Golden Mile Cellars

Mick and Pam Luckhurst were industry novices when they bought Golden Mile three years ago. In an amazingly short time, they have transformed the property into one of the Okanagan’s leading wineries, growing and buying the best grapes they can and then handing them to winemaker Michael Bartier, a rising star among British Columbia vintners.

Originally, Golden Mile’s claim to fame was the building. The founding owner, nostalgic for the Europe of his youth, built a winery resembling, on a smaller scale, a castle that Mad Ludwig of Bavaria might have built. (Ludwig was considered mad because he spent the state’s treasure on charming castles rather than on going to war, unlike his peers.) Not sentimental about castles, the Luckhursts next year will build a more efficient winery, increasing production.

That certainly is welcome news for Golden Mile fans. In the 2004 vintage, the winery was able to make only 145 cases of this Cabernet Franc. It is now hard to find a bottle anywhere but on a restaurant wine list. Dark in colour, this is a wine with a huge, punchy aroma of currants and vanilla. The wine delivers what the nose promises: rich and vibrant flavours of plums, currants, cherries and spice that linger on the palate. 87 points.

Reviewed November 16, 2006 by John Schreiner.