Ruby-black in colour with a cedary, lightly smoky nose of ripe cherries; medium to full-bodied, dry, cherry flavour corseted with tannins currently masking fruit (but it’s there in spades). Hold 4-5 years.
The winery sourced fruit from Similkameen’s celebrated Vanessa Vineyard for this plush rendition of a textbook Syrah with black fruits and meaty notes on the nose before a palate of blackberry and white pepper, supple tannins and a lingering end.
If someone showed me this label, I would pass. But if someone poured me a glass of this very pale, lightly spiced strawberry, wild raspberry, Rainier cherry, dried herbs, light bodied rosé, I would easily finish the glass and inquire what it is while pouring a second. Gimmicky label and name aside, this is pretty serious Sangiovese rosé from Langhorne Creek. This achieves that tricky trifecta of fruit/acidity/interest, the latter in this case is a swig of salted herbs. There's a wee swell of warmth on the finish that surprises in this 12.5 degree frame, though that is easily overlooked by the numerous food pairing/patio pairing opportunities in this dry rosé. Props for making a real wine aimed at, I assume, a mass market audience of spandex-wearing yogi. Now, about that name/label
Expressive, fresh and lean, yet rich with length and depth. Tight, racy with a stony minerality, like drinking from a mountain stream: precise, enticing and mouth-watering.
A blend of Pinot Noir, Gamay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. Deep pink colour with a nose of strawberries and raspberries. A hint of residual sweetness is mitigated by tangerine acidity. One of the best rosés I’ve tasted from BC.
I tasted this wine from barrel last year with winemaker Frédéric Picard, and at that time I thought that it had the potential to be the best South Bay Merlot to date. Well, I am happy to say that the final product has lived up to my expectations! Medium to full body; there is an underlying linearity and grip to the cherry, plum, cocoa, smoke, tobacco, spice and herb flavours. Excellent length. Hold until 2016 and then drink until 2021.
Unusually, the yeast lees in this bottle-fermented bubbly were not disgorged, but rather left in the bottle. The result is a cloudy, pale gold wine with lots of tiny bubbles. Nose of bread dough, orange, apricot and bananas. On the palate it is sour, tasting of yeast and lemon with a bitter apple-peel finish. Not everyone’s cup of tea.