Crafting a tale of time, terroir and gentle winemaking

Clos de Soleil is located in a microclimate defined by rocks, soil and sun. Photo courtesy of Clos du Soleil

Michael Clark considers himself a storyteller, only, he says, “I’m not telling stories through words, but through wine. It’s a story of a time, a vintage and a particular landscape.”

As winemaker and general manager at Clos du Soleil, a multi-award-winning Similkameen Valley winery known for its elegant Bordeaux-style reds and whites, he sees his role as “doing as little as possible in the cellar. My job is to guide the wine and listen to the wine.”

That extends to using mostly wild fermentation. “Even though it makes for a slower process, it makes for a more complex wine, and wine that has a real sense of place,” he says. “Everything we do is about being as gentle as possible when it comes to handling the grapes or the juice. We don’t manipulate anything, the juice or the wine.”

It helps, of course, that Clark has exceptional fruit to work with from Clos du Soleil’s sun-soaked organic and biodynamic vineyards.

Most of the time.

As everyone knows by now, back-to-back killer cold snaps meant the Similkameen Valley produced virtually no grapes in the 2023 and 2024 vintages. For 2024, Clos du Soleil sourced grapes from like-minded growers in Washington state; the first wine made from those, a 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, has just been released. “My mission is still to communicate terroir through wines, even if it is a terroir a few hours south,” Clark says. “We’re still working with really interesting sites that have something to say.”

He adds: “These wines were made in Canada, both in spirit and a from a legal sense. These are very high-quality wines that are supporting our B.C. wine industry.”

The story he’d really like to tell is about how the valley is bouncing back, ready to welcome visitors to its tasting rooms and to share the exceptional wines from this unique place on Earth. He also wants people to know that —contrary to what some people think—there is plenty of wine to enjoy, including 100 per cent BC VQA whites, rosés and reds.

For instance, among Clos du Soleil’s new releases is a 2022 Similkameen Valley Syrah that he describes as “really ripe, juicy berry fruit, both black and red, spiciness, black pepper, floral notes, maybe a bit of violet.” It also has the gravel and graphite flavours and aromas that are “the telltale marker of the Similkameen Valley.” He is passionate about Similkameen Syrah because, he says, “It’s unlike Syrah from the Okanagan Valley or anywhere else in the world.”

Also coming out shortly is the flagship Bordeaux-blend Signature from the 2021 vintage, an especially good year in the Similkameen. It has already won double gold at the Sip Northwest competition.

And another new launch features the Lumiere collection of lower-alcohol wines, which, despite being only 9% ABV and an estimated 80 calories per serving, are “designed to be as close as possible to a traditional wine from a sensory perspective.”

Add to that the good news that most of their vines survived the freezes and they expect a grape harvest this coming autumn. “We have some lovely wines coming out,” Clark says.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:

Clos du Soleil Winery
For more info, visit closdusoleil.ca

Vitis Magazine

Vitis is is an indispensable seasonal guide for vintners, sommeliers and weekend imbibers alike that is dedicated to British Columbia’s rapidly evolving wine culture.