
Purchased by Clos du Soleil in 2018, La Côte Vineyard has been granted organic certification.
Clos du Soleil’s La Côte Vineyard Now Certified Organic
Clos du Soleil is delighted to announce that their La Côte vineyard is officially certified organic. This means that all four Clos du Soleil-owned vineyards are now 100% organic, farmed biodynamically, and Biosphere Committed.
Located just down the road from the Clos du Soleil Estate Vineyard on the Upper Bench of the Similkameen Valley, Clos du Soleil purchased La Côte Vineyard in 2018. At that time, the team immediately began converting the vineyard to organic and biodynamic practices, in line with the winery’s existing viticultural methods. The process was also key to “our philosophy of producing wines which speak strongly of terroir and place, and the care we put into both our winemaking and our stewardship of the land,” says Winemaker and Managing Director Michael Clark.
Today, that persistence and vision has paid off, and La Côte Vineyard is now certified organic, which means that all four of Clos du Soleil’s owned vineyards, totaling 30 acres of vines, are certified organic.
“Organic certification is really central to our whole approach at Clos du Soleil,” explains Clark on the pursuit of organic certification. “We put a great deal of effort into producing wines of place, wines that speak of the land on which they were grown. Organic practices are a crucial part of that process by encouraging healthy soils, and healthy vines, which make for more expressive wines. I’m so pleased that La Côte Vineyard has achieved full certification now, as this recognizes the effort we make to showcase both terroir and sustainable farming practices and, ultimately, winemaking which prioritizes minimal intervention and maximum flavour in the bottle.”
Vineyard and Operations Manager Steve Roche concurs: “We are delighted that La Côte, like our other vineyards, is now certified organic as farming this way plays an important role in showcasing our commitment to the land and making sure everything we take from it is not only replaced, but made better by our practices. Organic farming is also key to preserving the character of the soils and the terroir of this unique place in our wines. Keeping the soils alive and healthy through organic farming practices allows us to extract the most delicate characteristics from these living soils in which our vines are thriving.”