BC (Canada) retrospective

Time to clean the cellar a bit and check out to see how BC wines have aged.

The intent of this blind tasting is to compare the varietals BC is growing with some of the same (and at the same price point in BC) varietals from around the world.

• 2003 Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 85 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear pale gold core with brown notes - oxidized nose with some sherry touches. Dry, fairly rich but definitely mature. A touch over the hill but still pleasant

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• 2004 Inniskillin Chenin Blanc Discovery Series 89 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear straw core of mod intensity - expressive nose of honey and talc with mod+ acidity. Dry and very crisp and clean - excellent finish and at it's peak

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• 2003 Winchester Cellars Pinot Gris 83 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island

  Clear pale gold core of moderate intensity. Strong acetone and butter notes with some botrytis, flabby and over the hill. Dry with some pineapple and mineral notes. Moderate finish and just good...

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• 2007 Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 87 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Clear pale straw core out to a wide watery edge and rim. Some spice to the moderately expressive nose. Dry, crisp and very clean - very Sauvignon Blanc like with a nice spicy finish. Siimple but tasty.

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• 2002 Kettle Valley Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley

  Clear with a pale staw core - mod intensity. Clean lime, lanolin, lemon nose with some complexity. Interesting and inviting. Dry on the palate with the lanolin continuing along with the citrus notes and a fair bit of oak. Ultimately simple but tasty and fully mature. Finish is moderate in length with the oak and citrus continuing.

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• 2003 Quails' Gate Estate Winery Family Reserve Fumé Blanc

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear gold core of moderate intensity. Oxidized nose and flavour - waited too long on this one.... Not fair to give points on this - much better in the past.

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• 2005 Black Hills Estate Alibi 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley

  Clear pale straw core of moderate intensity - Clean and fresh nose with some sulpher notes still present - with a bit of swirling some lime came through. Dry with nice mineral and citrus on the palate and a moderate length finish. Tasty and in it's prime (may last a couple more years).

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• 2006 Hogue Cellars Fumé Blanc 86 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Clear with a straw core of moderate intensity. Clean nose with fresh lemon and citrus notes. Dry with more lemon on the palate. Moderate finish - good quality and good QPR. Ready to go - drink now.

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• 2002 Red Rooster Winery White Meritage 89 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear pale gold core of moderate intensity - mature. Clean nose of amazing complexity with butterscotch mixed with lemon/lime. Dry and fully mature with soft entry but full mouthfeel. On the palate there's some minerality, more butterscotch, good acidity with no overbearing alcohol. Long finish with the mature flavours continuing and the mineral aspects still hanging around - very good quality but not for everyone at this stage of it's life. (55% SB and 45% Sem)

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• 2008 Les Domaines Paul Mas Viognier Château de Conas 84 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Vin de Pays d'Oc

  Clear pale gold core of moderate intensity. Clean nose of honey and lime. Dry with crisp and clean citrus and melon flavours. Simple and short finish. Good.

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• 2003 Jackson-Triggs Viognier Proprietor's Reserve

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear with a light gold core - moderate intensity. Clean nose - grassy and citrus. Dry but sour on the palate, mouthfilling with some oaky notes. Moderate finish - not really Viognier. Had a bottle of this a month ago that was much better - I would suggest this is just a bad bottle and it's a shame as this has been consistently tasty wine throughout the case with this one exception. No marks given.

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• 2006 Sandhill Viognier Small Lots Program Osprey Ridge Vineyard 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear dark straw core of moderate intensity out to a wide watery rim - youthful. Clean and fresh nose with honeyed, melon and spicy notes - youthful and inviting. Dry on the palate with spice, honey, and tropical fruit. Moderate acid, alcohol and body. Moderate finish with the honey continuing. Comes across as slightly off dry due to the intensity of the fruit. Drinking very well now - really quite good.

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• 2002 Township 7 Chardonnay 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear gold core of moderate intensity out to a gold/browning edge - fully mature. Clean nose with some oxidized notes and butter, vanilla and fully ripe pineapple. Dry on the palate with impressive and lively acidity (mod+), full body and moderate alcohol. Rich and oaky/buttery on the palate - mature and delicious. Excellent finish with cleansing acidity continuing. Drink now.

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• 2006 Evans & Tate Chardonnay 87 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Clear straw core of moderate intensity. Clean nose with some stemmy green aromas and citrus notes. Dry on the palate with very good mouthfeel and bright (mod+) acidity and moderate alcohol and body. Citrus flavour predominate on the palate. Excellent finish with citrus and palate cleansing acidity continuing.

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• 2004 Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear light gold core of moderate intensity - youthful. Clean nose with some lifted acetone notes along with citrus, spice and oak/vanilla aromas. Dry with moderate body and acid with mod+ alcohol. Malolactic notes on this one - lots of buttery flavours along with the oak and citrus. Great finish though - ready to go now.

