Tag Archives: British Columbia

May9

Hester Creek Barrel Selects Merlot 2011

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Hester Creek Barrel Selects Merlot 2011

HC_2011-Merlot This wine is like a old-time fairy tale of sorts, in my mind. And in a good way. Picture for yourself a forest floor of blackberries blueberries and black currants, juicy and supple forest fruit from the late summer. It’s a comforting scene in mouth and mind, but as with any old school fairy tale, there’s a darker side. Wonder what it is that goes bump in the night? It’s that beast that only wine drinkers know so well. Indeed, the oak monster lurks in the shadows. But don’t be too afraid, especially if you’re not shy about the soft vanilla and toasty notes it brings to the table – there’s a harmonious balance of oak and fruit here.

And for such a young thing, it’s mature for its age, and instantly drinkable. Tannins are smooth, the mouth feel “round” for lack of a better word, and without heat despite clocking in at a hair above 14%. Perfect pairing for your favorite red meat off the grill, but stands up well on its own as a sipper.

As a footnote of sorts, Hester Creek states that this wine is aged in specially selected barrels. I’m curious, who selects them and what’s the criteria? Are the other barrels envious? And did the selector of barrels at any time stop and mutter to themselves “these are not the barrels you are looking for”? Let me mull on these with another glass.

Feb15

BC Reforms Wine Laws

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BC Reforms Wine Laws

This week, the British Columbia provincial government announced some wine law reforms to continue to open things up and update laws, many of which date back to Prohibition.

It’s one small step for the wine industry but is probably feeling like one giant leap for the Liquor board, but even small victories are welcome in this wine land where public and private co-mingle.

Among the reforms:

  • Private liquor stores can now set up shop next door to government stores. Previously, there was a 1km minimum limit unless the general manager was willing to waive the rule.
  • Independent wine stores and VQA wine stores are included in a category of wine stores that are now considered licensees. What does this mean, you ask? Basically, it makes everyone subject to the same regulator. Wholesale prices won’t be affected, and no new licenses will be granted at least at this time.
  • Breweries and distillers can now more freely operate tasting rooms.
  • Small or mid sized wineries (and breweries and such) can now have a direct relationship with up to three retail establishments (e.g., bar, restaurant, private liquor store).
  • And, last but definitely not least, the provincial government has appointed Herb Leroy as “Wine Envoy”, tasking him with helping to open up interprovincial wine shipping laws. And it looks like Herb is quick to get going. At least he’s updated his LinkedIn account to state Wine Envoy as his current job.

To get down to the nitty gritty and a sense of the ridiculousness posed when these laws were not yes passed, hop on over the Mark Hicken’s Wine Law website.

Feb4

A Canadian Foursome

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A Canadian Foursome

There’s nothing like a quartet of Canadian wine to pass the weekend. This time we were tasked with west coast wine from the Okanagan Valley in that best of natural playgrounds, British Columbia.

Let’s see what the

The 2010 Noble Ridge Meritage, a blend of predominantly Merlot grapes with some Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French and American oak barrels, is a friendly and fruit-forward with a little spicy kick. Berries abound, driven first and foremost by blackberries. Built to please, this one’s a crowd pleaser.

About Noble Ridge: Jim and Leslie D’Andrea began the Noble Ridge winery in 2001. When they purchased the property it had only 3.5 acre of vines. Since then they have planted an additional 18 acres. Tending to vineyards and making the wines is all done by hand.

The 2010 Sonoran Estate Winery Jazz Series Riesling Gewrurztraminer, is a crisp blend with an aromatic component to please any Gewurz lover. Green apples and stone fruit, and a hint of citrus. Great balance! And do I have a daring pairing for you with this one – roasted kale chips. It surprised me how well the roasted kale and this wine go together, but there was a harmony in my mouth that was pretty damn astounding!

About Sonoran Estate: “Immigrants from Holland in 1982, the Smits family were Fraser Valley flower growers until moving in 2000 to a Summerland orchard set on a dramatic slope overlooking Lake Okanagan. After opening a highway-side bed and breakfast, the Smits replaced the fruit trees with vines, opening a winery with the first fruit from the vineyard. The varieties grown include merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay, gewürztraminer, riesling, ehrenfelser and pinot blanc. In 2007, the family moved from the original Sonoran winery, which had difficult highway access, to a high-traffic site on the wine route in Summerland. Beginning with the 2005 vintage, Sonoran now releases its premium wines under the 13 Moons label. Inspired by the lunar cycles, the label also signals a commitment to biodynamic practices.” — BC Wine.com

2009 Dunham Froese MDC, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Zinfandel, and 25% Syrah, is about as approachable as wine can get. Silky smooth, with the softness of a cool blueberry pie. A great solo joy, it doesn’t need food to make it memorable. The wine is a tribute to Dunham Froese proprietor Gene Covert’s late father, who was an avid Cab drinker.

