This spring we visited Black Market Wine Co. in Kaleden to taste the new releases. You will notice that all the labels for the new wines are paper with no more painted glass.
This is an extensive BC wine portfolio. Aromatic whites, a delicious Provençal-style rosé and elegant reds. There are also sparkling wines that will soon be bottled.
The Wines
Black Market Bacchus 2020
Bacchus is a German grape variety (Silvaner/Riesling/Müller-Thurgau cross) that produces lively, aromatic wines that are naturally low in alcohol.
“This is the third year we’ve made Bacchus, but the first year that we bottled it as a varietal. We have a little over two acres of Bacchus in the Kaleden vineyard. It took me a couple of years to gain the experience and confidence to work with the grapes in both the vineyard and the winery.
The trick I’m finding with Bacchus is the acidity and that was the lessons we learned in the first couple of years in terms of the optimal time to pick it. The acid decreases at a rate quicker than the sugar accumulates. So it’s always that balance. Is there enough sugar to make a wine with enough body and flavour, but still enough acidity to keep it fresh and crisp? Last year was just a perfect season for Bacchus. The grapes were picked at 21.5 Brix. The yields were down in 2020 and the Bacchus yield 3 tons per acre “
Rob Hammersley, winemaker
12.2 % Alcohol, TA 6 gm/L, RS 3 gm/L
The wine has an intensely aromatic nose of white blossoms, citrus with a hint of herbs. Fresh flavours of Meyer lemon, Key lime, white peach, honeycomb with a hint of mint and eucalyptus. A lovely rich mouthfeel and long finish. 91 Points
Black Market Secret Society White 2020
This is Black Market’s Seventh Secret Society vintage of their highest volume white wine. Only stainless steel fermentation for this fruit-forward wine. This is the driest vintage to date. The blend is not disclosed on the label but is rumoured that for 2020 the blend contains Bacchus, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat. An aromatic white, the wine is crisp and dry and food-friendly.
12.2 % Alcohol, TA 6 gm/L, RS 2.7 gm/L
Secret Society has a lovely floral aroma of rose petals, lychee, citrus and a hint of butterscotch. Dry on the palate with a viscous mouthfeel. Flavours of grapefruit, baked apple, citrus and kiwi are all balanced together with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness. 90 Points
Black Market Unsanctioned Sauvignon Blanc 2020
The grapes for this vintage of Sauvignon Blanc are from the SLOW Vineyard in Naramata, a sustainable west-facing vineyard with rich clay soils that produce beautiful aromatic wines. This vineyard is always one of the last that is picked. The wine is so expressive because of the long hang time.
The wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve the freshness and vibrancy of the wine. A small portion was aged in a neutral oak barrel.
The Unsanctioned Series wines are special high-quality wines normally sold only through the tasting room and the wine club.
“The 2020 Vintage has a slightly leaner profile than 2019 because we didn’t bottle 2019 until the fall. So it had more time in the tank to settle down. This year the white wines were bottled March 16/17th.”
Rob Hammersley
12.4% Alcohol, TA 7.8 gm/L, RS 0.9 gm/L
Absolutely bursting from the glass with aromas of grapefruit, Meyer lemon, white peach, pineapple and hints of flint. On the palate, the electric Okanagan fruit notes shine through, with a subtle hint of herbs. The wine has a light creamy texture with a long finish. 92 Points.
Black Market Collusion 2019
50% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% Sémillon.
The Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the SLOW Vineyard in Naramata, the Sémillon from a vineyard between Oliver and Osoyoos. The Sauvignon Blanc was so dominant that this year it was reduced from the normal 75% in the Collusion blend. A portion of the Sauvignon Blanc was fermented and aged in neutral oak barrels. The rest of the Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel. The Sémillon was barreled fermented and aged in neutral oak for 10 months.
The blend is a marriage of the acidity and the brightness from the Sauvignon Blanc with the texture and the creaminess from the Semillon.
11.8% Alcohol, TA 7.3 gm/L, RS 1.4 gm/L
The vibrant dry white blend has perfect acid levels with citrus blossom on the nose. On the palate honeydew melon, gooseberry and grapefruit, minerality, caramel and butterscotch from the addition barrel ageing and with a light to medium body. A very elegant white wine. Great to drink alone or paired with seafood. 92 Points
Rob expects to release this vintage in mid summer.
Black Market Unsanctioned Series Sémillon 2019
The wine is 100% barrel fermented and barrel aged. About a third of the Sémillon went through malolactic fermentation to soften the wine.
11.5% Alcohol, TA 6.0 gm/L, RS 1.3 gm/L
A floral aroma of ripe apple, pear, citrus and honey. Flavours of fresh peach, apple, and lemon. The wine has a creaminess to the texture resulting from the barrel ageing and lees stirring. The wine has bright crisp acid levels. 11.5% Alcohol. 91 Points
Black Market Pinot Blanc 2020
The Kaleden vineyard has half an acre of Pinot Blanc. The Pinot Blanc is barrel fermented and barrel-aged with neutral oak. With yields of two tons per acre, the grapes show an incredible depth of flavour and aroma. Hand-harvested early in the morning to preserve the acidity, the grapes were lightly pressed and then the juice was fermented in neutral barrels. 50% of the barrels used wild yeast. After fermentation, the wine was aged a further 5 months in barrel, with batonnage every two weeks to build body and texture. The oak character is perceivable but doesn’t dominate.
