Church & State is head and heart, change and tradition, roots and growth. Church & State is in constant conflict, yet always in perfect balance.
Who Is Church & State Wines?
Kim Pullen founded Church & State Wines in 2004. Purchasing a 25-acre estate on the Saanich Peninsula, which had been home to the defunct Victoria Estate Winery, Kim set about to build the winery as a producer of premium and super premium wines.
Originally, the winery sourced fruit from independent growers in the Okanagan Valley, and in 2005, Kim purchased Rattlesnake Vineyard, a 15-acre plot on the Golden Mile side of the South Okanagan. Named for the large population of rattlesnakes that pass through the vineyard to the water source below, it was chosen for its fabulous sun exposure and sweeping views of the valley.
The next acquisition was the Coyote Bowl Vineyard, which had originally been three contiguous 10-acre orchards, situated along a large gravel bowl on the Black Sage Bench. The first day Kim walked the property, he noticed a coyote skirting the bottom edge of the bowl – the name became instantly obvious: Coyote Bowl. It would be this vantage point where in 2009 Kim would build his new Okanagan winery, as well as plant some of his highest quality vines, suitable for the Quintessential Bordeaux blend.
The third piece in the vineyard puzzle was the property now called Bella. The youngest of the three vineyards, Bella was planted with Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier to produce “TreBella”, our Rhone blend. Drawing inspiration from the Rhône blends of France, TreBella is our interpretation of this timeless style of wine.
To date, Church & State has amassed a total of 125 acres of estate vineyard land, exclusively in the South Okanagan, including the Second Chapter, Foundation and Détente Vineyards.
In 2008, Church & State Wines moved its wine-making operations from Victoria to the South Okanagan Valley, acquiring a large cold storage facility, and re-purposing it for wine-making. The Victoria location would turn its focus to producing sparkling, island-grown wines; while the Okanagan continued to produce renowned premium and super-premium still table wines.
A New Sub-Brand
In 2015, Church & State launched their new sub-brand, Lost Inhibitions. Featuring the now iconic patchwork letters, and multitude of sassy phrases, Lost Inhibitions quickly became an international hit, being covered by traditional mainstream media like Doctor Oz and the Globe and Mail, as well as going viral on social media in the fall of 2016, making tens of millions of impressions globally. Lost Inhibitions has begun to expand its distribution across the US, and will be entering Australia, New Zealand and the UK in 2017.
Signature Series
2017 will mark the introduction of Church & State’s new Signature Series, a new line of premium wines featuring individual calligraphic scripts interpreting the style of the wine bottled. The script work was done by renowned Brazilian calligrapher Jackson Alves, whose work is showcased on each bottle in a clean, minimalist white on black motif. These wines will be very limited productions, and predominantly winery-direct exclusive.
A First Sparkling Wine
The 2017 Vancouver International Wine Festival will also be the first unveiling of a 1999 Traditional Method Sparkling Pinot Noir. Originally started under Victoria Estate Winery and winemaker Eric Von Krosigk, this wine spent the next 15 years in riddling racks in the cellar. Church & State became its custodian in 2004, and after finishing the wine in 2016, it will finally be unveiled and released at the festival.
Where to Find Us and the Wines We Will be Pouring
Tasting Room Public/Consumer
Other Events
