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. A few years ago, I bought a couple of reds at my local private liquor store that were 2010 vintages (and at 2010 prices!). 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.
NV Mt. Bubbles
Mt. Boucherie
West Kelowna, BC
$20.99
Golden yellow in colour with medium intensity. The nose opens with toasty lees, apple, citrus, honey and earthiness. Good balance. The flavours echo the nose followed by a medium-plus finish. Good value bubble.
89 Points
2017 Chardonnay (Clone 95)
SpearHead
Kelowna, BC
$30.00
Aged in new French oak and 10 months sur lees, this wine is golden yellow with medium-light intensity. Butter, toast, apple, lemon and tropical fruit notes on the nose. Well balanced with a creamy texture. The flavours echo the nose followed by a medium-long finish with lingering flavours. Impressive.
92 Points
2015 Pinot Noir (Waters and Banks Vineyard)
Haywire
Summerland, BC
$29.90
Almost a year in concrete in concrete lends a creamy texture to this wine. 2015 marks the second release of this single vineyard wine. Waters and Banks is located in Summerland and has soils consisting of limestone and granite. Garnet red with medium-deep intensity. Ripe dark berries, earth and forest floor on the nose. Good balance. The flavours mirror the nose followed by a medium-plus finish.
90 Points
2016 Syrah (Second Chapter Vineyard)
Second Chapter
Oliver, BC
$35.00
Second Chapter is the name of the winery started by the Pullen family after the sale of Church and State. As part of the deal, they were able to keep some of their choice vineyards, one of which is aptly called Second Chapter Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench and is known for its gravelly, loam soil. This wine spent 18 months in French oak before bottling. It is garnet red with deep intensity. The nose shows aromas of dark fruit and berries, cocoa, black pepper, game and a hint of dried herbs. Well balanced. The palate is mouth-watering with juicy ripe fruit followed by a medium-long finish. It is a big fruit bomb now and will age gracefully for several years to come.
94 Points
2012 Syrah (Reserva)
Falernia
Valle de Elqui, Chile
$23.34
The fruit for this wine came from two vineyards. Half was fermented in French oak barrels for six months. Garnet black in colour with deep intensity. The nose shows aromas of bell pepper, red fruit, blackberry, black pepper, spice and vanilla. Good balance with smooth ripe tannins. The flavours reflect the nose. Bell pepper lingers on the finish. This wine is good now but should improve greatly with further aging. I’d suggest opening it in 2025 to 2030.
90 Points
(All photos, except as noted – Sam Hauck)