About Dunham Froese: Dunham Froese, now known as Covert Farms, was founded in 2005 together by the Covert and and Froese families. Those wines from the early years were well received and the winery was named “Best New Winery to Watch for” in 2008 by the Okanagan Wine Festival Society. In 2011, the Covert family assumed full ownership.

2011 Platinum Bench Chardonnay, the inaugural release of this wine. It’s got even oaky backbone to make us know it means business, but without taking away that citrusy zing. MIngling iwth that citrus are crisp Granny Smith apples and a melony softness. Very refreshing on the finish. We previously wrote about Platinum Bench’s 2011 Gamay Noir and Pinot Gris, which we were fans of, so it’s very interesting to find another potent weapon in their vinous arsenal. These folks have sure come out swinging. Production is only 350 cases.

About Platinum Bench Estate Winery: We truly don’t know much yet about the Platinum crew. They’ve barely gotten here, and they’re winning awards and storming palates. The Oliver, BC winery was established in 2012 by Fiona Duncan and Murray Jones. And there’s a dog named Wally. What more is there to know?

And that’s all folks. Truly, it is.

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For more on wines from the Okanagan valley, this is the best book I know.

Nov5

New Releases from BC VQA Wines

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New Releases from BC VQA Wines

New releases of British Columbia VQA wines are being rolled out, and we had the chance to taste a few. Among the wines, there are several whites form the 2011 vintage, which was a challenge as the growing season was late from beginning to end. There was the second lowest number of growing degree days (more on that here) since serious wine was made in British Columbia. In other words, it was a very cool year.

Saxon 2011 Gewurztraminer – Light straw in the glass. Passion fruit so genuine there’s the same prickliness as when easting a passion fruit, rose petals, lychee. Juicy minerality.

All in all, a more discreet Gewurz on the drier side of middle – I mean, who needs all that perfume anyway? Saxon dubs it a “priot sipper”and who are we to argue, but I’d also be ready and willing to tuck into some curry with this Gewurz.

Joie Farm 2010 Reserve Chardonnay (10 months in oak) – Light gold in the glass. On the nose, mango, tangerine, white spring blossoms, apricot, and ginger of the ale variety. Smooth on the palate, with mango, tangerine, butterscotch, apricots and peaches, and ginger. This one’s young, so let it breathe so coax out the best.

Joie Farm’s 2010 Reserve Chardonnay was a bronze medalist at the All Canadian Wine Championship in 2012.

Laughing Stock 2011 Pinot Gris – A shy nose of pears, but a lemon-lime peel ‘n’ pulp party in the mouth. Nice dose of acidity.

Laughing Stock added a new winemaking tool to their fermentation of the 2011 Pinot Gris. If addition to having 53% of the juice in French oak barrels and 39% in stainless steel, 8% was in concrete eggs.

Young & Wyse 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon – Opaque ruby in the glass. Baking spices, a smooth infiltration of oak that delivers toasty and vanilla notes. Sweet blackberries, black currants and black cherries. Chewy tannins. Juicy mouth feel. Bottled without fining or filtration.

Stephen Wyse was at Burrowing Owl for 10 years before departing to run his own family winery. He was a big part of Burrowing Owl’s success, so it’s no surprise he’s succeeding on so many levels at Y&W. The 2010 Cab Sauv, which won a Silver Medal at the 2012 All Canadian Wine Championships, is a fine example of this.

Tinhorn Creek 2009 Merlot – On the nose, jammy raspberry, cedar, plums and vanilla. On the palate, much of the same raspberry, plum and cedar. Pleasant acidity, and well integrated tannins.

Stag’s Hollow 2011 Simply Noir (Gamay, Pinot Noir, Merlot) – Reminiscent of a Beaujelais Villages style. Fruit-forward with sugar plums, banana peel. Such a great choice if you want to go red with whatever fowl you’re preparing.

Note: The Quinta Ferreira 2011 Chardonnay was suffering from bottle shock, so we are unable to provide tasting notes on it at this time.

Oct25

Summerhill Pyramid Winery Baco Noir 2009

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Summerhill Pyramid Winery Baco Noir 2009

The ’09 Summerhill Pyramid Winery Baco Noir (13.5% alc.) comes from organic and transitional grapes from the Okanagan valley in British Columbia, Canada.

