“Averill Creek Vineyard is located in the heart of Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley, where the dry, temperate climate lends itself to all the hallmarks of cool climate viticulture. The unique combination of soil and aspect make it an ideal place for growing cool weather varietals.
The soil under Averill Creek is Royston-Qualicum (a blend of glacial sand and gravel). Sloped and well drained, it is perfect for viticulture. A vertical shoot positioning system (Guyot) is used to allow for optimal photosynthesis, air circulation, and ripening.
While the Cowichan Valley is prone to long, dry summers, the southern aspect of the vineyard captures and holds heat making it several degrees warmer than the surrounding valley.
Averill Creek’s small-lot plantings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Maréchal Foch, Foch Cabernet, Cabernet Libre, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier are cared for by hand, and pruned to yield approximately 2.5 tons/acre. While some varietals can produce much more fruit, our yields are kept low to increase the quality of fruit harvested.” – Averill Creek Team
With their sharp, modern packaging change and the latest vintages of Somenos, and Joue Series of wines, it’s safe to say that Averill Creek has positioned themselves among the best on the Island.
The Somenos Gris & Pinot Noir are complex while approachable, balanced, premium wines.
The Joue Series of blended wines are like your favourite sauce, they go with anything and everything, or enjoyed on their own.
We’re offering the below 5 wines at a great price for the month of August, $2.00 OFF/bottle, and in our Wine Mail #30 package.
Prices are pre-tax & deposit.
Joue White, 12% $23.83
Structured, textured, and lightly saline, with precise layers of fruit. A clean, aromatic nose exudes white flower and fresh rain. The palate transitions from vibrancy to a softer, round mid-palate before culminating in a talcy, textural acidity.
“40% Pinot Gris, 40% Gewurtztraminer and 20% Chardonnay from our estate. A warm, dry summer, followed by a cool, cloudy autumn. Permaculture and dry-farming practiced in the vineyard, on glacial stone and loam soils. The varietals were harvested by hand, sorted and foot stomped. They were left on skins for 8 hours and then whole-bunch pressed without sulphur. Fermentation by indigenous yeast was completed in old French oak barriques. The wine was left to age on primary lees, without battonage until just before bottling. Nothing has been added to this wine, no yeast, enzymes, nutrients, or S02. Unfined and unfiltered.”
Joue Red, 11.5% $23.83
Juicy, bright and exuding perfume and expressive fruit. Contrasting structural and textural elements render this a refined, highly consumable red.
“The fruit came into the winery almost exploding with freshness. To harness that we fermented it all whole bunch and in stainless steel vats with no yeast, enzymes, nutrients or S02 added. After two and a half weeks we pressed the wine off and aged in stainless steel tanks. The resulting wine had intense perfume and incredible fruit intensity but lacked a bit of structure. To compensate for this used an technique from Veneto in Italy to naturally build some structure back into the wine. The 2019 Somenos Pinot had plenty of structure, so much so that when pressing we cut the press cycle short at 1 bar. When we dumped the press the marc (skins and stems from ferment) still had plenty of material and goodness left in it. Not wanting to waste this we added the wine from the Joue back into and onto of these skins, left it over night and pressed it the next day. So essentially a Vancouver Island version of ripasso. Not only did this build structure and texture to the wine, but it gave another level of complexity and depth to the perfume and fruit profile.”
Joue Rosé, 12.5% $23.83
Not for the faint of heart: a powerful, intense blend, full of bright fruit flavour, balanced with a dried-flower savouriness. This not-so-little number will entice you towards another bite of food, another sip of wine, repeat.
“A warm, dry summer, followed by a cool, cloudy autumn. Estate-grown, using permaculture and dry-farming, on glacially deposited stone and gravel soils. Pinot Noir and Foch were pressed-off, and de-stemmed wholeberry Gewurz and Pinot Gris were added on top of the red juice. A red ferment in essence, but with a cap of white berries. It was punched down about once daily, then pressed-off, blended and left in tank on primary lees until bottling. No yeast, nutrients, enzymes, or sulphites added; unfiltered and unfined.”
Somenos 2018 Pinot Noir, $43.57
Pretty and perfumed, the red and dark fruit in this wine maintain freshness, while spice and savoury character offer dimension and complexity. These elements are supported with persistent acidity and ripe, seamless tannins.
“A favourable warm, moderate growing season. Estate-grown, using permaculture and dry-farming, on glacially deposited stone and gravel, and sandy-loam soils. Burgundian clones 667 and 777. 100% Whole-bunch fermented in a 6-ton French oak vat. No pump-over, only pigeage. The ferment is tasted daily and a cap management strategy is dependent on taste. Pigeage is typically 1-2 times a day; in the height of 3 times if there isn’t too much extraction. Elevage occurred in French oak barriques (8% new, 62% 1yr and 30% older than 3yrs). No yeast, enzymes or nutrients have been added and it was bottled unfiltered and un-fined. A small Sulphur addition was made just before bottling.”
Somenos 2019 Pinot Gris, $28.26
Brimming with energy, texture and intensity. Lees ageing builds mid-palate density and salinity that counterbalances the fresh fruit and tactile acidity. The freshness and tightness is carried across the palate with a persistent, generous finish.
“Estate-grown, using permaculture and dry farming, on glacially deposited stone and gravel, and sandy-loam soils. A cooler vintage: the fruit comes from a well exposed part of the vineyard that consistently has more concentration and depth. Fruit foot-stomped and left on skins overnight. Spontaneous fermentation carried out in mostly old oak barrels (85%), 1yr old barrels (10%) and new barrels (5%). Aged in original vessel for 18 months on primary lees without battonage.”
For this BC Wine Feature: Averill Creek August Feature Wine Mail Package, we’re offering one of each of these 5 wines for $143.57 + tax & deposit for a total of $165.10 with FREE local delivery.
Feel free to call 250-995-2665 to customize an order or visit our Online Store to build your own basket.
Cheers!
- Joue Red, 2020 (11.5%)
- Joue White, 2019 (12%)
- Joue Rosé, 2019 (12.5%)
- Somenos 2018 Pinot Noir (13%)
- Somenos 2019 Pinot Gris (13%)