Our vineyard is located in the Fraser Canyon across the Fraser River from the town of Lillooet. While Lillooet is one of the Hot Spots in Canada, our average summer temperatures are slightly lower than the South Okanagan, because our night time temperatures are lower. These cool nights are ideal as they allow the vines to rest before another hot day in the summer sunshine. The Cascade Mountains to the west keep rain and clouds away, ensuring that the vines receive plenty of sunshine.
The vineyard is located on a bench above the Fraser River. The bench was created millennia ago when glaciers dominated the valley, depositing gravely soils while winds brought a thin loamy and sandy capping. These rapidly draining soils, poor in organic materials, provide a great foundation for our vines, which will need to work hard to produce quality fruit.
In May 2009 we planted 20 acres with six varietals: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. After careful consideration, we have chosen various rootstocks and clones to ensure early ripening and increase the complexity of our wines.
In 2011, we expect our vineyard to hang ripe with grapes for the first time, ready to be turned into carefully crafted wines.
Climatic and Soil Information
The climatic conditions in Lillooet are similar to the Southern Okanagan Valley.
- Annual sunshine in Lillooet is not measured, but a nearby location has similar results as the Okanagan.
- Lytton (64 km south of Lillooet): 1915 hrs per year (1558 hrs from Apr 1st to Oct 31st) [1]
- Kelowna: 1954 hrs per year (1602) [1]
- Oliver: 1948 hrs per year (1573) [1]
- Champagne: 1895 hrs per year2 [2]
- Burgundy: 1965 hrs per year [2]
- Growing Degree Days are slightly higher than in Oliver
- Lillooet: 1307 GDD [1] (1345 GDD[3] between 2000-2003)
- Oliver: 1292 GDD [1]
- Keremeos: 1321 GDD [1]
Average frost free season of 188 days [4]. Occurrences of frost in April and October in Lillooet are 50% lower than the occurrences in Oliver [1].
The soil is well suited for growing quality wine grapes.
The soil on the property can be described as:
Gravely, coarse textured fluvioglacial deposits with thin loamy or sandy eolian cappings, slightly to very stony, rapidly drained [5].
This soil has a medium to low nutrient and water holding capacity. The surface and subsurface samples have low conductivities (low salts), which is very good. The pH values in the [soil] samples are good to acceptable [6].
[1] Canadian Climate Normals 1971-2000, Environment Canada
[2] James E. Wilson. 1998. Terroir The Role of Geology, Climate and Culture in the Making of French Wines, p. 36.
[3] British Columbia Grape Growers Association, March 2008, Progress Report 2007 Climate and Feasibility of Growing Wine Grapes in the Lillooet-Lytton Area, Table 8 p. 18.
[4] British Columbia Grape Growers Association, March 2008, Table 7 p. 18.
[5] G. Young, M.A. Fenger, and H.A. Luttmerding. 1992 Soils of The Ashcroft Area, British Columbia, Soil Survey Report No 26. MOE Technical Report 23. Map 92I/NW. Scale 1:100,000
[6] J. Vielvoye, P.Ag. 2008 Suitability of property at 1881 Highway 99 N, Lillooet, B.C. for the commercial production of wine grapes p. 4. (These conclusions are based on the results of analyses of soil samples taken from the property. Testing was performed by Bodycote Testing Group).
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