Along with exceptional terroir, owners Ian, Jane, Matt and Christie Mavety credit their success to the integrity of their estate. To the Mavety family, “estate” means more than the piece of land; it extends to the practice of both viticulture and winemaking by the same owner-operators.
In 1971, as Ian completed his Agriculture degree, the Mavetys acquired the land which is now their vineyard. It is a site that has epitomized the wine industry in British Columbia — the undeniably striking scene of Blue Mountain’s vineyard has been the source for many travel publications. Overlooking Vaseux Lake, surrounded by protected wilderness area and framed by steep blue mountains, the prized geography of undulating hills and mountain protection was swiftly recognized to offer varying micro-climates. Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars can make the rare claim of 43 years of continuous grape production by one family.
Vineyard
Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars has 89 acres under vine.
The grape varietals include Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.
The Winemaker
Matt Mavety says he considers himself to be a winegrower, as opposed to a winemaker. His goal is always to make wines that are a true expression of the terroir of the Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars estate. As a second-generation member of the Mavety family that founded the winery, he says he finds it rewarding to participate in all aspects of Blue Mountain’s operations, from soil to bottle.
2017 Vintage
Matt provided the following comments. “As with every year, there were specific challenges that as wine growers keep us on our toes. A late start to the season with a cool and wet spring followed by a hot and dry summer brought challenges managing the early season vegetative growth. As we have seen over the last number of years the season seems to be more compressed and completing the manual work continues to be a challenge. For us, the fruit that we brought in at harvest was very clean and with great flavour profiles, and also slightly above average vineyard yields. Careful timing of the harvest was required to manage the acidity levels in this warm season. The potential of the 2017 vintage is extremely good, great freshness and bright fruits in all the wines.”
The Wines
Blue Mountain Pinot Gris 2017 has a citrus, mandarin orange, blossom nose with rich, dense orange and lemon flavours across the palate with notes of citrus, apple and spice on the finish. The structure of the wine will allow it to age beautifully for 4-6 years.
Blue Mountain Reserve Pinot Noir 2015 –The nose is crammed with bright cran/cherry/raspberry red fruit character, fresh sage, toasted rye bread and peppery spice. Very complex and outdoorsy aromas. It is mid-weight, firm, intense and sour-edged, again with all kinds of sage/herbal character on the palate. Very distinctive.
Blue Mountain Reserve Chardonnay 2015 – Complex and full-bodied, displaying delicate citrus blossom and fruit flavours, with sweet lemony spice and sur-lie character. This wine could age 5 to 7 years.
You can visit the Blue Mountain website for their complete portfolio of BC wines here.
Future Plans
Christie Mavety provided the following comments. “We continue to farm our estate of 35 hectares sustainably. There are no yeast additions for our wines except for our “
traditionelle methode ” sparkling wine during the second fermentation.We continue to focus on the care and attention given to our Reserve wines (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay).”
Source: The Blue Mountain Vineyard and Cellars provided the Winery and Vineyard information, Photos and BC wine tasting notes.