Phantom Creek Estates Winery
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How we selected this winery
After diligently sheltering at home for two long years of the pandemic, we looked
forward to our Osoyoos wine trip like a pair of kids desperate to get to an ice cream shop. In the spring of 2022, when we finally made it there, we could barely recognize the place.
We used to drive by the massive construction site that is now the Phantom Creek Estates on our way to Burrowing Owl Winery for as long as we can remember. Back in the summer of 2019, the place looked like it was on a long journey to completion. But in the spring of 2022, as we were driving up the Black Sage Road, there it was, looking every bit finished. Somewhat reminiscent of a concert hall, the building of the Phantom Creek Winery is meant to generate a lot of awe. Of all the new wineries on the block, this was the winery that picked out curiosity. We felt compelled to learn more.
A bit of history
Being the curious types, we sussed out the story behind the structure that, back in 2019, so aptly reminded us of a proverbial money pit. Formerly owned by the late Harry McWatters, an Okanagan pioneer winemaker, a 60-acre property with a perpetually under-construction 25,000-square-foot structure used to be a location of a little-known Sundial Vineyard. Then in 2016, it was sold to a Vancouver-based businessman, Richter Bai, who, we were told, was purchasing quality vineyards in the area for quite some time. The Sundial vineyard, together with the unfinished building, is what formed the nucleus of the Phantom Creek Winery.
As the pandemic started to wane down in early 2022, Phantom Creek winery opened its doors to the public. It boasts a stunning new structure that includes an events room, tasting rooms, winemaking facilities, an amphitheater, and a restaurant.
To dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s, Phantom Creek bagged itself a Napa Valley winemaking royalty, Mark Beringer, to be their director of winemaking. A Frenchman, Olivier Humbrecht is their consulting winemaker.
You can see how it all adds to a pretty impressive scorecard, don’t you? However, the big question that remained open for us was, is there a substance behind this impressive façade? We had to visit the Phantom Creek winery and find out for ourselves!
Winery visit
Phantom Creek winery is open to the public. And a good thing it is! This place is – in and of itself – a destination, even if you are not a wine drinker. The grounds of the winery are immaculate. The restrained beauty of their landscaping. The gently piped music throughout the vast parking lot. Towering winged sculptures welcome you as you make your way to the main winery complex.
You do not need an appointment to drop by and get a bottle or two of their wines. If you want to taste their wines and learn more about them and their winery, you need to book a tasting or a tour.
Their wine tasting and tour options are designed to fit a variety of budgets. We picked a seated premium tasting that, in May of 2022, came at $52 for the two of us. At the time of writing, the cheapest tasting will set you back about $20. Not exactly cheap, by the Osooyos wine country standards. Unlike other wineries, you do not get any discounts with a purchase or any money back when you buy a wine tasting or tour with Phantom Creek Winery.
On the day of our visit
Being sticklers for punctuality, we arrived right on time. We promptly confirmed our appointment with a concierge at the reception and patiently waited to be seated. Even though our wine tasting was on the first long weekend of the spring, the place was not exactly overflowing with people.
Phantom Creek wine tasting room opens up to a terrace with an expansive view of the vineyards. It is impossible not to marvel at the quality of materials that went into the wine tasting room construction that showcases the best of modern design. But when the purpose of your trip is wine tasting, gawking at the intricate wooden ceiling can only last for so long.
Meanwhile, the tasting room staff seemed intent on playing “You are Invisible” game. After observing, for what seemed like an eternity, the gorgeous décor, we felt compelled to remind of our presence and our significantly delayed tasting appointment. By the time we succeeded in getting attention and got seated, all we wanted to do was leave.
The cold shoulder we got from the winery staff hardly helped to create an atmosphere for us to fully enjoy their wines. It is unfortunate because, as we found soon enough, Phantom Creek makes wines of great quality.
Wine tasting
Our purchased wine tasting experience included a limited selection of the winery’s current releases. This is how the wine tasting works: a Brand Ambassador shows you a list of wines, and you pick your first wine selection. You get your first glass of wine, enjoy it, and move on to your next wine pick.
You can ask Brand Ambassador questions, if you wish, about, well, anything. And ask we did. You see, when we visit a winery, we like to learn more about its history, the winemaking process, where its grapes come from, vinification methods used, if they reuse their barrels and what sort of barrels they use, etc. We ask these questions not because we want to sound like proper wine snobs but because that is how we get the knowledge that helps us understand the wines better.
On this occasion, our questions produced a totally unexpected result. After our Brand Ambassador had to ask around to answer one of our questions, we suddenly got special attention from one of the Phantom Creek winery experts. From this point on, our wine tasting experience improved markedly. Not only we got all our questions answered. More remarkably, the wine expert started bringing us wines that, without a doubt, were not meant to be part of our wine tasting repertoire.
We were gobsmacked by such a turn of events. There had to be a reason behind our rapid succession from the invisible guests to the VIP guests category.
The secret of our newfound popularity was soon revealed. As it turned out, on that same day, Phantom Creek was expecting a visit from the California VIP winemaker. Apparently, they attributed our curiosity and questions to us being the “Mondavi people”. Without a doubt, they were disappointed when we denied being in any way associated with Mondavi. To their credit, they kept the face, and the wine kept coming.