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• 2004 Winchester Cellars Chardonnay Sharp Rock Vineyard 85 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley

  Clear straw core of moderate intensity - youthful. Clean aromas of cotton candy and sugar cane with some orange notes. Dry on the palate with brown sugar and orange zest flavours - moderate acid, body and slightly elevated alcohol. Moderate length finish. Quite good. NOTE: - this bottle had some CO2 showing in the bottle prior to opening - drink soon, it may be starting to break up.

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• 2000 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear with some maturity showing - bricking edge. Clean and very classic CF nose with soft fruit and moderate finish. Moderate acid, alcohol, body and tannin. Pretty tasty and at or just past it's peak. Well made and well balanced.

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• 2002 Sandhill Cabernet Franc Burrowing Owl Vineyard 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear ruby core of moderate intensity. Clean but very stemmy nose - lots of green herbal notes here as well - moderate intensity. Dry with moderate tannin, alcohol and body with slightly elevated acidity - has a great mouthfeel. Good fruit with a moderate finish. Tasty and well made. Could still go some but is on the plateau.

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• 2001 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 89 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear ruby core of moderate intensity - youthful in appearance. Excellent nose of dark fruit with some spice - moderate+ intensity. Moderate acid, alcohol, body and tannin and very well balanced. Spicy flavours with dark fruit on the palate. Moderately long finish with soft mint showing. Very well made and delicious.

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• 2003 Sandhill Cabernet Franc Burrowing Owl Vineyard 84 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear garnet core of moderate intensity. Clean but green and volatile nose of moderate intensity - seems like slightly underripe fruit? Dry with stemmy flavours on the palate with moderate tannin, alcohol, body and slightly elevated acid. The finish is moderate in length with the green flavours continuing. Well balanced but certainly not outstanding - merely good.

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• 2008 Chalk Hill Wines The Procrastinator 86 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Clear bright cherry core out to a moderate watery edge and rim - youthful. Clean nose of candied fruit of moderate intensity. Dry and fresh on the palate with moderate+ acidity, moderate body and tannin with mod+ alcohol. Cherry flavours that finish a bit sweet - very different from the other CF wines in the tasting. Moderate length finish with the cherry fruit continuing. Needs some time but the style is drink now...

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• 2002 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear dark ruby core of moderate intensity - showing some maturity. Clean and soft herbal nose - maturity is indicated - very pleasant and inviting nose. Dry with clean flavours on the palate - some oak, cherry, plum - very good mouthfeel and very tasty. The finish is only moderate in length but has some real quality to it. Well balanced and well made wine. Drink now or over the next year or so.

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• 2001 Sandhill Malbec Small Lots Program Phantom Creek Vineyard 84 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear garnet core with browning edge - mature. Clean nose with dill pickle predominating. Dry with compost flavours - a bit dirty and dull. Mod+ acid, mod body, alcohol and tannin. Moderate finish. Not the best example I've had from BC.

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• 2003 Dominio del Plata Malbec BenMarco 89 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco

  Clear dark core with some slight bricking on the edge ( moderate intensity) - still youthful but showing some maturity. Clean nose of plum and oak of moderate intensity. Dry with mod+ acid, moderate to full body, moderate alcohol and tannin. Appealing flavours of plum and other dark fruit with slashes of oak. The oak carries on into the moderate length finish. Very, very good and well made wine. Maturing flavours - it could go longer (5 years or so) but is drinking well now..

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• 2004 Sandhill Malbec Small Lots Program Phantom Creek Vineyard 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear garnet core with browning edge - mature. Clean nose with ripe raisinated fruit on the nose along with some gamey notes. Dry with mod+ acid and alcohol with mod body and tannin. The palate is different from the nose in that there is no fully ripe fruit showing - more cranberry than plum... The finish is moderate in length with the alcohol peeking out. Well made and interesting. Drink now.

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• 2005 Kettle Valley Malbec Flawed

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley

  Dirty unpleasant nose - stinky and carrying dill pickle. More dill pickle on the palate - flawed...

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• 2005 Sandhill Malbec Small Lots Program Phantom Creek Vineyard 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear dark ruby core of moderate intensity. Clean nose of moderate intensity with oak, herbs, some Volatile Acidity and green fruit . Dry and soft on the palate with moderate acidity, tannin, body and alcohol. Herbal flavours that are interesting - some spice and compost notes - with a moderate length finish that carries and holds the herbal flavours prevelant on the palate. Well balanced and very good.

