Herder Winery & Vineyards

Perhaps because he is an American, Lawrence Herder is as independent-minded as any winery proprietor in British Columbia. He once was a leading partner in a winery in Paso Robles (it was also called Herder). When he decided to start a winery in British Columbia – his wife, Sharon, is Canadian – Herder headed not to the vineyard-crowded Okanagan but to the Similkameen Valley, which then had only two other wineries. Herder Winery opened in 2004. There are now five wineries in the appellation, with at least three others under development.

There is a contrary note on the back label of this wine. At a time when there is a veritable stampede to bottling wines under screw cap, Herder proclaims that this wine (and its companion Chardonnay) are closed with “natural cork.” So much for getting on board trends!

This proprietary white wine, of which only 185 cases were made, is Lawrence Herder’s venture into the art of blends a la Conundrum. The varietals and the blending proportions will vary from vintage to vintage. For this wine, he obtained fruit both from Similkameen vineyards and from Black Sage Road in the Okanagan and he used varied treatments, such as barrel-fermenting the Chardonnay. The result is a wine with an attractive light gold colour, aromas of pears and tropical fruits, a full body and layer upon layer of fruit flavour: pears, cantaloupes, papaya, with a dry finish. 88 points.

Reviewed September 8, 2006 by John Schreiner.