The wines of 40 Knots, Vancouver Island, Canada
Website: https://www.40knotswinery.com
Vancouver Island is one of Canada’s lesser known wine regions, but it is gaining traction. It hit the headlines when Jackson Family Wines made an investment here, buying Unsworth Vineyards in the Cowichan Valley. This is cool-climate viticulture: unlike the main BC wine region, the inland Okanagan Valley, there is no rain shadow effect on Vancouver Island, and it can be cool with some growing season rainfall. I recently tasted through these wines from a producer new to me, 40 Knots, who are based in the Comox Valley.
40 Knots Spindrift Extra Brut 2021 British Columbia
11.8% alcohol. Traditional method, low pressure (2.5 bars). A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This is fruity and very lively with high acidity, and notes of apple and lime, as well as a touch of sour cherry. It’s tangy, bright and assertive with some herbal hints on the finish. Very cool climate and quite bracing, this has a lot of energy. 88/100
40 Knots Soleil Rosé X Brut 2021
11.8% alcohol. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Second fermentation in bottle, low pressure (2.5 bars). Pale pink in colour, this is juicy, zesty and vivid with tart cranberry and cherry fruit as well as some lime, with high acidity. This is a real wake-up for the mouth. 86/100
40 Knots Siegerrebe 2023 Vancouver Island
12% alcohol. This is really pretty and expressive with lovely taut citrus fruit with some pear and green apple. It’s light, fruity and juicy with nice acidity, and just a touch of green herbs. A lovely, balanced cool-climate white. 88/100
40 Knots White Seas 2023 Vancouver Island
12.4% alcohol. 100% Epicure grape variety, pH 2.98, 14 g/l residual sugar. Lively aromatics with lime, a twist of marmalade and some green apple. In the mouth, this is quite intense with lots of lively citrus fruit, a hint of honey and apple, and the high acidity countered well by a touch of sweetness. Mouthfilling and intense, this offers quite a flavour spectrum. 87/100
40 Knots Pinot Gris 2023 Vancouver Island
10.7% alcohol. This is taut, bright and zesty, but really well balanced. Showing high acidity, it offers juicy pear and lemon fruit with a hint of grapey richness. Fruity, alert and quite bracing, but with nice purity. 89/100
40 Knots White Pinot Noir 2022 Vancouver Island
10.7% alcohol. Just a hint of colour here. Juicy, bracing and bright with keen acidity supporting the lemon and cherry fruit, with a bit of grapey depth on the mid-palate. Vivid and tart, but with nice fruit. 88/100
40 Knots Auxerrois 2023 Vancouver Island
11.7% alcohol. This is really appealing with well balanced pear and citrus fruit with some green apple and red cherry around the fringes. The high acidity is well balanced by the fruitiness. Finishes juicy and alert. 89/100
4 Knots Rosé 2023 Vancouver Island
12.3% alcohol. Pale in colour, this has some appealing strawberry and cotton candy notes as well as vivid lemon and pear fruit, finishing with nice acidity. It’s fruity and juicy with a lot of energy. 87/100
40 Knots Carombolage 2023 Vancouver Island
12% alcohol. A blend of Pinot Noir with Gamay and Cabernet Libre, aged in stainless steel. Juicy, sappy perfumed aromatics of red berry fruits. The palate is juicy, sappy and bright with tart cranberry and raspberry fruit. Refreshing and pure, with high acidity, and nicely integrated green notes. 87/100
40 Knots Gamay 2022 Vancouver Island
12.2% alcohol. Aged in stainless steel. Bright, herb-scented cherry fruit nose with a hint of reduction. Bright, vivid raspberry fruit palate with nice cranberry tartness alongside the sweet, focused fruit. It’s very cool-climate with high acidity and a green edge to the fruit, but it works quite well. 89/100
40 Knots Pinot Noir 2022 British Columbia
12% alcohol. Aged in amphora. Light, fruity and juicy with a slight herbal edge to the sweet cherries and plums. There’s some elegance here, with a warm, stewed plum edge to the soft fruit, but also some nice acidity. 87/100
40 Knots Pinot Noir Classic 2023 Vancouver Island
11.5% alcohol. Aged in amphora. Grandly bottled and wax sealed. This has beautifully elegant red cherry, strawberry and redcurrant fruit with some brisk acidity, but it integrates well. There’s some silkiness here, and the fruit is just on the right side of the cusp of ripeness, and it shows lovely delicacy as well as appropriate structure. A lovely cool-climate Pinot Noir with potential for development in bottle. 93/100