It is almost opaque ruby color, typical for Baco Noirs. Initially tight on opening, aromas of leather, something on the sweeter side of a cigar box, spices, and a vague hint of liquorice root developed. In the mouth, there is the acidic tartness of swamp cranberries, and black berries.

This Baco Noir took a while to open up so take your time getting to know it. The notes that develop are well worth it.

It pairs well with game, lamb, or a rack of ribs with good ol’ barbecue sauce. I can also tell you what it definitely does not pair with: tomato sauce based pasta dish. The acidity of the tomatoes clashed with the tartness of the Baco Noir, and made it harsh. This was a pairing gone wrong, and one I’ll put down to experience in the live and learn category. Baco Noir is an acidic red wine, so pair with that in mind.

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For more on wines from the Okanagan valley, this is the best book I know.

Oct18

Le Vieux Pin & La Stella’s Big Reds

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Le Vieux Pin & La Stella’s Big Reds

Le Vieux Pin and La Stella, sister wineries from the Okanagan valley in British Columbia, Canada are known for capturing an essence of old-world winemaking in the new world. I’ve made an acquaintance with their bounty from time to time, most recently in 2011, when I tasted some Le Vieux Pin’s wines after they had recently uprooted Pinot Noir vines from the vineyard and replaced it with Syrah. I was thoroughly impressed with the Syrah takeover (here are my tasting notes from that time).

So I was delighted and curious when I was invited to sample their two new limited release wines, the Le Vieux Pin Retouche 2009 and La Stella’s Maestoso 2009 as well as La Stella’s La Sophia 2009.

First up was the Le Vieux Pin Retouche 2009, a “hermitaged” Bordeaux. If that term catches you off-guard, here’s the skinny: in the 18th and 19th century, some Bordeaux winemakers added Syrah – at times from the famous vineyards in Hermitage – to their wines to add roundness and comfort.  For example, in 1775 Chateau Lafite‘s Cab was blended with Hermitage and was noted as one of the greatest wines of its day. With Retouche (the name itself is an homage to this practise that was kept quiet back then), Le Vieux Pin have found a suitable balance of just enough Syrah that it brings out the best of the Cabernet but still stays behind the scenes.

My notes on the ’09 Retouche: Velvet smooth with aromas of blackberries and smoke in a subtle old-world manner. Tannins that have sufficient kick without knocking you off your stool. Big, bold finish. The Retouche is definitely still young and best saved for a couple years down the road.

Maestoso 2009 (100% Merlot) is La Stella’s flagship wine, and what an impressive one she is! The 2009 growing-season was especially kind in the south Okanagan and the winemaking team at Le Vieux Pin have done a splendid job bringing it to bottle.

My notes on the ’09 Maestoso: Deep and dark in the glass. Delectably sweet raspberries and blueberries mingling with spice and a hint of rustic, meaty fattiness.  An elegant, pleasant finish. A fine example of Merlot done right in the Okanagan.

The La Stella La Sophia 2009, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine, which is a rarity in the Okanagan and a wine which the winery makes in years it makes sense. There were only 48 cases produced from this vintage (that’s 2 barrels for you math geeks) so availability is very limited

My notes on the ’09 La Sophia: Dominated by candied cherry that was truly unique and interesting in a very good way. Hints of liquorice, building up through the finish. Tannins that take no prisoners.

The folks at Le Vieux Pin were also nice enough to set up a horizontal tasting of Viogniers and Rhone-style white blends from across the globe to taste against their “Ava”s but more on that a little later.

Till then, keep on sipping and swirling!

 

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For more on wines from the Okanagan valley, these are the best books I know.

   

Oct15

Mini Reviews for the Week of Oct. 8

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Mini Reviews for the Week of Oct. 8

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Here’s a wrap up of last week’s tastings that we’re keeping brief:

La Loggia Barolo 2005 – Light as the summer breeze. Unlike traditionally intense Barolo, though makes for a solid pizza wine if only the price afforded more value. (Trader Joe’s)

Monte Del Frá Tenuta Lena Di Mezzo Valpollicella Classico Superiore 2008 – Smoke fruit with good tannins. Almost a great wine, but not quite. Takes a while to open up. (Wine Chateau)

Quinta Ferreira Sauvignon Blanc 2008 – A gorgeous tropical thunderstorm of the senses. Mango, melon, passion fruit wrapped in a pleasantly acidic grapefruit blanket. Brings back thoughts of summer to this grey Pacific northwest autumn.

Nk’mip Mer’r'iym Meritage 2008 – An intense and concentrated blend from the Okanagan Valley’s southern desert that feels like a hot California wine.

