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 similar to 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.
2015 Grüner Veltliner
Chase Wines (currently Peak Cellars)
Lake Country, BC
$27.00
I never intended to age this wine for 10 years. It just kind of got ignored in the cellar until recently. No doubt it has lost some freshness and is not at its peak, but I was very pleased with how well it has fared. Golden straw with a hint of amber and medium-plus intensity. The nose shows aromas of minerality, honeysuckle, citrus, a hint of green bean (typical), white pepper, and a steely note. Good balance with medium-plus body. Unctuous on the palate followed by a medium-plus finish.
89 Points
2016 Coastal Red
Casa Marin
|Abarca, Chile
$26.40
A blend of 55% Grenache and 45% Syrah. Ruby red with medium-deep intensity. Fruit forward with aromas of cherry, raspberry, cranberry, plum, red currant, and cinnamon. Good balance with medium body. Bright on the palate with lots of juicy red fruit followed by a medium-plus finish. A lovely wine to serve with pasta, pizza or burgers.
88 Points
2018 Negroamaro (Pellirosso)
Coppi
Puglia, Italy
$29.95
Ruby red with deep intensity. A symphony of red fruit on the nose – plum, red berries, raspberry, sour cherry, rhubarb, and soft baking spice. Good balance with slightly soft acidity and smooth tannins. Very tasty on the palate with flavours of stewed tomatoes, cherries, leather, blueberries, and prunes Followed by a medium-plus finish. An easy drinking wine that could age for a further 5-10 years. Pair with a charcuterie plate, soft white cheese, salmon or vegetable dishes such as braised red cabbage or black bean soup.
90 Points
2019 Cabernet Franc
Rust
Oliver, BC
$23.80
Garnet red with deep intensity. Dust, black currants, cherry, herbs, leafy, plum, raspberry, spice, a hint of mint, sandalwood, and pencil shavings on the nose. Well balanced. The palate is intense and complex with flavours echoing the nose followed by a medium-long finish. Impressive.
94+ Points
2013 Syrah
Painted Rock
Penticton, BC
$39.90
The grapes for this wine were cropped to three tons per acre which helps to concentrate varietal character. It was then aged for 18 months in French (80%) and American (20%) new oak. Garnet red with deep intensity. Classic varietal character on the nose including aromas of blackberry, black cherry, black currant, blue berry, black pepper, baking spice, plum, raisin, chocolate and cedar. Very good balance with firm ripe tannins. The flavours mirror the nose followed by a medium-long finish with flavours lingering. An excellent example of what BC can do with this grape. Will continue to improve for an additional 5-8+ years.
96 Points
(All photos – Sam Hauck)
