We are proud to announce that the 2008 Quintessential has placed 2nd in this years BC Icons Tasting, held by Simon Wosk of Sip Wines. Below is an excerpt from John Schreiner’s coverage of it, and you can read the full article here on John’s website.

“Church & State Quintessential 2008 ($50). This is a blend of five Bordeaux varietals (the percentage of each is not available). Each varietal was aged separately in French oak for 12 months and then, after the wine was blended, it spent another 12 months in French oak. The wine soaked up the wood very well; it does not intrude on the vibrant aromas and flavours of red fruit (raspberry, cherry), with hints of mocha and red liquorice. The fine-grained tannins give the wine a supple, accessible texture.” – John Schreiner

“This is a very professionally-run tasting. To begin with, the wines were all decanted several hours before the tasting. These were all young wines made, in general, to be cellared for 10 or so years, in the tradition of great Bordeaux reds. Decanting the wines and letting them breathe accelerates their development and enables us to enjoy them sooner.

The wines were served blind, one at a time, and in good stemware. No one, other than Sip proprietor Simon Wosk – who did not have a vote – had any idea what the order was until all the wines had been tasted and all the ballots were tallied.

Guests at the event were able to order their favourite wines. When a winery agrees to enter its wine, Simon makes every effort to get an allocation set aside for attendees at the tasting. For the most part, these wines are produced in small volumes, with sales limited to the winery and to very few wine stores.

There was one wine here that I had never even heard of. I suspect most of the attendees have not tasted most of these wines because they are so hard to get.

For collectors of fine British Columbia wine, this tasting should be one of the highlights of the year. None of these wines disappoint. Only three of the wines has less than 90 points on my score card (one 88 and two 89s). The others ranged from 90 to 95: impressive winemaking!”

The Hobbyists posted this little note about our new Chardonnay! We only just released the 2009 vintage in August and we’re almost sold out – the 2010 is going in bottle within 2 weeks!

“A lovely, soft golden colour,  this wine delivers scents of white peach, lemon and vanilla.  On the palate this gives way to richer flavours of baked apple, honey, lime and carmel.  A well balanced wine that is surprisingly robust for its delicate appearance and nose – further proof that first impressions mean little in the world of wine.

Try this with crab cakes or a garden salad with fresh cracked crab and you will not be disappointed.  It would also hold up very well to rich cream sauces.  Lykke Li’s Youth Novels should capture this wine perfectly – its mellow, but it has a bit of edge just below the surface.

 8.5/10.0     $25″

Full Article HERE

We’re pleased to announce the 2011 schedule for Church & State Wines’ Dinner Series. For each week, executive chef Candace Hartley has created a unique themed menu, showcasing different local regions, a specific ingredient, or certain style. Join us starting July 7th for an experience your taste buds won’t soon forget!

“Sun Wing Farm’s Bounty” – Date: July 7th & 8th

“Berry licious”- The Fruits of our Labor – Date: July 20th & 21st

“Summer’s Organic Farmer’s Market” – Date: July 27th & 28th

“Local Seafood Festival” – Date: August 3rd & 4th

“Spanish Tapas” – Date: August 10th &11th

“Its Corn Time” – Date August 17th & 18th

“Salmon Five Ways” – Date: August 24th & 25th

“Digging the Potato” – Date: August 31st & September 1st

“Its all about the Pig” – Date: September 7th & 8th

“Slow Cooked & Comfortable” – Date: September 14th & 15th

“The Magic of Mushrooms” – Date September 21st & 22nd

“Tribute to the Cowichan Valley” – Date: September 28th & 29th

“Celebrating The Wine Harvest” – Date: October 5th & 6th

“Thanksgiving The Easy Way” – Date: October 10th

“Halloween Party” – Date: October 31st

Dinner- Forty Dollars,
Dinner-with Wine Pairings- Fifty-Five Dollars

250-652-2671, 1445 Benvenuto Rd, Brentwood Bay

Info @ www.churchandstatewines.com
Reservations Recommended

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.

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!

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.

In case you haven’t found us there already, Church & State Wines is on Facebook and Twitter! We post day to day happenings around the winery, short-time deals and opportunities, and photos and videos of the vines, winemaking and anything else we happen to catch on camera.

Join the conversation and follow us at:

www.facebook.com/churchandstatewines

www.twitter.com/ChurchStateWine

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.