Tagged : wine

in Wine & Food
Mission-Hill-SLC-Chardonnay-2

Mission Hill SLC Chardonnay

2005 Vintage
Tasted: May 2011

Chardonnay is often polarizing in white wine circles with most people either loving or hating it and very few left in the middle, but when Chardonnay is good, it’s really good.

After 6 years in the bottle this one by Mission Hill is drinking very nicely. It’s supple and soft on the palate with just enough malolactic creaminess. There is still a hint of oak and some nice citrus notes, but it isn’t overly acidic.

It won’t jump out at you but it’s the subtleties that made this a nice one to drink. At the risk of sounding snooty this one might be most appreciated by a refined palate and someone who has tried a lot of Chards. For those who don’t care it definitely goes down easy!

 

 

 

 

 

in Wine & Food
Stags-Hollow-Cachet

Stag’s Hollow Winery Cachet

 

No. 2 – 2009 Vintage
Tasted May 2011

Unfortunately I never got to try vintage number 1 of the flagship Cachet from Stag’s Hollow Winery in Okanagan Falls, but I wish I had because Number 2 is very very good.

Being that this wine is a Syrah/Grenache blend with a dash of Viognier and Marsanne, it is a rare blend for the Okanagan and is worth the $40 price tag for that alone if you are an Okanagan oenophile. The usual earthy complexities of a Chateauneuf du Pape type wine arise in the flavour profile with some nice punchy acid on the tip of the palate and a bit of Glossette chocolate covered raisin in there somewhere. Mix that with some dark lush blackberries and a bit of leather and you’ve got a winner. I also feel like I can taste that bit of Viognier in there much like you can in a Cote Rotie style Syrah, but I could just be making that up because I knew it was in there before I drank it.

In any case, the fruit is intense, and there’s enough tannins and acid to go with that to indicate that this wine is worthy of some cellar time. I enjoyed drinking it now, but would love to pack some more of this away for future enjoyment. The Cachet has definitely earned a place at the $40+ Okanagan wine table.

in Wine & Food

Dirty Laundry Winery Bordello

2008 Vintage
Tasted: March 2011

Dirty Laundry serves up some wine with a fun theme. The former bordello that is the namesake of their top-tier reserve Bordeaux blend wine makes up the backbone for much of their marketing. The winery itself is known for producing an excellent Gewurztraminer and some fun red wines. This one in particular makes for a great gift and has an interesting label. If you look closely you’ll find brassieres, handcuffs, and other items of the like.

The wine itself is a big red blend of earth and cooked berries with big tannins and a relatively full body. Definitely drink with meat — preferably lamb or steak.

in Wine & Food

Graham Beck Shiraz Viognier

2009 Vintage

Tasted: March 2011

I’m a little leery of ubiquitous brands, and Graham Beck is easy to find around these parts. I’m not sure why, but there is something to be said for discovering something, but sometimes, the discovery is in something that you would normally veer away from. Beck’s Shiraz Viognier is a great buy and an easy crowd pleaser. It’s a lively, fun and bright wine great with pork, chicken and steak. The 7% Viognier takes the edge off of the sometimes punchy Shiraz and makes for a lighter and easier drinking red wine. A mix of tart raspberries, cooked fruit, cassis, and caramel make for a delicious and easy to find dinner party wine. Sometimes the discovery is right under your nose — you need only look down.

$15 at the BC Liquor Store

in Wine & Food

Vina Chocalan Carmenere

2008 Vintage
Tasted: February 2011

I’ve been curious about the Chocalan wines for a while now likely because of the obvious association with chocolate. I found this Carmenere at Broadway Liquor in Vancouver and was surprised that it was about $15. They do make a reserve tier wine that is more expensive which is what I had previously seen.

Hailing from the Maipo valley, this Chilean wine is a great value. Blackberries, raspberries, chocolate, and licorice all intermingle in this wine to make an interesting, yet easy drinking red for any occasion really. It was a little sweeter than I normally like but that makes for an easy crowd pleaser good enough for the aficionado and the rookie alike.