Author: Dirk Chan
Since 2006, Clos du Soleil is a small artisan winery and estate vineyard on the Upper Bench of the South Similkameen Valley, in British Columbia. The house style is one of Old World elegance and New World edge which are elegant, complex, and age-worthy. Founded by a small group of friends, they own estate vineyards which are arid, hot, with a desert-like climate, with rocky, mineral-rich soils that produce truly distinctive wines of ripe fruit character, fresh acidity, herbal notes and striking minerality.
The winemaking team uses traditional winemaking techniques, informed by research, while adhering to the philosophies of minimal-interventionist winemaking, and organic and biodynamic viticulture. The resulting wines borrow an aesthetic derived from the great chateaux of Bordeaux, but are stamped with the flavours and aromas of their terroir.
The name Clos du Soleil, a French term meaning an enclosed Vineyard of the Sun, refers to the rocks, soil, and sun, which together define this very special piece of land where the grapes grow. The name also highlights the long days of sun which pour in on the Similkameen Bench, one of BC’s most unique and promising microclimates.
Please join us on Thursday, June 1 @ 7pm as deVine welcomes winemaker, general manager, and co-owner Michael Clark for a stand-up tasting. He was originally trained in Theoretical Physics, then followed a career in investment management in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Obsessed with wine from a young age, Michael gained training in winemaking in Geneva, Switzerland, and Bordeaux, France, followed by the winemaking program from the University of California, Davis.