Church & State Wines

The Dekleva Family Vineyard, located south of Oliver in the viticultural area known locally as the Golden Mile, is a legendary British Columbia Chardonnay producer. Planted in 1971, it is now operated by the second generation of the Dekleva family to grow grapes in the Okanagan. The quality of the Chardonnay in particular is notable. In the 1992 vintage, Dekleva Chardonnay was the backbone of the Mission Hill Chardonnay that won the Avery Trophy two years later at the International Wine and Spirits competition in London. The vineyard also grew the Chardonnay in the 1999 Mission Hill wine that scored the only gold for Canada at the 2001 Chardonnay du Monde competition.

Vancouver Island businessman Kim Pullen has been aggressive in his strategy to turn around the struggling Victoria Estate Winery that he bought in 2004. He relaunched it as Church and State, hired California winemaker Bill Dyer and snapped up top quality Okanagan grapes, including the Dekleva Chardonnay. True to form, this wine won a silver medal at the recent Okanagan Wine Festival.

Only 181 cases were made. The wine is being released next spring but Church and State has announced that it is taking orders. This is a vibrant wine, with tropical fruit (pineapple) on the nose. The wine’s fresh acidity lifts the flavours, a medley of citrus and apple tastes subtly enhanced by oak and lees notes. There is elegance and balance here. 88 points.

Reviewed December 14, 2006 by John Schreiner.