10/14/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Needs 60-90 min decant. Pronounced nose of black fruits, stewed fig and touch of balsamic. Good medium plus body. The fruits carry thru on palate along with roast meat and dried herbs. Great concentration and fine tannins. Stellar wine.

10/3/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Still an adolescent with upside potential. Pronounced nose of black fruit, cracked pepper and smoked meat. Great weight for a lighter alcohol Syrah and pronounced acidity. Finish is medium length. Once acid settles in this could be excellent. Open another bottle in a couple of years.

9/13/2019 - KillerJones Likes this wine:

No words...so good!!!! Music to my taste buds. It gets so much better with each passing year!

One of my favorites - I pull out when I want to impress. Smooth...with nice fruit, that’s not too overpowering.

One of the best the offerings of the OK.

9/9/2019 - GQG Likes this wine:

A beautifully silky and powerful Merlot, Cabernet, and Petit Verdot Bordeaux blend that gracefully and energetically pushes the fruit across the palate with effortless drive. A full-bodied delivery with big but smooth tannins and supportive acidity make this a pleasure to drink, even though it's a bit early in the drinking window. Old world nose, with dark cherries, cassis, vanilla, and cacao, and a nicely spicy finish.

Decanted for 2 hours, but needs a few more years to reach peak. Drinking amazingly well right now, although there is a bit of grip present that will eventually unwind. If you have a few bottles, it's finessed and really delightful right now with a decant. I've held these in my cellar for more than a year and, as it turns out, could have tried one sooner.

9/9/2019 - csimm1161 wrote:

Black currant, blackberry, deep black cherry, earthy black plum skin, fresh wet dark soil/mulch, Pessac-Leognan truffle, clove, and a subtle, beautifully brooding (almost smokey) minerality that you might find at the bottom of the river Styx or some murky bog in a Game of Thrones episode.

Medium-to-full bodied, with a near-perfect mid-palate drop and a gorgeous semi-chewy mouthfeel that adds texture and concentration. A really nice execution of flavor-delivery overall for such a young wine. Finishes with an enticing earth-meets-spice note that swirls around the black core fruit. The faintest amount of red fruit darts trough the profile to further heighten complexity and provide lift.

So, I’m no Left Bank wizard, nor do I claim to know jack-in-the-box about what makes a quality Bordeaux necessarily, (especially in such juvenile states), but I’ll certainly say there is a beautifully crafted conveyance here that begs for sip after sip and continues feeding the palate old and new world satisfaction. QPR is solid in my opinion; overdelivers beyond my expectations.

There are some wines you drink, you appreciate, and you may tell a wine-friend or two about the next day. Then there are those wines you takr a sip, and then another sip... and seconds later you are already scouring the internet trying to figure out the best deal in town to pick yourself up some of that holy juice. This SHL is the latter for me, quite literally. In fact, anyone with suggestions as to where I can snatch a fistful of these wines at a song, let me know. I think I broke my Wine-Searcher app looking for deals on this! I know they are readily available, so this is obviously more of a first-world problem than anything else :)

96-97++ points. I know other CT’ers here have more conservative scores, but I’m ok being a little more risqué on this one.

8/4/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

This beauty had to follow a '02 Insignia and held up on most accounts - what it lacked in the Insignia's undeniable superb concentration and several more years of aged elegance it definitely made up for in massive depth of dark red and blue fruits combined with that Similkameen sage-like quality of dried herbs. Once the acidity falls back into the tannins and alcohol this is going to be a beauty in a few years.

8/3/2019 - KillerJones Likes this wine:

Brought this to my wine club for our 'Italian' evening - and it placed 2nd! (There was a well aged Pietracupa Greco di Tufo here that was just outstanding)

This wine is heavy Merlot with a good splash of Sangiovese, Cab Franc & Cab Sauv - really something special in the glass. On the nose: plums, spiced fruitcake & that typical S.Okanagan dusty notes.

The palate is a restrained brawl of black & red fruits - with the latter adding a juicy aspect. It concludes with a nutty - almost umami - medium dry finish.

Honestly...I opened this one too early and it requires a 60 min. decant to open up fully. Nonetheless - a job well done here!

2/8/2019 - KillerJones Likes this wine:

This wine is a real gem - meant to impress an oenophile.

