100% Sauvignon Blanc made with zero cellar intervention; wild yeast, full malo and 9 months of skin contact then pressed and bottled unfiltered. So, essentially a “natural” wine that will require an acquired taste for consumers. It’s a mineral bomb on the nose with underlying fresh-cut hay, mango, pineapple and apple skin. It has a rich, creamy feel on the palate with complex notes of flinty minerality, citrus and pulpy tropical fruit with an earthy component that builds on the finish.
Produced from over 30-year-old Pinot Noir and around 50-year-old Marechal Foch vines grown on gravelly soils. Wild fermented and partially barrel fermented with some time in neutral barrel. Forward violet, red and dark berry notes before an approachable gentle herb and savoury edged palate. Arguably one of the best value biodynamic BC red wines on the market.
Light ruby. Enticing nose of small red berries, a touch of spices and earth, developing into delicate red flower notes in the glass. Sophisticated oak to match. Medium-bodied at most; the fine structure, the acidity and the light tannins are in perfect harmony. Enjoyable now or keep 3–5 years.
De Montal is a superior producer of authentic French Armagnac from the Bas region. This vintage-dated spirit is a rarity and only made in exceptional vintages. The nose shows dried fruits, toffee, caramel and subtle violets. It is like velvet on the palate with extraordinary depth and persistence with a range of dried apricot, marmalade and stone fruits followed by earthy spice notes, toffee, caramel and creamy vanilla.
A textbook Niagara Riesling that bursts forth with peach, lime, apricot, pear and honey. It comes from a warm vintage, so the acids are slightly lower than usual and there is some residual sugar to balance things off. All in all, another great Riesling from the boys at HOP!
Dense purple in colour with a smoky, cedary nose of blackberries with herbal notes; full-bodied, dry, juicy blackberry flavour with lively acidity and a firm finish.
Nose reveals brooding dark fruit with cedar and scents of clove and cinnamon. Blackcurrant and black plum flavours come wrapped in a tight tannic texture with still-youthful acidity. Will improve with another year or 2 in the cellar.