Phantom Creek Wines – how they started
Thanks to the case of mistaken identity, we learned a lot about Phantom Creek and their wines.
To begin with, we were surprised that Phantom Creek managed to produce wine so fast after being in operation for so little. The easy answer was that they kept the vines and vineyards “as is” and were not planning to replant them. We were told that the previous owner of the vineyards was a bit of an eccentric and was very particular about the vines he was growing. All the wines we drank were coming from well-established and, very importantly, biodynamic and organically farmed vineyards.
We can’t comment on the quality of wines produced by previous owners. We can certainly comment on the quality of Phantom Creek wines.
The wines crafted by Phantom Creek are as close to great as they possibly can be in the Okanagan winegrowing region.
The wines produced here are not likely to be compared to those made in California, France, or Germany. Neither they need to be, as Phantom Creek’s wines so brilliantly showcase the terroir that, in our opinion, is so unmistakably Okanagan.
Phantom Creek Wines – 2022 release
We usually like asking about the maturation of the wine process used by the wineries we visit. We ask this question because we prefer well-oaked wines. If we cannot taste the wine, knowing how it was aged gives us a better idea of what to expect and helps us decide if we want to buy it.
Having asked this question a couple dozen times, we discovered that they prefer American oak in Europe, whereas, in North America, they prefer to age wines in French oak. One Californian winemaker told us that they only use brand-new barrels. They then sell their used ones to the less well-off winemakers. In Canada, most of the winemakers we know of mature their wines in 50/50 new and used oak barrels. When it comes to wine maturation, Phantom Creek managed to surprise us. The white wines we enjoyed and wanted to take home with us were maturated in Austrian oak. Frankly, before we visited Phantom Creek, we didn’t even know that Austrian oak was a “thing” for wine aging.
At the time of our visit, the wine lineup available for tasting looked like this:
Estate Wines:
2019 Riesling ($33/bottle), 2018 Viognier ($40/bottle), 2018 Chardonnay ($40/bottle), 2018 Rosé ($40/bottle), 2018 Cabernet Franc ($33/bottle), 2018 Merlot ($42/bottle), 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($45/bottle) and 2018 Petite Cuvée ($45/bottle)
Kobau Vineyard Wines:
2018 Syarh ($65/bottle), 2018 Cabernet Franc ($65/bottle), 2018 Cuvée ($80/bottle)
Becker Vineyard Wines:
2018 Merlot ($55/bottle), 2018 Cuvée ($60/bottle), and 2016 Cuvée ($70/bottle)
Small Lots wines (wine club exclusive):
2020 Semilkamen Chardonnay ($48/bottle), 2018 Block 1A Syrah ($55/bottle), 2018 Block 1B Carmenere ($95/bottle), 2018 Petit Verdot & Malbec Co-ferment ($80/bottle), 2018 Merlot & Cabernet Franc Co-ferment ($55/bottle)
Phantom Creek Vineyard wines (wine club exclusive):
2018 Syrah ($100/bottle), 2018 Malbec ($90/bottle), 2018 Malbec & Merlot Co-Ferment ($90/bottle), 2018 Cuvée ($150/bottle)
Wine selection
All the wines we tasted ranged in quality from good to exceptionally good.
Phantom Creek Vineyard Cuvée is clearly shaping up to be their flagship wine. The best way to describe it is a Bordeaux blend with a twist. The twist in this wine is aptly represented by the addition of Syrah to the otherwise classic combo of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. This goodness comes at a price of $150/bottle, which likely will be considered as high by most visitors to Okanagan. If money is not an issue, consider getting a bottle or two to drink now or letting it age for later.
The less pricy ($80/bottle) and hands down our favorite was the 2018 Kobau Vineyard Cuvée. It is predominantly Cabernet Franc which makes it less tannic and more approachable. We were not too impressed by their Chardonnay but liked their Riesling and Viognier. It could be that aging in Austrian oak made both of these wines quite unusual compared to anything else we tried in the area.
The wine we took home with us
When the time came to pick the one to take home with us, several factors played into our decision. Firstly, we considered the potential food pairing for our selected wine.
Secondly, we thought about the occasion when we may enjoy our wine. And yes, the price tag did play a role. With the summer not too far away, we looked forward to enjoying lighter seafood meals. It had to be something we could enjoy in a casual atmosphere, perhaps with an intimate group of friends or just by ourselves. It had to be a wine to pull out of a wine cabinet to go with an especially successful weekend seafood dinner. The truth is, we enjoyed both their Riesling and Viognier. Both of these can work well with seafood. After much debate and staying true to our promise to never buy more than one bottle from any winery we visit, we settled on the 2018 Estate Viognier.
Bottom line
The Phantom Creek is a Downton Abbey of the Oliver and Osoyoos wine country. Its staff seems determined to act out the most snot-nosed snob characters of the above-mentioned series’ butler world. They treat you based on how you look and what they think you represent in this world or in the wine-making industry.
However, Phantom Creek makes good wines. How good? So good that we reluctantly have to assign a tag of a “Destination Winery” to Phantom Creek and recommend that you visit them when you make your way to Oliver or Osoyoos next time. Just make sure to watch out for resident Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes!
Stay tuned to learn how we fared with our food and wine pairing of Phantom Creek wines.
Related posts: Phantom Creek Rosé & Pinot Gris wines review