It opens with crème de cassis & blackberry tart notes over hints of menthol, incense & Christmas cake - then a waft of dark chocolate, as if you needed more.

Medium-full-bodied, the palate is equally flamboyant: rich, velvety & seductive - with a lively lift in the mid-palate and a long, spicy finish.

Does it have more life? Yes...at least three years IMHO. However, it drinks so well now.

7/21/2019 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine:

This was decanted for 2-3 hours. Still young but very pretty, with notes of cassis, dark cherries, crushed flowers, some graphite, smoke, also some minerality and sweet spices, as well as some cedar wood. It‘s medium-full bodied, has nice mid-palate persistence, medium-high acidity providing beautiful freshness and medium-high tannin that is very good quality. Long finish. A very pretty Bordeaux that is still pretty young, but only 2-3 away from its early drinking window. I really love the freshness here. (93+)

7/12/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

No formal note.
Drinking beautifully. Pnp'd, took no time at all to open up, but after half an hour was great. Plummy nose and nice mellow mouthfeel. Just what I was looking for for a summer bbq with roast veggies and chicken breast.
Happy I have another bottle. Great work Rob!

7/11/2019 - RARevino wrote:

I opened the wine poured and drank a glass immediately. Unbelievable wine from the black hills collection. from the first sip through to the 45 minute decant this wine was a belt high fast ball right over the plate.
It was a well rounded , mellow on the nose an smooth on the pallet. perfectly bright and subtle wine. at the same time. low alcohol content for its youthfulness.

7/6/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Great value red from one of the hardest working wineries in the Okanagan. Very good balance for a fuller-bodied blend over-delivering on the palate. One of the faves of the 2018 wine club.

7/4/2019 - EMAZurich wrote:

Puh, bombastisch. Voll, dicht - aber auch tragende Säure und forsches Tannin. Vanille, Brombeere. Weiss noch nicht was ich damit anfangen soll, könnte wirklich gross werden aber im Moment eher überdrüber. Trotzdem grosses Potenzial, dichte, reine Frucht und tolle Balance.

3/12/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Decanted for initial 90 mins. This is a powerful potent Syrah that is still in blocks. Alcohol on the nose and a bit of a burn on the finish. Dark blue and black fruits are present but restrained. Tannins are fine and drying. Acidity is under the surface but not acidic. Three hours later this is reminiscent of Pax and Saxum better efforts. There is also a polish to this wine, no doubt from the oak. Well made. Will be buying more.

4/30/2016 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

We participated a blind tasting of elegant “Q” red wines (we're running out of ideas for wine dinner themes) last night over some beef tenderloin and all the trimmings. I brought the ’07 C&S Quintessential and it was poured alongside a 2007 Quintessa from Napa (>$ 150) and a rare 2004 Quintarelli Alzero (>$300 – if you can even find it anywhere). The unanimous favourite (save for one Alzero stalwart) was the Quintessential! It paired beautifully with the beef and had a great long finish. One more bottle left!

6/30/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

I say 92 only because in the big picture, I need to reign in my ratings and 92 is a good rating. Unfortunately, Francois maybe had an affected bottle, but this was fantastic. Canoehead brought a 2010 Sassacaia and we double decanted each of these and brought them to a local restaurant and drank them with medium rare prime rib. The Wrath had a beautifully fragrant nose of blackberry and cassis, it showed some age on the colour, but was very vibrant and still had some velvety tannins to attack the beef and some nice acidity. I can't say enough about this wine and Bill's masterful winemaking. I think Canoehead will concur that this actually outshone the Sassacaia, which verges on blasphemy. I would enjoy this now as it's at its peak. Don't wait. Decant though or let it have plenty of air.

6/30/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

It's difficult to reconcile the recent notes here to what I experienced tonight. A friend brought this, (double decanted) to a restaurant and had it up against a BC Cab Sav of all things, with prime rib.
The nose was quite muted, at least for some time and the mouthfeel was good with juicy acidity and bright red fruit, like barely ripe cherry. I was thinking it would be something quite different and although it was actually getting better, which makes me think it either wasn't ready to drink, or didn't have nearly enough air, it didn't measure up to the cab sav. I'm tempted to say this probably wasn't fair and that had we tried this again tomorrow or the next day, it may have been a beauty. I've had sublime Super Tuscans and I can't help but think something's amiss here. When I see a date like 2033, I think this might have been in a dumb phase.

