2024 Chenin Blanc
River Stone
Oliver, BC
$25.90
Another in the Good Neighbours Series made with grapes from the Columbia River region of Washington State. Pale straw with medium-minus intensity. An inviting nose showing aromas of apple, floral notes, grass, some tropical fruit, almond, honey, citrus, and Asian pear. Very good balance with good mouthfeel. Fruit-forward on the palate with flavours of apple, honey, butter, peach, and citrus, followed by a medium-long finish with a touch of toast on the backend. A good example of this variety. Serve with a pork loin, roasted herbed chicken, or a seafood pasta.
92 Points
2022 Chardonnay Reserve
Mirabel
Kelowna, BC
$28.00
Golden straw with medium-minus intensity. A varietal nose showing aromas of apple, citrus, melon, stone fruit, lemon cream, almond, and a light toasty note. Very good balance with a creamy texture. Mouth-filling on the palate with flavours echoing the nose, followed by a medium-long finish. A well-made BC chardonnay with harmony and elegance. A lovely accompaniment for lobster, shellfish, or BC Halibut.
94 Points
2024 Rosé (Here and There Series)
Fort Berens
Lillooet, BC
$23.49
Very pleasantly surprised by this ‘Shiraz’ Rosé. Cherry red with medium intensity. There is so much fruit on this nose, including cherry, strawberry, guava, pomegranate, red currant, spice, floral, seashell, and thyme aromas. Very good balance. The flavours mirror the nose, followed by a medium-long, juicy finish. Very enjoyable. Excellent with summer salads, roast chicken, or salmon. Be sure to grab this one wherever you see it.
93 Points
2022 La Remise
La Mordorée
Vin de France, France
$34.99
Marselan Day popped up on my wine calendar recently, and I had no idea what it was. A quick Google search helped me find out. Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. That sounded intriguing. Then a search on the BC LDB website showed, much to my surprise, that there was one available at my local store, so I headed down to buy one. Made with biodynamically grown grapes. This 50% Marselan, 50% Grenache wine is garnet/black with some purple showing on the rim. Dark intensity. Black fruit, earth, dusty herbs, pomegranate, and black currant, followed by delicate notes of sweet spice on the nose. Good balance with silky soft tannins. Juicy black fruit dominates the palate, followed by a medium-plus finish. A versatile food wine. Very tasty and age-worthy for three to five years.
91 Points
2022 Jasper
Daydreamer
Naramata, BC
$32.99
If you have never visited Naramata’s Daydreamer Winery, you really need to make the effort. Not only will you be impressed with the wines, but they also have one of the cutest, unassuming tasting rooms around. This vintage of Marcus Ansem’s (MW) Bordeaux-inspired red is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 18 months in French oak, 40% of which were new barrels. Garnet red with medium-deep intensity. The nose opens with lots of red fruit – cherry, raspberry, cranberry, and red currant followed by aromas of blackberry, plum, cinnamon, cocoa, and a slight touch of leather. Well balanced with silky smooth tannins. The flavours follow the nose with juicy berries dominating. A lingering medium-long finish. This vintage is impressive and surprisingly approachable right now, but certainly cellar-worthy for five to eight years. I’ll be heading back to buy a few more of these. Pair this wine with duck confit, lamb, or a grilled ribeye.
93 Points
(All photos – Sam Hauck)