Tantalus Vineyard

About Tantalus Vineyard

Tantalus Vineyards is situated in Southeast Kelowna on British Columbia’s oldest continuously producing vineyard. Originally known as Pioneer Vineyards, the site was first planted to table grapes in 1927.
Today, 1978 plantings of Riesling and 1985 plantings of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier make up the backbone of the 75-acre estate.
Tantalus’ sleek and modern facility was opened in March of 2010 and has the distinction of being British Columbia’s first and only LEED-certified winery.

Representative Biography

David Patterson, Winemaker & General Manager

As Tantalus' General Manager and Winemaker, David Paterson brings a unique blend of Kiwi roots and Canadian ties to the world of winemaking. Born in Vancouver but raised in New Zealand, he earned his winemaking degree from Lincoln University in Christchurch, NZ. After gaining hands-on experience at Neudorf Vineyards in the local NZ industry, David embarked on a global wine journey, refining his craft at established wineries in both hemi-spheres.

Throughout his international adventures, David had the privilege of learning from esteemed mentors, including Anna Matzinger at Oregon's Archery Summit, Blair Pethel at Burgundy's Domaine Dublère, and Stephen Henschke and Paul Hampton at South Australia’s Henschke Cellars.
With a wealth of knowledge accumulated from these diverse experiences, David joined Tantalus in 2009, stepping into the role of winemaker. With several successful vintages under his belt, David took on the additional role as GM in 2016.

“I love cool climate Chardonnay because it expresses terroir so well, and when handled gently, it undeniably showcases some of those great pillars of wine: minerality, elegance and ageability.” David Paterson

Why We're Cool

At Tantalus we have always strived to express vintage and vineyard in all our wines, and as a single-vineyard producer, we are fortunate that our site provides us with the ideal growing conditions for high quality, cool climate Chardonnay.

Situated in South East Kelowna on a western aspect, our property features three unique blocks of Chardonnay – each one farmed, harvested and fermented separately.
At Tantalus, we have always aimed to express both vintage and vineyard in all our wines. Located in Southeast Kelowna on a 75-acre, west-facing slope, our estate property includes three distinct Chardonnay blocks, each farmed, harvested, and fermented separately to capture their individual character.

Our home vineyard Chardonnay (of the East Kelowna Slopes sub-GI) spans just over 10 acres, planted between 1985 to 2014 with a mix of early unknown clones, alongside Dijon clones 76, 95, 548, and the Wente selection. This diversity of vine age and clonal material on our cool, elevated site imparts natural acidity, texture, and layered complexity to the wine.

Alluvial, granite-based soils express structure and minerality in our wines, while large diurnal temperature shifts in the valley ensure great ripening conditions without losing the bright acidity that we strive towards. In the cellar we employ mainly wild fermentation, extended lees contact and little to no additions. No batonnage is performed after primary fermentation and malolactic fermentation takes place only when it occurs naturally.
Oak regimes vary across our Chardonnay tiers, with a selection of 100% French barriques and puncheons in the cellar.