6/22/2019 - hoservin wrote:

Decanted for one hour. Nose of black cherry, blackberry, currants, dried herbs and forest floor. Black and red fruit, coffee, tobacco, dried herbs and fine tannins on the palate. Long finish. Full bodied with good depth. True Bordeaux character in this Cali wine. Served with grilled strip steak, shrimp and béarnaise.

6/22/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Starting to drop off in the mid-palate and the finish is much shorter than previous bottles. Time to drink up.

6/22/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

Same as prior note, but I'd say decant this for an hour at least. It seemed more tannic this time, which makes me think it could go longer and last time I thought it wouldn't. It's drinking fabulously right now and can go four years more anyway. This time I was getting a dose of kirsch or marzipan on the nose. So full bodied! At SuperStore it was $48 TOTAL! What a bargain.

6/15/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

Fantastic nose of dark cherry, tarry-leathery-anise notes. Very full mouthfeel and nice finish. A friend who is a California Zinfandel/Aussie Shiraz aficionado loved it. I wish I had more.

6/4/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine:

A very decent and balanced red blend based, I think, on cabernet, but the community price shown here is surprising. Tasted more like $25 than almost $40.

4/19/2019 - jfaulk Likes this wine:

This is a great QPR cab I found recently at $52. Double decanted and poured...Upfront you catch a whiff of cherry and tobacco. Taste of luscious cassis & berry followed by mellow oak. Slightly acidic & tangy. The structure is there. A unique and well made Cabernet. Great weekend or dinner find!

3/9/2019 - darrenv Likes this wine:

Beautiful. Big dose of plummy merlot. Fruity, but notes of tobacco, cedar, leather. I'm not sure about hanging onto this too long. It's drinking very well right now. Like a Nota Bene in the bargain bin.

3/7/2019 - RARevino Likes this wine:

black fruit and leather and some nutmeg.
we aired with an electronic aerator. so drank right away. seemed to need a bit more air and as the hour progressed we saw a nice change and maturity.

3/3/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

PNP, dark ruby in the glass. Aromatic spice and fruit. Definitely a little vanilla and tannic bite on the palate but the depth of dark red fruit and touch of herbaceousness are dominant. Really a delight. Med+ finish with a tad alcoholic heat but good concentration and complexity. Well done for CAD40.

2/14/2019 - Grape_ape wrote:

couldn't keep my hands off these.. wish I bought more

2/20/2019 - RARevino wrote:

okanagan cherry, very nicely developed body with a hint of tobacco, rich soil, good balanced tannins from front to back

2/18/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

This is wine. This is very good wine. It’s not trying to be something from elsewhere. It’s not trying to be defined by its vinification. It’s not Oak and it’s not Jam. It represents where it comes from. What it’s made of rather than how it’s made. It’s components are in balance. It has fruit, tannins, acid, and alcohol and all seamlessly integrated. A delight to drink, savour and pair with simple fare. Tonight lamb stew from scratch. This is very good wine. Sacred? Maybe Ethereal. Burro? More like vigilant and persistent. This is wine.

2/17/2019 - ajbergren wrote:

Rich ruby red with very high optical density and medium specular reflectivity. Aromas mixed dark and red fruits with a wet gravel infused floral lift. Some forest floor and savory notes under the fruit, with a strong sea-side iodine aroma with spicy black pepper lingering underneath. Really mouthwatering nose, lots of appeal. The palate is medium to full bodied with medium plus acidity and some tannic bite on the back end. The texture ends up being a porous-grained but even nature, with good density and concentration, but some rustic notes in the details. Flavours of mixed berries on the attack, with some forest meadow and a savory kick of spice. The midpalate brings in more, with stone and some oak flavours contributing on top of the fruit. The flavours are intense and there is decent complexity. Less primary thought, showing the fruit as an even contributor to the spices and other notes. The finish is medium in length, with a dry character and light flavours of raw meat and charred leather.

