A real bargain here. Straw colour with a bouquet of white peach, citrus rind and a suggestion of oak; medium-bodied, crisply dry, grapefruit and gooseberry flavours with a light smoky note; good length.
Parts of Château Argadens date back to the 12th century, so when the Sichel family purchased the property in 2002, they underwent extensive renovations and investment to highlight and preserve the site. This is Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc on 5 hectares of clay and limestone, in a single plot on one of the highest hills of the rolling Entre-Deux-Mers wine region (one of the highest points of the Gironde). Worn cherry, red plum, smoked wood and finely ground baking spices fill the medium-bodied palate, one finely strung, framed with tobacco tannins and trailing with dusty, drying gravels. Best appreciated with roasted beef. This spent 12 to 14 months in French oak, 25% new, before gentle fining and filtering. Classically drinkable, structured Bordeaux and priced appropriately.
BC’s new hinterland region continues to surprise with this food-friendly, dry rosé that sports strawberry and raspberry notes kept well in check with crisp acidity and a touch of earthiness before a clean, dry close. Ideal for lighter seafood dishes such as shellfish marinara or with picnic cold cuts.
8% Petit Verdot added to the Carménère, aged 18 months in French and American oak. Dense purple-black in colour with a floral, white pepper, vanilla oak, blackcurrant and tobacco leaf nose; richly extracted, fruity, tobacco and cassis flavours. Lovely mouthfeel, beautifully balanced, ripe tannins.
From one of Osoyoos’s newest wineries, but also a long-established and respected grower for over 20 years: lifted citrus and orchard fruits before a crisp, well-balanced palate of green apple and grapefruit with some minerality leading to a clean, zesty close.
Dense purple-ruby in colour with an intense bouquet of cedar and blackcurrants; full-bodied, dry and firmly structured, it offers firmly structured flavours of plums and blackcurrants with evident tannins. Hold 3–5 years.
This well-balanced blend of Merlot (32%), Cabernet Franc (23%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (23%), with Malbec (11%) and Petit Verdot (11%) rewards with intense red and black fruit over tobacco aromas, dried fruit and cranberry. The luscious but elegantly structured palate yields raspberry, red current and spice flavours wrapped in well-integrated, mainly French oak with balanced acidity and complexity through the lingering and juicy finish.