Ring in 2024 with the best, seven stars SIRIUS! Named in honour of the brightest star gracing our evening skies, seven stars Sirius 2016 is the crown jewel in our sparkling wine collection. A GOLD medal winner earlier this month at the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition 2023, this single vineyard wine is crafted with fruit from our south Langley vineyard, which was planted over two decades ago. The temperate climate of this coastal area is ideal for growing cool climate grapes with low brix and high acidity. We harvested, pressed, and fermented the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir together. Only the free run juice in the cuvée lot was used for Sirius to produce a sparkling wine with great finesse, subtle aromas, and a refreshing palate with good aging potential. The wine was en tirage for 60 months for complex autolytics and to soften the acidity. Crafted in the traditional Methodé Champenoise style, this resplendent Brut effuses a lively spirit, unveiling aromas reminiscent of freshly baked brioche with a complex and intense autolytic character derived from the extended aging on lees. The wine was then bottle aged for one year prior to release. A pristine palate of baked apple and honeycomb flavours show against a delicate, creamy and soft mousse, underscored by a distinct, cleansing acidity. Nuanced and luminous, Sirius is a beautiful reflection of its distinctive terroir.
Anthony Gismondi of the Vancouver Sun, writes, “Winemaker Mary McDermott has assembled a first-class sparkling wine program at Township Seven, and Sirius is one of the stars. I like the apple brioche dusted in citrus, followed by a creamy, mineral, red berry character that runs through the finish. Lean, stylish, and will keep for years in the bottle, this is a top flight BC bubble you should try before it all disappears.”
BC wine author, John Schreiner, states, “This wine is in one of the most elegant packages of any traditional method sparkling wines…. This sophisticated wine has aromas and flavours of brioche mingled with citrus and apple. The fine and persistent mousse gives the wine a creamy texture on the finish.”
The Wine Diva, Daenna Van Mulligen recommends, “Serious, complex, elegant. Township 7 was one of the first BC wineries to make a traditional method sparkling wine, in 1999…. The 2016 Sirius is golden shade with a fine bead. Notes of quince and yellow apples, toasted lemon brioche, bergamot tea and bruised peaches. It has amazing balance and complexity with notable autolytic flavours, which mimic the nose, Creamy berry lemon and yellow fruit flavours dominate the palate. It has wonderful length and is seamlessly elegant.”
Noted Ontario wine critic, Tony Aspler comments, “A traditional blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fermented together. Bright, straw colour. Active mousse of tiny bubbles. Citrus and green apple and baked bread nose; rich mouth feel with a touch of honey in mid-palate; beautifully balanced with a rich mouth feel.”
Neal McLennan wine writer for Vancouver Magazine, wrote in November on the previous vintage, “I feel I could win a year’s worth of (wine) bar bets with this bottle, which underscores a true statement: some of the best sparkling wine in North America is being made in the Fraser Valley. Exhibit A is this traditionally made, classically conceived, lovingly aged stunner that will have even the most ardent Francophile nodding with appreciation. Fine bubbles, toasty round texture, elegant finish. A winner.”
Wishing you a joyous and prosperous New Year!