Also, do check out pics from out wine travels and these and other tasting notes at www.pinterest.com/wineshout.

Oct12

Summerhill Cabernets 2009

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Summerhill Cabernets 2009

The 2009 Summerhill Pyramid Winery Cabernets is in our glass today.

The Cabernets in the glass are 70% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Sehkon Family Vineyard in Canada’s favorite desert town of Osoyoos, and 30% Cabernet Franc from Knollvine Farm up the road in Okanagan Falls. These are a blend of organic grapes and grapes transitioning to organic certification. The fruit is 100% barrel aged for 28 months.

On first look, it’s a garnet pool of great expectations.

On the nose, there’s good ol’ black currant, chocolate covered cherries like Cherry blossoms in the candy aisle if they were made with sour cherries, a mélange spiciness and brown sugar (mélange being a fancy French word for “mix”), cloves, and a gentle toastiness.

On the palate, bitter coffee beans, creamy espresso-cherry bombs, green pepper.

This is a juicy, medium-bodied wine with a soft, lingering finish that is rather pleasant. it is an easy-drinking red that should appeal to a broad spectrum. Definitely ready for drinking now. Unfortunately, this wine doesn’t offer great value. A price point closer to “20 bones”, as Gary Vaynerchuk might say, would work, though value needs to be placed on Summerhill‘s long-time efforts to transition all of their vineyards to be organic (currently some are in transition while others are organic).

…and on last thing, if you haven’t already checked out our wine travel pics, hop on over to our Pinterest page.

 

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For more on wines from the Okanagan valley, these are the best books I know.

Oct1

Tasting Notes: A Duo of Cedar Creeks

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Tasting Notes: A Duo of Cedar Creeks

With summer stretching into September and hopefully beyond, we recently took a couple summer sippers from Cedar Creek Winery for a whirl, the 2011 Riesling and 2011 Pinot Noir Rosé.

 The 2011 Riesling, a 2012 All Canadian Wine Championships Gold Medal Winner, is all citrus and minerals, and in a very good way. There’s a zippy acidity that’ll almost make you pucker – this isn’t the flabby, sweet-ish Riesling some new world producers are bottling. But that’s no surprise to Canadian drinkers as the Okanagan Valley is quickly gaining a name for itself as a growing area for fantastic Rieslings.

The Wine Diva recommends this with fish tacos, and that has my mouth watering already.

 

The 2011 Pinot Noir Rosé is a blend of all nine of the estate’s Pinot Noir blocks. In the glass, it’s an approachable, pretty candy pink. On the nose, it’s a field of ripe summer strawberries. In the mouth, there’s a silkiness that’s not not complex or overly serious, and the strawberries keep on coming. There’s a hint of sweetness. This rosé is a crowd-pleaser and the perfect accompaniment to a hot summer day or an easy evening with friends. If you’re going to push some food onto plates to go with it, some west coast smoked salmon would do in a pinch. This rosé also won a Gold Medal at the 2012 All Canadian Wine Championships, and a Best of Varietal award at the 2012 Okanagan Spring Wine Festival.

Both the Riesling and Rosé are priced right at a couple bucks under a twenty, and we recommend trying both at least once. Though the rosé is already sold out at the winery so hurry up if you want to get a bottle before they’re gone.

Keep up with the goings on at the winery on the Cedar Creek Winery Blog.

 

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For more on wines from the Okanagan valley, these are the best books I know.

Sep28

Okanagan Wine Awards – 2012 Fall Results

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Okanagan Wine Awards – 2012 Fall Results

As the sunny and warm September weather looks promising as October looms (knock on wood) and the harvest is upon us, the Okanagan Wine Festivals Awards have announce the results of their Fall Competition.

Excited to see that the 2009 Cassini Syrah was awarded a Gold Medal. Remember, this was a wine we really enjoyed and touted as brandalicious due to a combination of elegant branding and great stuff inside the bottle. See our review here.

The 2011 Stoneboat Chorus and Pinot Gris came away with silvers. We were fans of the 2010 Chorus, and we thought the 2011 Pinot Gris was one of the standouts at the VQA Tasting earlier this month, so great to see this recognition.

Spierhead Winery also received recognition as Best New Winery along with a couple bronzes and a silver, though none of them was the Riesling we so highly praised at the VQA Fall Tasting. Anyhow, a great start for Spierhead, and looking forward to many fine vintages to come.

For full results, get your fill on their site. You’ll have to pop open a PDF.

Till next time…

 

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For more on wines from the Okanagan valley, these are the best books I know.