populist appeal and technical excellence.

Their sights set on using mainly estate and local fruit, Sea Star’s early success soon found them seeking other sources, including from Pender’s nearby Clam Bay Farm.

Last year’s purchase of long-neglected Saturna Island Vineyards promises to take things to the next level. Just across the channel, the 77 acre Saturna property includes 44 acres under vine. With its Pender vineyards, that makes Sea Star the largest estate winery on BC’s coast.

Much of Sea Star’s strength lies in its consistent house style, founded on cool climate wines. They include Germanic aromatics, such as Ortega and Siegerebbe, which perform well in the right conditions. Baker has also proved himself to be an astute blender, making quite layered and more complex wines out of varieties often dismissed by the mainstream.

Saturna Island vineyards: a formidable addition to Sea Star

A little local history

I have a special connection to Saturna Island. Years ago, a dear friend bought a small home there, to which I was invited often. That was my introduction to the Gulf Islands. And it proved to be the foundation of a lifelong love affair.

Here the connection relates to Jean-Luc Bertrand. He was the original owner of Vancouver’s Le Gavroche restaurant, later co-owned with Manuel Ferreira.

In the mid-1990s Jean-Luc was looking for other challenges. The quality of BC wines was on the rise and the French restaurateur even had a few on his wine list. That would have been unthinkable even a decade before. One day Jean-Luc was discussing the fortunes of the BC wine industry with lawyer Larry Page, a regular lunchtime diner. Page knew of an opportunity to develop a winery and real estate venture on Saturna Island. Plans progressed. And not long after, Bertrand took leave from the restaurant—to study viticulture overseas.

After his return in 1995 Jean-Luc hand planted the first two of Saturna’s vineyards before passing away in 1997. Over the next decade or so Saturna Vineyards struggled. It transitioning through several winemakers, as well as some challenging vintages. But it never showed real promise of meeting its potential. That is, until now.

Sea Star’s Leap of Faith

After buying Saturna, Sea Star went to work immediately, restoring vineyards neglected for years. They wasted little time in wrangling at least something from the incredibly overgrown vines. A considerable quantity of Pinot Noir was harvested for this latest vintage.

The Saturna vineyards had been neglected for several years

The Saturna site may pose some challenges but also yields not a few opportunities. The contrasting aspects of the two properties offer some interesting winemaking options.

“It appears to me that the founders of Saturna dreamed big and didn’t take the time to have the benefit of experimentation,” says Goudge.

“So I am doing the opposite. Slow, pragmatic decisions based on observations of what is happening in the vineyards they planted, opportunities that present themselves, and market forces,” he adds.

David comments on the 2017 Saturna crop as follows…

“To date we harvested a large section of Pinot Noir last October. The grapes had no disease issues despite being abandoned for 5 years. That is a remarkable indicator that the terroir is going to be terrific for these grapes. We were able to harvest 9 tons that all went into our Blanc de Noir. Now that they have been pruned back to the crowns we won’t obtain any fruit from them this year, but next year the grapes will be grown in the fruit zone and hopefully ripen further than last year when we couldn’t even reach some way above our heads.”

Saturna Pinot Noir vineyard post pruning

“We also properly pruned the Pinot Gris. These 2 varietals make up the largest portion of the vineyard. We have more modestly pruned the Chardonnay and other varietals that were showing less vigour.”

Looking ahead

Future plans for Saturna get even more interesting…

“Going forward we will likely continue to use some Pinot Noir for our Blanc de Noir, and add to our Pinot Noir itself, plus use some of the Pinot Gris for our Pinot Gris,” he explains.

“Our facility on Pender has reached maximum capacity, so we will be licensing the winery on Saturna and this is where we will explore making sparkling wines. (The previous owners) planted a lot of varietals that are perfect for this production including Pinot Meunier apart from the ones I’ve already mentioned.”

From a tourism and hospitality standpoint, Saturna has a turnkey bistro in place. Not to mention a dock, right across from Sea Star. With two spectacular settings, there’s potential for unique ocean and winery touring. And a strong likelihood that these stunning properties will evolve as tourism anchors.

Saturna — just a short hop across the water from Sea Star

Sea Star has already overcome odds as the first Gulf Island winery to make its mark on the Lower Mainland. The lesson here is that the winery concentrates on those proven varieties that work. Its small production sells out quickly. But the wines are available on several noteworthy Vancouver wine lists. They epitomize a style of wine that pairs perfectly with regional ingredients, such as salmon, shellfish, and other seafood.

The 2017 wines continue to impress. Sea Star has claimed its place as one of the most consistent, across the board quality producers in the province.

Sea Star’s idyllic setting on North Pender Island (image supplied)

Sea Star Blanc de Noir 2017

Made from 100 percent Pinot Noir (including from some of those 20-year-old Saturna Island vines). Whole cluster pressed, with lovely pale salmon in the glass. Vibrant, lifted red berries and tropical hints precede generous strawberry and cherry. Excellent fruit to acid balance with a luscious but structured mid palate. Edged by an appealing nudge of tartness. 92 pts. $24

Sea Star Salish Sea 2017

This blend of Ortega and Siegerrebe, made from organically grown grapes on Pender Island, captures the very essence of Sea Star. Inviting aromatics on the nose, citrus, tropical and orchard notes on top. A generous but well-tuned palate, wrapped in a generous mouthfeel. Hints of honey with spice and mineral notes through a lengthy finish. 93 pts. $24

Sea Star Stella Maris 2017

A blend of Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir, with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Ortega and Schönberger. Upfront stone fruit and floral notes. A quite complex palate sports tropical tones of nectarine, citrus and peach. Layered with a touch of zest and spice before a juicy end. 92 pts. $24

Sea Star Ortega 2017

Government-funded trials in the 1980s found this variety well suited to the islands, along with Pinot Gris and Pinot Auxerrois. Beautifully expressive, showing floral and citrus-orange blossom aromas. A luscious, tropical toned palate of grapefruit, peach and melon with a juicy mid-palate and clean, fresh close. 91 pts, $22

Sea Star Pinot Gris 2017

A ‘Gris’ with true character. Stone fruit, citrus and tropical fruits up front. A luscious, well-textured palate of pear and melon with a gentle zesty edge, a touch of spice and a lingering end. 92 pts. $23

Sea Star Siegerebbe 2017

This classic cool climate variety is becoming a fixture in what used to called ‘borderline’ regions. It was one of the most successful from both the Okanagan Becker Project and the Vancouver Island Duncan trials. From Clam Bay Farm. floral, a touch of rose petal (perhaps from the Gewurz. cross) plus citrus and spice followed by a well structured, expressive palate of tropical, grapefruit and peach with a long end. 92 pts. $22

Getting there

Traveling to Pender Island (especially in high summer) requires planning and (if driving) a BC Ferries reservation—or your own boat! Ferries depart from Tsawwassen on the mainland and from Swartz Bay, near Victoria, on Vancouver Island. Currently, former Saturna Vineyards is not open to the public.