It was a beautiful sunny day when we arrived at Bench 1775 Winery around mid-morning. The winery is named after its address on Naramata Road. The 18.5-acre vineyard’s prominent features include a breathtaking view of the Lake Okanagan from the patio and a lengthy private beach, access to which is an added perk for wine club members. Bench 1775 now produces about 26,000 cases of wine annually. The winery has a very strong export business.
Wines from Bench 1775 are produced from grapes grown in the Okanagan Valley from three vineyard locations: Oxbow Vineyard, on the original Golden Mile in Osoyoos, and at Paradise Ranch Vineyard and Soaring Eagle Vineyard in the Central Okanagan. All the vineyard sites were analysed in detail before being planted with clones and rootstocks best suited to our soils and the climate.
Winemaking Team
The team is led by General Manager Henry Bian and Winemaker Richard Kanazawa.
General Manager
Henry Bain Joined Bench 1775 in March 2014 when the winery was purchased by Eric Liu, a low-profile wine-loving Vancouver businessman. Henry’s first job was as a cellar hand, then he took over property management for two years. During these three years, he also took part in bottling, warehouse management, accounting and the tasting room as needed.
From 2018-2019, he dedicated his time to the 30 acres new vineyard. He has been involved in all aspects of the winery over the past five years. Early this year he returned to the winery as General Manager. It was a fresh start for him. Henry has devoted himself to providing more excellent wines and a wonderful experience for all customers.
Winemaker
Winemaker Richard Kanazawa has built a solid reputation for producing unique and award-winning British Columbia wines. He joined Bench 1775 in 2013. Previously, Richard Kanazawa was the head winemaker at Red Rooster Winery and Blasted Church Vineyards, where he earned numerous awards including the prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s Awards, and helped the wineries become some of Top 20 Wineries in Canada as selected by the Canadian Wine Awards.
The Wines
After wandering through the well-appointed wine shop we checked in with Alex, a very knowledgeable wine enthusiast. Here are a few of the wines we tried:
Bench 1775 Chill 2018 ($16.45)
A blend of 7 varietals captures the fresh vibrant flavours of fully ripe fruit. Made up of mostly Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Viognier this wine has bright notes of lemon, guava, pineapple and gooseberry.
Bench 1775 Pinot Gris ($19.05)
The delicate profile with the barest hint of fruit sweetness makes this wine a pleasure to drink. Ripe apple, pear and peach on the nose with hints of caramel apple, bright citrus and finishing with juicy fruit.
Bench1775 Estate Sauvignon Blanc ($22.50)
With multiple picks of our Estate Sauvignon Blanc grapes, we are able to capture a range of flavour and aroma in this wine. We harvest 6 separate picks from our Estate vineyard to create 6 separate wines and then blend them together to create our 2018 Estate Sauvignon Blanc. 15% of the juice is fermented and barrel-aged in new French Oak and the remaining 85% is in stainless steel.
Winemaker Richard Kanazawa
The wine begins with aromas of gooseberry and grapefruit leading to lime and herbs on the long textural finish A bright crisp white with controlled acidity.
Bench 1775 Groove 2018 ($19.05)
62% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon 2% Syrah 2% Pinot Noir.. Aromas of plum and cherries with bright flavours of raspberry, currants and red cherries and a hint of vanilla on the finish.
Bench 1775 Pinot Noir 2018 ($25.40)
100% Bench 1775 vineyard from 10-year-old vines. A nicely balanced Pinot. On the nose delicate notes of thyme and cherry. On the palate, this wine has layers of complexity delivered by notes of anise, orange rind, cherry, dried herbs all overlaid with subtle notes of soft cedar box, and fine tannins. The finish is rich with dusty tannins.
Bench 1775 Merlot 2015 ($27.75)
This balanced Merlot is expressing the warm Okanagan vintage in which it was produced. Aromas of iris blossom and sage are followed by flavours of dark Okanagan cherry, soft plum, dried thyme with a long, velvety smooth finish.
Known for being soft, ripe, and elegant, Merlot is a versatile wine perfect to pair with rich roasted dishes covered in gravy with equally roasted vegetables.
Our personal favourites were the Sauvignon Blanc and The Groove Merlot Blend. You can find the Bench 1775 complete wine portfolio at the following link.
We can definitely recommend a stop at Bench 1775 the next time you are in Naramata.