The ‘Last Judgment’ of BC: a Watershed Moment

I’m pretty sure that Judgment of BC 2019 was one of the largest tastings of its kind ever held in Canada. On October 29th 34 judges sat down at the Penticton Lakeside Resort. We concluded what’s been a worthy exercise for BC wines since the first ‘Judgment’ took place in 2015.

It was an impressive occasion, even more so given the outcome that yielded a strong showing for BC.

The last time I was in this grand room, looking north up Lake Okanagan, was for Harry McWatters’ memorial. Walking in again yielded a definite bitter sweet moment. 

Also of note was the return of acclaimed critic and Decanter Magazine consultant editor Steven Spurrier.

He helped launch that original tasting. The Judgment of BC was modeled after the much celebrated 1976 Judgment of Paris, which Spurrier still regards as the defining moment of his career.

Judgment of BC 2019 was indeed the ‘last judgment’. The BC Wine Institute feels the program has run its course—and achieved its goals. I would agree. The purpose of holding these tastings was to show BC wines could hold their own with wines from anywhere. When it was all over, the results of this judgment certainly proved that point.

How it worked

Steven Spurrier and DJ Kearney at Judgment 2015

No question, the exercise is easier said than done. This tasting took an extraordinary amount of planning and execution. It included a  preliminary blind tasting of 189 wines, judged in advance by a selection panel.

“We sent out a request … and a torrent of wines entered,” said Judgment curator DJ Kearney. A panel of top somms whittled them down to the final 24 BC wines poured.

This year’s format comprised four flights of 10 wines each. The varieties chosen were Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Syrah. These have emerged as consistent ‘contenders.’Hence it made sense to focus on them.

There were a couple of tweaks to the format this year. With four not two flights, the number of wines per flight was reduced from 12 to 10. And the ratio of BC wines to International benchmarks went to 60/40 from 50/50. Although it did give the home team slightly better odds, I’m not sure that it made that much difference.

The four international wines for each flight were (again) judiciously chosen by Kearney.

“They have to be available, so you can go out, buy and taste them,” she says.

“So, things that are esoteric or only available in New York or LA  weren’t candidates for me. Wines at the same price level were another metric. So that was a consideration—as well as from classic growing regions and established benchmarks.”

There was also a marked improvement in the glassware, with varietal specific glasses used.

A Judgment, not a contest

As in years past, Kearney stressed that this was never intended to be a competition but more a ‘snapshot in time.’ The purpose was to make the point that BC wines should and do enjoy respect on the world stage.

“This is an exercise in assessment,” said Kearney. “This is not a competition. This is not ‘good, bad, win or lose’. It’s about how do we sit? How do we look? How are we tasting?”

“How are we matching as we grow and gain maturity as our vines age and we really hit our stride in understanding our regions and our terroir?”

The Results

Arrowleaf Cellars: Best Pinot Noir

This paragraph from the BCWI release offers a good summary overall from the BC perspective.

“We are proud to announce the following BC wineries who took home top prizes in their categories. Arrowleaf Cellars ranked first among the Pinot Noir flight. Meyer Family Vineyards came in first for the flight of Chardonnay, with 50th Parallel Estate Winery in close second. For the Riesling flight, CedarCreek Winery came in second with St. Hubertus and Oak Bay Estate Winery coming in third. The final flight of Syrah saw BC wines take all three top spots with Tightrope Winery coming in first, Le Vieux Pin Winery in second and Stag’s Hollow Winery and Vineyard in third.”

I was delighted to see names such as Arrowleaf, Meyer and Tightrope rise to the top. Not to mention the likes of 50th Parallel, St. Hubertus, Sperling, Stag’s Hollow and others as close finishers. It’s no mean feat for a smaller winery to win such accolades, particularly within this group.

Also, those who still think BC wines are ‘too expensive’ should check out the prices shown at the bottom of this page. You might will be surprised.

Digging deeper: A nod to Sub GIs

It’s worth noting by far the majority of top finishers came from areas now either confirmed as Sub GIs (sub-geographical indications) or in the process of establishing a Sub GI. They were also predominantly north of McIntyre Bluff. Given the varieties involved that’s not surprising. But for me it just reinforces the need to keep moving forward on formalizing even more Sub GIs or Sub Appellations.

A quick look at the top 6 finishers from each flight reveals:

Overall: International 9/ BC 15

Pinot Noir: International 3 / BC 3 (Lake Country, South Kelowna, Okanagan Falls)

Chardonnay: International 3 / BC 3 (Okanagan Falls, Lake Country, Osoyoos)

Riesling: International 1 / BC 5 (South Kelowna, Naramata Bench, Oliver)

Syrah: International 2 / BC 4 (Naramata Bench, South Okanagan, Okanagan Falls, Black Sage)

Better across the board

The consensus from the panel was that the BC wines were better across the board than five years ago. There were no misfits, flaws or outliers in any of the flights. All the wines were rigorously checked by sommelier Roger Maniwa, who has overseen every Judgment tasting.