Really nice, enjoyable wine here. Not completely knit together, I suspect this will improve in the cellar, but still quite delicious at this time. A great experience with depth and character driving the wine. Made in a very old-world style, this is like Northern Rhone in Canada! Well balanced and showing classic varietal characteristics, this is great Syrah!

2/10/2019 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Atypical for a Nota Bene, more aromatic than other vintages with geranium notes that I don't usually get (not sure how much I like that). Soft tannins, balanced and fresh. Enjoy now or cellar for 8-10+ years.

1/22/2019 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Same initial off-putting nose that darrenv cites in his TN. Took a little while for the fruit, meat & pepper to surface. Still a youngun’ with good potential. Perfect with brisket and beans.

1/6/2019 - sshayfin wrote:

appearance: med ruby
nose: med + intense aromas of: blackberry, black currant, ripe redberries, ripe red cherry, lavander, chocolate, coffee, smoke, tobacco, tar, earth, leather, nutmeg, eucalyptus.
developing
palate:
dry
med + acidity
high alcohol
med + tannins
med + body
med finish
med + intense flavors of blackberry, black currant, cedar, eucalyptus, tobbaco, tar, flint, meaty.
quality: outstanding
readiness for drinking: can drink now, but has potential for further aging

1/2/2019 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Very impressive as well (drank it with Le Vieux Pin Cabernet Franc 2015). The Oculus tasted more like a very high quality Napa Valley Cab than an Okanagan wine. Super young, vigorous, rich and deep...with a sweet oaky finish. The acidity is doing a great job at keeping the wine fresh and not heavy. A great treat that will age very well over the next 15 years.

12/13/2018 - maxima wrote:

Bu ce midi en succ dans le back store avec les conseillers et
3 autres clients 4 vins de l’arrivage Italiens.
Antinori Guado al Tasso 2015, Marchesi Antinori Tignanello 2015,
Flaccianello della Pieve Fontodi Colli Toscana 2015 et
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri 2015.
Les 4 vins étaient en carafe depuis le matin donc un bon 3 heures.
4 très beaux vins, ça c’est certain,
Tous ont eu une légère préférence pour le Tignanelllo sauf moi,
le Flaccianelli ma soufflé. Guado al Tasso 3ième et ensuite Sassicaia trop ouvert et amère en ce moment.
Quel beau vin complet et complexe.
Beaucoup de fruits mais une belle structure et des tannins fins et bien enrobés. C'est long et c'est bon.
Finale tout en douceur sur des relents de minéraux.
Excellent. Mon préféré donc 3 pour la cave!

11/6/2018 - maxima wrote:

Bu en succ.
Un vin immense, un aubaine à ce prix!
Un autre example de la grandeur de 2015 en Rhone Nord...6 bouteilles en cave et je me retiens!
Le vin était en carafe depuis le matin, donc un bon 4 heures.
Un nez dense et pure sur les cerises et les mures avec
de la sauge et de la fumée avec un brin d'olive et de viande.
En bouche, de la soie et fort complexe.
Des mures, du bacon, du lard et un peu de tapenade sur un fond florale.
Aucune lourdeur, une belle impression de fraicheur et de minéraux.
Les tannins sont fins t la finale hyper
longue et veloutée, rien n'accroche.
Un vin qui démontre une belle tension et un bel équilibre.
Superbe en ce moment et jusqu'ou il ira...on pourra le suivre!
PS: You heard it here first...AGAIN!

12/1/2018 - darrenv Likes this wine:

Nice nose, fragrant, I could tell there was more Petit Verdot. Decent mouthfeel, lots of dark fruit and even after an hour still tannic. I think in three more years this will be great.

11/26/2018 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 mins ahead of a tasting party. Good complexity to the nose - dark red fruits and some spice. Medium+ body. Tannins still a tad grippy but wonderful with charcuterie and cheese board. VG value.

11/23/2018 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Last bottle and the best yet. This is really coming into its own; so well-balanced and good complexity. Tasted alongside a 2013 Allegrini Amarone and this was preferred by the whole group. Good depth of fruit that is starting to move into tertiary with some dried dark red fruits and fig. Fine tannins. Really delightful. Definitely in its window now.

