Vista D’oro Winery is a ten-acre vineyard and orchard located in the Campbell Valley just 45 minutes south of Vancouver and minutes from the Ocean. Vista D’oro produces delicious hand-crafted wines and ciders.
Started by Patrick and Lee Murphy in the late 1990s, Vista D’oro Farms & Winery grows heritage orchard fruits, heirloom tomatoes and grapes and is dedicated to providing the ultimate agritourism experience.
The Vineyard
The vineyard was planted in 2007. The grape varieties were selected after research with the team at UC Davis. Lee & Patrick decided to self-root the vineyard to better withstand the growing conditions and to dry farm the vineyard. The white grapes include Schonberger, Pinot Gris, Siegerrebe, and Ortega. Chardonnay was planted this year around the sand-based horse riding ring for extra heat units. The red grapes are Marechal Foch and Leon Millot.
The Winemaker – Patrick Murphy
I am the winemaker and vineyard manager and oversee all operations. I would describe my winemaking style as Eastern European embracing each vintage as being one of a kind. A little on the natural rustic style with plenty of heart and soul.
We do not outsource any grapes as we are proudly estate grown, produced and bottled only.
The grapes we grow in our vineyards are grown naturally, to produce wines of truly unique layers of flavours.
Vintage 2018
The 2018 harvest is still out there hanging and I’m expecting a stellar harvest in early November. The grapes are hanging clean and with this super warm late autumn weather, I expect the grapes will yield super wines for early 2019 releases. The acid levels will balance out nicely for the full structure of mature fruits. Look for slightly higher alcohol levels as well.
By Patrick Murphy
The Wines
2008 D’oro Vin de Garde
The flagship of Vista D’oro, the fortified walnut wine is a blend of Marechal Foch, Merlot, Vista D’oro Green Walnuts and BC Brandy. Aged 8 years in French and American oak. This artisanal fortified port-style wine is made from BC’s finest vinifera and handmade in small batches. A truly unique offering.
The complexity of tastes in this port-like wine is apparent with the first sip. Fraser Valley walnuts picked green and long-soaked in an Okanagan Gamay brandy begin the taste experience. Cigar box, medicine chest, shoe leather—there’s a warm and slightly spicy cherry roundness to this rich mélange of organics, all carried in a Bordeaux-type blend of Okanagan Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Maréchal Foch harvests that linger long on the palate.
2018 Driveway Wine
The Vista D’oro driveway wine is a 50/50 blend of unsprayed estate-grown Marechal Foch and Leon Millot. Both originated in 1911 from the Alsace region in France and grow exceptionally in the wet clay terroir.
On the nose – bing cherries, vanilla and violet. On the palate, black currant, raspberry jam, scraped vanilla beans and yellow cedar.
For the complete portfolio of Vista D’oro BC Wines please visit the winery website.
Fig and Walnut Wine
Figs & Walnut Wine is probably the reason we are still in business! It’s been our best seller since we began selling it. I created this jam as a way to ‘legally’ sell all the test batches of walnut wine that Patrick was making in the ‘cave’ for the first five years, before we received our winery license. It’s a perfect pairing for Blue cheese but does well with almost any other cheese. Grilled pork tenderloin is a favourite combination as is a simple Crostini of Prosciutto/Blue Cheese/Fig and also excellent over cheesecake.
By Lee Murphy
Future Plans
New wines from Vista D’oro will always be unique and memorable like our Fortified walnut wine or our take on a classic orange wine style. Vista D’oro will continue to grow as natural as possible and embrace each vintage as being truly unique.
Source: Vista D’oro Farms & Winery provided the Vineyard information, p and BC wine tasting notes.