The Pokerface Vineyards

Most premier Okanagan labels bet the pot on grapes from their own vineyards - even when the harvest yields fruit unworthy of their label.

A disciplined Hold'em player, Holger Clausen never risks so much. If a grape variety is less than stunning at harvest time, he simply folds on that wine that year.

But when the quality's there, Holger goes "all in" on the most exclusive, costliest fruit in the Valley. With unbarred access to 400 acres on the coveted benches of Black Sage, Osoyoos Lake and Naramata, he sources from specially tended packets as small as five rows.

ACES' growers adhere to a rigorous regimen: vines are worked exclusively by hand, unneeded leaf removed, fruit mercilessly thinned, and water judiciously applied or withheld. Holger obsessively monitors for optimal maturity and unparalleled flavour, and settles for very small, select yields - 1.5 to 2 tonnes per acre in contrast to the typical 4 or 5.

The Pokerface Vineyards' prime locations ratchet up the odds for superlative varietal character and quality.

The Sonora Desert's Black Sage Bench between Oliver and Osoyoos boasts the ultimate conditions for photosynthesis and fruit maturation: 2000-plus hours of annual sunshine; long, sere days with cool evenings; and mineral rich, sandy soil extending as deep down as 300 feet.

On the desert's Osoyoos Bench, Canada's highest annual temperatures and lowest rainfall nurture fully-mature, flavoursome fruit. Just 200 feet above Osoyoos Lake and its cooling effects, the bench annually receives 1450 Celsius degree days on average - 1390 is considered Class 1, optimal for wine grapes. (In contrast, Napa Valley averages 1,379; Coonawarra, Australia 1,363.)

The ten-kilometer Naramata Bench is arguably the most breathtakingly wine region in North America, with undulating, vine-studded hillsides perched atop clay cliffs that plunge straight down to the Okanagan Lakeshore. Excellent soil conditions, macro-climate, and exposure add up to optimally mature fruit at harvest time.

With the Okanagan's most prestigious and costly grapes in hand, winemaker Jason Parkes expresses his talents to the utmost. You can always anticipate a sweet deal from ACES.