2021 Siegerrebe
Nagging Doubt
Kelowna, BC
$19.40
Lemon yellow with medium-light intensity. The nose is elegant and interwoven with aromas of grapefruit, apricot, ginger, lychee, honeysuckle, and tropical fruit with just a touch of rose petals. Good balance. Fresh and crisp on the palate with flavours echoing the nose. A medium-plus finish. A lovely wine to serve with fish, especially pan-fried cod or a scallop/prawn salad with strawberries and walnuts.
90+ Points
2021 Chardonnay
Laughing Stock
Penticton, BC
$30.99
Golden yellow with medium-minus intensity. The nose shows a lovely interplay of oak and fruit with aromas of apple, buttered toast, honey, peach, vanilla, mandarin, fig, and a hint of butterscotch. Very good balance and full body. Well integrated oak and fruit on the palate followed by a mouth-watering medium-long finish. Serve with crab or salmon.
92+ Points
2021 Merlot
Deep Roots
Naramata, BC
$26.00
Garnet red with a hint of brick on the rim and medium-deep intensity. Dried fruit, stewed cherries, plum, beetroot, black olive, sage, bacon, and earth on the nose. Well balanced with smooth rip tannins. The palate follows the nose. A. medium-plus finish. Be sure to give this win time to breathe.
91 Points
2019 Zinfandel
Rust
Oliver, BC
$29.99
I saw this one on sale at a local LRS (private liquor store) and was pleased with the price so I bought a few. The current release goes for $43. It always pays to scan the shelves and see if you can find older vintages with their corresponding older prices. The grapes for this wine came from the South Rock Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench which sits at 333 metres with a SE aspect and is comprised of fluvial fan of gravelly clay and eroded mountain rock. The wine spent 10 months in new (40%) American and French oak. It was bottled unfiltered and unfined. The seemingly high alcohol (15.9%) is only slightly noticeable on the palate and finish. Previously tasted last summer, this wine is showing even better with a little more age. Garnet red with medium-deep intensity. The nose is deep and dark with aromas of bramble, black cherry, plum, fruitcake, black pepper, nutmeg, and cedar. Well balanced. Lots of berries on the palate followed by a medium-long, dry finish. This wine improved steadily with time to breathe.
93 Points
2020 The Creek (Red Blend)
Tinhorn Creek
Oliver, BC
$30.00
This blend of 43% Merlot, 31 % Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Syrah, 4% Pinot Noir, and 1% Malbec is garnet/black with deep intensity. The nose is dark and inky with aromas of dark berries, toast, black cherries, beetroot, raspberries, cinnamon, plum, musk, violets, and sawdust. Well balanced with smooth ripe tannins. Dark fruit, blueberries, red berries, anise, and black pepper on the palate followed by a medium-long flavourful finish.
93 Points
(All photos – Sam Hauck)