The Pinot Noir flight—which Kearney described as “uniformly high quality”—was arguably the most challenging.

“It was very, very difficult to judge and separate them,” she said. “Many judges wanted to call ties; There was very little margin of difference between first, eighth, ninth and tenth. So they were clustered together, united by very high quality.”

Kearney offered similar comments for Riesling—and noted that the 1st placed Nik Weis Mosel Riesling was “related to several of the other winners.” Weis Clone 21-B  was the original Riesling clone brought to BC in the 70s. Read John Schreiner’s in depth explanation here.

The Verdict:

Steven Spurrier addresses the panel

Steven Spurrier commented to BCWI as follows:

“Since I was last in British Columbia in 2015, what I’m seeing is the increasing commitment, investment and quality. Seeing the vineyards showed me how extraordinary some of these vineyard sites are. The purpose of terroir is to allow the grape variety to express itself and BC does that well. Whether it’s Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc, the vineyards are showing an undeniable expressiveness of grape variety and high quality, and in my view, that puts the area in a very strong league in the international market.” said Spurrier.

He adds: “What has been fantastic during my trip here, everything is open for business, open to the public. And communication is the key to the wine business.”

David McIntyre of the Washington Post, calls the Okanagan “a stunning region, with great hospitality… And the wines are really thrilling. I really wish we had them in the States. But I do know they taste better when I come here because the terroir is not just the soil. It’s the people, the area and everything else.”

 So that’s it. Unquestionably a success, the Judgment of BC is a wrap. It’s done. Besides, as John Schreiner suggests:

“We have nothing more to prove anyway.”

****

Full results courtesy BCWI

PINOT NOIR RESULTS:

1. Arrowleaf Cellars Archive Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey 2016 California

3. Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Estate Dundee Hills 2015 Oregon

4. Sperling Vineyards Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

6. Louis Jadot Beaune Grèves Premier Cru 2015 Burgundy

7. Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir Adelaide Hills 2016 South Australia

8. Tightrope Winery Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

9. Quails’ Gate Winery Richard’s Block Pinot Noir 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum Block 2 Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley 

RIESLING RESULTS:

1. Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Alte Reben 2014 Mosel, Germany

2. CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum Block 3 Riesling 2018 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Vineyards Family Reserve Riesling 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

4. Tightrope Winery Riesling 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Culmina Family Estate Winery Riesling Decora 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

6. Upper Bench Estate Winery Riesling 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

7. Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling 2015 Columbia Valley Washington State

8. Rieslingfreak No. 3 Reverence of Riesling 2018 Clare Valley, South Australia

9. Martin’s Lane Winery Fritzi’s Vineyard Riesling 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. Nigl Dornleiten Riesling Kremstal 2015 Austria

Meyer family Vineyards

CHARDONNAY RESULTS:

1. Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay Tribute Series Donovan Tildesley Old Main Road Vineyard 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. 50th Parallel Estate Winery Chardonnay 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnapper’s Vineyard 2017 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

4. Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Chartron et Trébuchet Pouilly Fuissé 2017 Macon, Burgundy

6. Laroche Chablis Premier Cru La Chantrerie 2016 Burgundy, France

7. Tantalus Vineyards Chardonnay 2015 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

8. Monte Creek Ranch Winery Chardonnay Reserve 2016 BC VQA British Columbia

9. Culmina Family Estate Winery Chardonnay Dilemma 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. Bethel Heights Vineyard Chardonnay Estate Eola-Amity Hills 2015 Oregon

Aerial view courtesy of Tightrope Winery

SYRAH RESULTS:1. Tightrope Winery Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. Le Vieux Pin Winery Cuvée Violette Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. Stag’s Hollow Winery & Vineyard Syrah Amalia Vineyard 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

4. Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage 2016 Northern Rhône, France

5. Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz Barossa Valley 2017 South Australia

6. Time Winery Syrah 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

7. Painted Rock Estate Winery Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

8. Domaine Jamet Syrah Collines Rhodaniennes 2015 Northern Rhône, France

9. C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. K Vintners MCK Syrah 2015 Washington State, USA

JUDGMENT OF BC JUDGES:

Gurvinder Bhatia

Jenna Briscoe

Sid Cross

Dr. Janet Dorozynski

Mark Filatow

Zach Geballe

Anthony Gismondi

Dr. Jamie Goode

Christina Hartigan

Lingzi He

John Isacs

Kelcie Jones

Kurtis Kolt

Sebastien Le Goff

Bryant Mao

David McIntyre

Sharon McLean

Michaela Morris

Terry David Mulligan

Tim Pawsey

Rhys Pender, MW

Barbara Philip, MW

Iain Philip

Rod Phillips

Treve Ring

Brad Royale

John Schreiner

Dawn Smith

Steven Spurrier

Shane Taylor

Daenna Van Mulligan

Matt Wentzell

Jason Yamasaki

Arrowleaf terrace and view