11/10/2018 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Standout of a Syrah blind tasting evening. Drinking beautifully right now. Massive nose of dried and stewed dark red fruits along with cedar, pepper and licorice. Lots of depth and complexity on the palate. Briliant med+ body. Fine tannins and surprising freshness for a 14 yr old wine. No jammy or flabbiness here. Closing in on perfect and a fraction of the price vs. Grange or Hill of Grace.

6/4/2018 - jwmarkvoort Likes this wine:

Wonderful smooth PN.

10/20/2018 - Canoehead Likes this wine:

Ready to please meritage. Dark red fruits, spice and vanilla on both nose and palate. Ripe fine tannins, alcohol and acidity all in balance. Just never enters the complexity zone. But a perfect weeknight red. Good value.

9/10/2018 - Canoehead Does not like this wine:

I would expect more from a CC Riserva from a pretty good vintage. Old world style, muted dried fruit on the nose and the palate. Brick red with traces of a orange rim. Acid is dropping out ahead of the tannin and the fruit. Did wake up a bit with food - parm-regg, olives, marinara pasta. Otherwise, quite underwhelming. May be braising with the last bottle.

11/3/2017 - shadow wrote:

Nose is a rich decadent vapor that teases my taste buds in anticipation.
First sip, like a briney stew of meat seared over an coal fire.
Second sip, still black and brisk, the tannin holds a touch of acid in check while saliva washes my palate free.
Watery like a thin Burg, intense like a single malt.
This is not panty remover, this is sit by the fire and listen to some Pink F with the lights down low to allow the music and wine fight it out.

7/7/2018 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Slightly more interesting than my last bottle. You can tell it comes from a very hot vintage, the acidity level is rather low. All in all this is an excellent Bordeaux, but perhaps not very typical of Pessac-Leognan. Drink or hold, but not sure this will improve more.

9/2/2018 - Canoehead wrote:

This Zin-dominant field blend has been our go-to Zin for years. However, the price point has become disconnected from what use to be good QPR in the bottle. No question this is a well-made blend that has good balance between the elegant fruit, acidity, alcohol and tannins (thanks to Petite Sirah?). In most years, the Lytton red has had cellaring potential. The winery is partially responsible for the price increase these past few years but sadly in B.C. our liquor board has continued to raise the price. The 2015 retails for just over 80CAD after-tax which is about 61USD. That’s almost twice the average price in US! It’s time we research alternatives to the Lytton. Any suggestions?

8/15/2018 - KillerJones Does not like this wine:

Ripe nose - with intriguing meaty aromas.

Round & richly textured, with intense blue & blackberry flavors.

Fresh notes of licorice & eucalyptus with a long finish.

7/28/2018 - darrenv Likes this wine:

Gave it an hour, something on the nose was a bit weird, but it blew off after a while. Nice and fruity, nice peppery finish. Decent syrah that might get better with a year or two, but good to drink now. $48 with tax makes me think more of some $28 BC syrah (Orofino Scout Vineyard)...

7/21/2018 - srh Likes this wine:

Italian Tasting (San Diego Wine Co.): 92% Sangiovese, 8% Malvasia Nera and Colorino (vines 12-30 yrs old) from 50 different estate parcels with Alberese & Galestro (limestone) soils @ 722 - 1,804 ft above sea level; Fermented @ 26-28° C for 15-18 days, then aged 20 mos in small FR oak barrels (225 & 500 lt / 60% new); Bottled June 2016, released March 2017.

N: LM body; LOVELY frt met by a puckerish astringency that NEVER loses touch with the initial frt as it slowly, SEAMLESSLY morphs into a very LONG, BALANCED finish with a tangy/swtness & OCCASIONAL notes of bitterness to the very, VERY fine tannins. Needs/DESERVES through '19, then EASILY making its 10th & _ more. SUPERBLY done! 13.7% ABV; My EXC. 95 pts, Platinum, & Best Red Chianti @ '17 Decanter World Wine Awards, 95 pts WS, 94 WA, 92 Suckling, 91 ea Falstaff Magazine, WE, Vinous, & ErGentili, and 90 Luca Gardini! [This vendor's $39.99 is (uncharacteristically) in the bottom half of some fairly wide-ranging wine-searcher listings.]

7/28/2018 - RARevino wrote:

very nice wine. at its peak. JP told me so.