13.5% Alcohol, TA 7.1 gm/L, RS 3.0 gm/L
The wine really has character. Aromas of baked apple, white peach, fresh-baked croissant, almond and lemon zest. Look for rich, complex palate notes of pear, ripe red apple, bright citrus and lightly toasted hazelnuts that are framed by a creamy texture and a long finish. 92 Points
Black Market Omertà Rosé 2020
A crisp, dry Provençal-style rosé made from 100% Syrah. The delicate very pale pink hue of this rosé perfectly disguises the vibrancy that lies within. Handpicked and hand-sorted, the wine was gently whole-cluster pressed over a 4-hour period. Only free-run juice made its way into this wine.
12.7% Alcohol, TA 6.0 gm/L, RS 1.3 gm/L
This fruit-forward bone dry wine has amazing depth and complexity. The vibrant nose has aromas of wild strawberries, cherries and a hint of floral. On the palate, crisp acidity and bursting with red berries, watermelon, citrus and rhubarb. 92 Points. This wine is already sold out at the winery.
Black Market Secret Society Red 2019
“We were wanting to offer a wine that is a bit more approachable right out of the bottle. Many of our bigger, well-structured reds really reward the consumer with a bit of patience, as they tend to develop with some cellar ageing. 180 Cases of the 2018 Secret society were bottled in September and sold out by January. The wine sold very well in restaurants. So this year we bottled 280 cases of 2019. The 2019 vintage is more of a reflection of where this wine should be positioned. It is the perfect wine for the tasting room as you are able to interact with guests as they guess what varietals are in the wine.
A blend of 5 varietals, but dominated by Syrah and Cabernet Franc. Aged for 15 months in mostly neutral oak barrels with some American oak for quicker extraction.”
Rob Hammersley
This wine will sell out again quickly as it is a great buy at under $30.
13.5% Alcohol, TA 6.0 gm/L, RS 2.3 gm/L
The wine opens with seductive aromas of dark fruit, cloves and cedar. Flavours of black cherry, red plum, leather and pepper linger on the palate. Nicely balanced between the fruit, light tannins, acidity and oak. This wine is enjoyable right out of the bottle but will cellar for up to 5 years. 91 points.
Black Market Unsanctioned Merlot 2018
100% Estate Vineyard Merlot and the first Black Market vintage made from grapes grown at Conviction Ridge Vineyard in Kaleden. Aged for 24 months in mostly neutral oak barrels. In the future, Rob would like to experiment with Hungarian oak for a more gentle extraction process. The wine will probably be released this fall.
14.4% Alcohol, TA 6.4 gm/L, RS 2.8 gm/L
On the nose intense aromas of black fruit. Flavours of black cherry, blackberry, leather, cloves and earthiness. Medium – full-bodied with grippy tannins. Still young and a little austere but very drinkable now. Definitely decant and aerate before serving. A fantastic food wine. 90 points
Black Market Syrah 2018
This is the fifth Black Market vintage of Syrah and I have been fortunate to try them all. The 2018 Syrah was co-fermented with 4% Viognier. 2018 was another cooler vintage. Due to the smoke in the valley and the resulting lack of intense sunlight, the sugar level in the grapes was lower than normal even though hang-time resulted in ripe tannins and perfect flavour, acid and pH levels.
After de-stemming and a light crushing, the grapes underwent a 2-day cold soak. After a slow and warm fermentation, the wine underwent another 18 days of maceration to extract more phenolic compounds. The wine spent 20 months in 20% new French and American oak barrels. 13% Alcohol.
13.0% Alcohol, TA 6.6 gm/L, RS 2.3 gm/L
The Syrah is medium-bodied with smooth tannins and a hint of acidity. This is a very elegant Northern Rhône style wine. Aromas of violets, smoke and red cherry are followed on the palate by savoury notes of black cherry, bacon, vanilla and cinnamon. The wine lingers with white pepper on the long finish. Drinkable now but will definitely improve with age. 250 Cases produced doubling production over the 2017 vintage. 92 Points.
To purchase these exceptional wines please visit the Black Market Wine Co. website.
To see the tasting notes for previous vintage please go to Black Market Wine Co. Launches Secret Society Red.
Future plans
We were planning to start the new building this year. But until we can get a full normal season and determine how much traffic to expect we will delay the building. Hopefully, by this time lumber price will return to a more normal level.
We may remove part of the Bacchus vines and plant Chardonnay or Chemin Blanc in the vineyard. Chemin Blanc is really versatile and lends itself to a variety of different wine styles.
The Black Market Wine Co. website is currently being upgraded to a purpose-built Commerce7 winery website that should be available for consumers to purchase wines by mid-summer.