Church and State Wines

Lily Ellis stopped by Coyote Bowl over the weekend to try some wines with us. She runs a great blog called Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors. Here’s what she had to say:

“My favourite tasting of the day was at Church & State. “Yedi” had told us the day before about it’s modern cellar and tasting room and I instantly fell in love with it’s minimal concrete and wood architecture. Natasha and John, the owner’s son, were so knowledgable and passionate about their wines. They tasted fantastic and I brought a bottle of their Pinot Noir home for my dad, although now I’m really wishing I brought one home for myself too!”

Thanks for stopping by Lily, there’s always a glass waiting for you. You can read here full post on her other stops over the weekend, and some great photos from the weekend.

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Robert Stephen of the Windsor Square recently sampled our new Spring Releases and had some great insight into them. Being based on the east  coast, our wines were a stark contrast to the Lake Erie North Shore (LENS) wines he usually reviewed. “I have a word for you diehard Lake Erie North Shore wine lovers and that is get ready for richness. LENS wines are fairly lean and tight much like French wines. You may be a tad overwhelmed by these Church & State wines with their richness and fulsome character.”

My personal favourite quote of the article is in reference to our 2009 Merlot – “This stuff is so full of power don’t look into the glass as you might get punched in the face but only after picking up melted chocolate on the nose.” While I have yet to be physically assaulted by our wines (or any for that matter) its a great articulation of the intensity of this Merlot. Grown in the Sun Ridge Vineyard in south east Osoyoos, this Merlot is unlike any other! Robert scored this wine at 92 points.

One issue I should clarify from the article – Club Q is well underway, contrary to the statement that it won’t materialize until we reach 125 members! We currently have 80 members in Club Q with a limit of 125. If you’re interested in joining our true barrel club send us an email for all the details.

Thank you to Robert Stephen for his glowing reviews – we appreciate his time to share what we do with Canada’s other major wine region. Cheers Robert!

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John Schreiner is one of Canada’s most prolific wine writers, having published many editions of his Canadian Wine handbook, as well as regularly updating his blog: John Schreiner on Wine. He recently sat down with our winemaker Jeff Del Nin and proprietor Kim Pullen to discuss the new Rhone Valley whites, and to taste and review our new Spring Release portfolio. John clearly has a special place in his heart for our Chardonnay and Quintessential, but also showed some love for our TreBella, Viognier and Coyote Bowl Meritage. All the wines he tasted scored 90+ points!

Read the full discussion between John Schreiner, proprietor Kim Pullen and wine maker Jeff Del Nin here on Schreiner on Wine.

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I saw this great collection of photos from Jillian and Chris’s wedding at Church & State in Brentwood. Check out the collection of wedding photos here. I generally don’t post photos of particular peoples events, but this one is too stunning not to share! Thank you Jillian and Chris for choosing Church & State to be part of your special day.

If you are looking for a venue for your wedding that is one of the most unique and beautiful places in British Columbia, talk to us about what we can do for you. With indoor and outdoor spaces for all sizes of groups, and multiple ceremony locations, Church & State Wines can provide you with an experience none of your guests will forget.

Speak with our Event Coordinator at events@churchandstatewines.com or call 250-652-2671.

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Nice write up on the 2005 Quintessential coming from Whitecourt, Alberta. If you have some of this wine, you’re one of the lucky few, with the 2006 nearly gone, the ’05 is extra rare these days.

“I finally tried the Church & State Quintessential 2005 and all I have to say is … YUM!!…”

Read More Here

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“Swirl, sniff, taste, swish, spit, repeat. Four … hundred … times. While it may seem a bit overwhelming, I can think of far worse things to be doing over a long weekend in San Francisco.”

Thanks to all the judges for your hard work and deeming our Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon worthy of Double Gold!

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2009 Church & State Pinot Gris

“Once again the team at Church & State winery have release a very fruit forward, well balanced, wine with ripe acidity. It is the perfect patio wine or wine to pair with plank salmon, grilled tuna or just with the sunshine.”It tastes like MORE!!”
Check out all their picks here!

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Found this article from Anthony Gismondi last night from when we first started out! Circa 2005. Pretty interesting read

“My guess is you are going to hear a lot more about the wine at Church and State in the future which can only be a good thing for Victoria. Stay tuned for more news as it happens.”

Read the full piece here

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“June has been a great month for Church and State Wines. On June 4th, proprietor Kim Pullen opened a new winery located next to the Coyote Bowl vineyard, on the renowned Black Sage bench. Three weeks later, he got to announce two Church and State wines had won awards at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.”

Read More Here

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2008 Church & State Chardonnay wins Double Gold – Best in Class

2007 Church & State Coyote Bowl Cabernet Sauvignon wins Double Gold

Arriving from all points across the United States, 45 wine industry professionals convened June 18th, 19th and 20th to evaluate 3,897 wines from 1,290 wineries during the San Francisco International Wine Competition held at San Francisco’s Hotel Nikko. In its 30th anniversary year, the San Francisco International Wine Competition examined wines from 28 states and 27 countries. The medal count included 160 Double Gold awards (a wine is elevated to Double Gold status when all judges on a particular panel agree that a wine deserves a Gold medal), 276 Gold medals, 1,118 Silver and 1,343 Bronze.

Read the story here.

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