Community Tasting Note

deBare Likes this wine:

Sunday, March 6, 2022 - Burrowing Owl and Merlot have always gone hand-in-hand for me. I still have fond memories of the Oliver winery’s 2003 vintage. As those bottles have attained mythic status in my mind, I keep going back hoping their current vintages come close. While subsequent years have certainly been good, none of them quite have replicated my recollections of the first Burrowing Owl Merlot I tried.

I would put the 2019 vintage in that category - close but not as great of the ‘original.’ That said, it’s still a classic Merlot, enjoyable with grilled steaks, sautéed mushrooms and smashed potatoes. With a nose of black and blue fruits with hints of chocolate, there is a blend of flavours of summer herbs and berries mixed with the graphite mineral terroir of the hillside vineyards where the burrowing owls dig their homes.

I will continue to chase the rainbow in future vintages … always hoping that one day my Merlot memories will be matched by that year’s bottling. And if I do, I will certainly buy a case or two.

Cheers. 🍷

PS. The winemaker suggests cellaring from 2022-2026 so it’s possible by drinking this bottle now I haven't given it the full chance to mature. So if anyone has 2019s in their cellars, be more patient than I was and wait another year or three before opening.

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