Robbie Hundertmark ushers me and my partner onto the roped-off, members-only terrace at Mission Hill Family Estate. There, in the shade (mercifully), a table is set with two sparkling-wine glasses. Hundertmark, Mission Hill’s wine ambassador, uncorks a bottle of Lanson Champagne. And then he leaves.
As I sit there, sipping my crisp glass of bubbly, I can feel my stress begin to subside. We hightailed it from Vancouver this morning, making the four-and-a-half-hour drive to the Okanagan with just enough time to drop our bags at the hotel and snag an Uber to Mission Hill — a stunning, sprawling organic winery perched atop West Kelowna’s Mount Boucherie. Hundertmark, sensing our slightly frazzled energy, intuits that what we might need in this moment is nothing more than a glass of cold wine and some silence. He’s right, and it sets the tone for what proves to be one of the most impressive wine tastings in all of the Okanagan.
Mission Hill launched this Iconic Oculus Experience in July, offering guests an elevated, intimate, relaxed, and personalized way to engage with the brand. No two Iconic Oculus Experiences are alike, with each one tailored to the guests’ preferences and tastes. “It’s a spare-no-expense mentality,” says Hundertmark. “All of these small details make up a larger picture and feeling.”
My journey begins with that glass of bubbly and some salted almonds, because Hundertmark has also rightfully guessed that we might be a little peckish after our drive. The bottle is left on ice beside us: a classy way of saying, “Have as much as you want.” When Hundertmark returns a little while later, we are led into a small and cozy movie theatre. Two fresh wine glasses and a large bowl of popcorn sit waiting for us.
Hundertmark opens a bottle of Mission Hill’s 2022 Perpetua: their top-of-the-line Chardonnay. It achieves a delicate complexity through the braiding of styles, with a blend of grapes that has been aged in steel, oak, and concrete eggs. The steel gives the wine its bright acidic notes; the oak gives it body and muscle; and the concrete provides minerality and plushness. It pairs amazingly with the popcorn — which has been tossed in lemon and truffle oil — that we tuck into while a short movie explores Mission Hill’s artisanal style of winemaking.
Afterwards, we’re whisked through a secret door and find ourselves outside once again; we are then taken down some steps, past the winery’s apiary — there are half a million bees on-site — and into the expansive barrel cellar. The space, which can hold 800 barrels, was carved right out of the mountain rock and provides all-natural cooling for the resting wines. Off to one side, behind a set of locked iron gates, sits Mission Hill owner and visionary Anthony von Mandl’s personal bottle collection. On the left are bottles he’s been gifted; on the right, meanwhile, is every vintage of Oculus: Mission Hill’s highest-tier red, and the inspiration for this entire experience. But I’m getting slightly ahead of myself.
We try a sample of red wine right from the barrel, and I’m surprised by how delicious it already is, full of life and complexity. For comparison, we then taste the 2020 Quatrain: a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 18 months in French barrels, resulting in a big, bold, meaty red.
From there, we are led back upstairs to the grand finale: The Chagall Room. Wooden double doors standing 24-feet tall are opened dramatically to reveal a stunning space within, which was inspired by von Mandl’s own living room. “Everything has meaning,” says David Amos, Mission Hill’s retail merchandising consultant. “Anthony wanted it to look like it was a home.”
The result is an eclectic, luxurious mix of artifacts, artworks, and furnishings — some of them from von Mandl’s personal collection. There’s the Yamaha grand piano once owned by juggernaut music producer and composer David Foster, which is signed by the likes of Céline Dion, Robin Williams, and Barbra Streisand. There are Louis Vuitton trunks, which have been turned elegantly into coffee tables. There’s a sculpture by Paris-based artist Nathalie Decoster. And there is the room’s pièce de résistance: a one-of-a-kind tapestry woven by Belgian master craftswoman Yvette Cauquil-Prince that was inspired by Marc Chagall’s 1969 painting, Bestiaire et musique.
All of this is the setting in which we try three vintages of Oculus. First is the 2012: a full-bodied blend of merlot, cabernet franc, and cabernet sauvignon, with notes of dark fruit and tobacco. Next is the 2014: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon come together for this elegant and robust sip, which has hints of blackberry, cherry, and spice. Finally, we taste the 2020, which made headlines late in 2024 for becoming Canada’s first-ever 100-point wine. “No notes,” says Hundertmark. “It’s the best of the best.” It’s balanced, smooth, elegant, and a little surprising — a fitting end if there ever was one.