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• 2001 Sandhill Sangiovese Small Lots Program Burrowing Owl Vineyard 90 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear light cherry core with brown edges - maturity showing. Clean nose - very Italian on the nose with delicate floral and light wood aromas along with cherry notes - very interesting nose. Dry with a real depth of fruit with the acidity exactly where it should be (mod+) along with moderate body, alcohol and tannins. The fruit and even the floral notes continue into the lengthy finish. Really well balanced and extremely well made. Wish I had more!

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• 2002 Sandhill Petit Verdot Small Lots Program Phantom Creek Vineyard 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear dark ruby core (almost black) of moderate intensity. Clean nose of spice (pepper?) and raisinated fruit - mature nose. Dry with good tannic structure, moderate body with mod+ alcohol and mod acidity. Fully ripe fruit on the palate - plum and blackberry. Moderate finish. Drink now - may be able to develop a bit more due to the good structure and full fruit flavour.

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• 2004 Inniskillin Zinfandel Discovery Series 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear ruby core of moderate intensity. Slightly oxidized nose (probably due to the synthetic cork - why use these things?) with some oak and spice of moderate intensity. If not for the oxidation it would be a really appealing nose. Soft on the palate with beautiful plum flavours - moderate acid, body, tannin and mod+ alcohol. Moderate finish with the spice showing well. Well balanced and well made. Drink now.

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• 2000 CedarCreek Estate Winery Meritage Estate Select 87 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear dark red core of moderate intensity with a hint of brown - mature. Clean nose with some Volatile Acidity present but pleasantly overshadowed by the smoky oak and plum bouquet. Mature ripe plum and black cherry flavours with still a fair bit of oak involved. Well balanced with the acid/tannin/alcohol moderately intense - full bodied. Moderately long finish with the oak continuing. Very good/tasty but (I hate to say it) boring - there's no real development showing - just an older jammy wine.

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• 2001 Jackson-Triggs Meritage Proprietors' Grand Reserve 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear garnet core with a dark edge and watery rim - still showing some youth. Clean but very quiet nose of dark fruit and oak with some herbal notes. Dry on the palate but it appears to be in a transition stage - the fruit is there but so is some green leafiness and they aren't quite merged yet. Moderate length finish and well balanced - tannins are still sticking out a bit. I'd give this one 3+ years before revisiting it again. Well made.

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• 2002 Glen Carlou Grand Classique 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Paarl

  Clear dark plum coloured core of moderate intensity out to a brick edge and watery rim - some development showing. Clean but very funky nose with smoke, tobacco, earth, sweet (very ripe) dark fruit all showing - mod+ intensity. The aromas carry on across the palate with big smoke, dusty earth, ripe date/fig of moderate intensity. Very smooth and well balanced - extremely well made but certainly not for everyone. The finish is long with the tobacco/oak/fruit expanding across the palate. Old world with a funky twist.

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• 2001 Kettle Valley Old Main Red 84 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley

  Clear dark core of moderate intensity - this was a decanted wine due to sediment. Clean but simple nose of oak and dark fruit - alcohol noted on the nose as well. Full body, moderate acid and tannin but high alcohol on the palate. Flavours are only moderate and are mostly smoky oak and vanilla overwhelming the dark fruit. The finish is moderate with the oak predominating along with heat from the high alcohol content. Much better a few years ago. Simple and over oaked/processed.

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• 2002 Kettle Valley Rock Oven Red 82 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley

  Clear dark plum core of moderate intensity. Big sulpher, compost and tobacco resin on the nose. At this age there should be no sulpher showing - was there a problem with the ferment? Full body, high alcohol, moderate tannins and mod- acidity. Seems like the fruit was over ripe at harvest. Stewed fruit on the palate and while the finish is moderately long, it's not overly pleasant. Nothing completely wrong with this wine but it's not exactly great either.

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• 2002 Inniskillin Meritage Single Vineyard Series Dark Horse Estate Vineyard 88 Points

  Canada, British Columbia, Okanagan Valley, Okanagan Valley VQA

  Clear dark ruby/garnet core with very little bricking on the edge/rim - still youthful. Clean nose of moderate intensity with dark cherry, vanilla, smoke, herbal notes. Dry and soft on the palate but not quite fully mature yet - still a little disjointed between the acidity and tannic structure. Full body and moderate alcohol. Very tasty with good fruit and herbal notes. Pleasant finish with some complexity. Needs a couple more years before it starts to sing. Very well made.

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I was impressed with the Other Reds category but quite disappointed in the Blends flight. The blends were very $15 Australian in their softness and lack of complexity with a couple of exceptions. Although castigated for making the comment (that's old news) I do feel that Cab F may be the red variety for BC and I was impressed with the Malbecs (generally) as well as the QG Chenin Blanc and the Red Rooster Meritage Blanc - they have both developed well.

Next up will be a tasting of BC Syrah, Merlot and Cabs...