Clos du Soleil Virtual Wine Tasting Featuring Winemaker Michael Clark & Acclaimed Sommelier Leagh Barkley
So, THIS is happening! Clos du Soleil is hosting our first ever live virtual wine tasting, featuring acclaimed Canadian sommelier Leagh Barkley. We’d love for you to join us!
WHEN: Friday May 1st, 7pm, PST
WHERE: Instagram Live – @closdusoleilwinery
WHAT: A tasting of some of our top-selling wines – Signature, Capella, Célestiale & Fumé Blanc, & General Wine Chat
WHO: Leagh Barkley, currently wine director for Toptable Group’s Il Caminetto Italian fine dining restaurant in Whistler, will join Clos du Soleil winemaker Michael Clark in a tasting of some of our top-selling wines ~ Signature, Capella, Célestiale & Fumé Blanc ~ as well as a general, and generally entertaining, chat about wine.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: You can buy the wines we will be tasting in one of two ways:
1. Shop our online store ~ free shipping on all orders & 10% discount on orders of 6+ bottles. (Please note that while we will do our best to get the wines to you in time for the tasting, some lead time is required if you purchase your wines for the tasting this way.)
2. Buy available Clos du Soleil wines at participating Toptable Group Restaurants, including: ~ Elisa, Vancouver; Bluewater Cafe + Raw Bar, Vancouver; Il Caminetto, Whistler; Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar, Whistler; as well as Toptable’s specially-designed take out and contactless delivery concepts, Toptable2U Vancouver & ABC Eats Whistler.
More about Leagh Barkley, Wine Director at Toptable Group’s Il Caminetto Restaurant, Whistler
Last year, Leagh Barkley of Whistler’s Il Caminetto was named one of British Columbia’s top three sommeliers, making it onto the podium out of a dozen contestants at the B.C. Sommelier of the Year competition, hosted by the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS). For Barkley, however, this honour is but one amongst a long, distinguished list of accomplishments.
A leading Canadian sommelier, Barkley is also a professor, wine merchant, bartender/mixologist and a classical musician, having studied classical trumpet at the Vancouver Academy of Music. He has apprenticed at restaurants in Italy and France, where he lived in Bordeaux from 2012 to 2018, rising to sommelier at some of France’s most notable bistros and Michelin-starred restaurants. He has won the Bordeaux Sommelier Competition in 2017, and he holds the distinction of being the first Canadian to earn the International ASI Sommelier Diploma in Paris in 2018. He also was honoured with one of the Top Three Best Restaurant Wine Lists for the cellar he built at Le Chapon Fin (according to Terre de Vins magazine in 2018).
Perhaps most important of all though? Leagh Barkley knows good wine. And he loves sharing his knowledge with customers and virtual guests alike. We are thrilled that he has agreed to host our first ever virtual wine tasting with Clos du Soleil winemaker Michael Clark on our Instagram Live: @closdusoleilwinery.
More about Toptable Group, toptable2u Vancouver & ABC Eats Whistler
The chefs from Toptable Group’s Elisa, Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, and Thierry in Vancouver, and Araxi, Bar Oso and Il Caminetto in Whistler have collaborated to bring a new concept to you during these unique times. Toptable2U Vancouver and ABC Eats Whistler, provide take-away menus of housemade provisions, prepped meal kits for at home cooking, and farm-to-table produce selections curated for the home kitchen.
Toptable believe that the souls of their restaurants can be found in their kitchens, and this philosophy lives on as Toptable Group brings their kitchens to yours in the hope that their offerings bring a little joy around the table until we meet again.
More about the Featured Clos du Soleil Wines
SIGNATURE: Signature is our flagship blend of red Bordeaux varieties, produced by hand, and aged for 15 months in French oak barrels. Look for layered flavours of sun-ripened cherries, raspberry, cassis, mint and blackberry, with complex notes of graphite, sagebrush and pepper and a delightful freshness. Buy Signature here
CAPELLA: Our flagship white wine is a classic Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. It is a wine of grace, elegance and age-worthy structure. The palate shows an array of flavours: lemon zest, ripe grapefruit, Anjou pear, pineapple and wisps of wood smoke all tied together with bright, crisp citrus acidity. Buy Capella here
CÉLESTIALE: Célestiale is Clos du Soleil’s Bordeaux-style blend that is soft and full of fruit with an elegant and classic structure. Expect soft and layered flavours, dominated by fresh ripe fruit flavours of raspberry, blackberry, and pomegranate, with more subtle notes of forest undergrowth, and refreshing acidity. Buy Célestiale here
FUMÉ BLANC: Clos du Soleil’s Fumé Blanc is a full-flavoured, aromatic take on Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Look for flavours of ripe apples and pears, complex layers of citrus including characteristic varietal flavours of grapefruit, as well as a subtle hint of oak. Buy Fumé Blanc here