In addition to the weekly wine review and the various other, usually wine-related, articles I write for My Van City, I am going to include a new one that will appear from time to time. I’m calling it, ‘From the Cellar’.
It will be much like the wine reviews, except that it will feature wines that have been aged. I am a big advocate for aging BC wines.
It came to my attention that in an earlier review, I included a wine that is no longer made by a certain winery. They were very happy with the mention and my positive comments, but they were concerned someone might try to track down a bottle and be disappointed when they found it wasn’t being produced any longer. So, from now on I will keep the Wednesday Wine Review to recent vintages that should still be available and From the Cellar for those that I have to blow the dust off of. There are no hard and fast rules. I recently bought a couple of reds at my local VQA store that were 2010 vintages (a great deal in my eyes). While most people drink what they buy in a matter of days, if not hours, more and more people are realizing the benefits of holding on to some of their wines and are enjoying the benefits of doing so.
Prices indicated are the costs when purchased.
2015 Siegerrebe
Sagewood
Kamloops, BC
$16.43
Admittedly it wasn’t my intention to keep this wine for so long. Most fresh and fruity wines such as Siegerrebe are meant to be consumed when young, typically within the first three years, but sometimes bottles get overlooked as was the case here. However, the eight years of aging haven’t hurt this wine one bit. Lemon yellow in colour with medium intensity. Aromas of ripe peach, rosewater, honeysuckle, mandarin orange, and lychee on the nose. Good balance with a creamy texture. The palate is fruit-forward with honey, melons, and peach flavours dominating. A medium-plus finish. Still yummy after all these years.
89 Points
2009 Riesling
Blackwood Lane
Langley, BC
$16.96
I debated whether to include this wine or not as Blackwood Lane closed their doors some time ago, however, I felt it served as a great example of how a well-made BC Riesling can age. Golden yellow with medium-minus intensity. The nose is rich and layered with classic aromas of honey, minerality, petrol, peach, and lime. Very well balanced with good mouth feel and just a slight hint of sweetness on the entry. The flavours reflect the nose followed by a medium-long finish with pleasing flavours lingering. Impressive.
94 Points
2014 Pinot Noir (Juveniles)
Tantalus
Kelowna, BC
$21.65
Garnet/brick with medium-deep intensity. Dried fruit, cherries, plum, black currant, herbs, forest floor, and black tea on the nose. Good balance with firm ripe tannins. The flavours follow the nose. A medium finish. Likely still has some aging potential.
89 Points
2012 Zinfandel
Mount Boucherie
West Kelowna, BC
$35.00
Garnet/brick in colour with medium-deep intensity. A full, well-integrated nose showing aromas of bramble, black pepper, ripe cherry, plum, soy, red pepper, and sawdust, with earthy, nutty undertones. Well balanced with velvety smooth tannins. The aromas follow through on the palate. A medium-long finish. A delight to drink and at or near its prime.
95 Points
2019 Killer Cab Reserve
Pacific Breeze
New Westminster, BC
$55.00
Pacific Breeze’s Killer Cab has long been a reasonably priced favourite, so we decided to splurge a little and try the reserve. And we are glad we did. Garnet red with medium-deep intensity. The nose is deep and enticing and will make you want to linger with aromas of dark berries, cherries, spice, herbs, plum, cedar, chocolate, leather, nuts, and sawdust. Well balanced with silky smooth tannins. The palate mirrors the nose followed by a medium-long plus finish. This is a ‘wow’ wine.
96 Points
(All photos – Sam Hauck)
