Collectibles: July 2015

After spending the first half of the month abroad enjoying foreign wine, I had to make up time upon my return and find the latest new releases. The full range of cellar-worthy reds found their way home with me this month, from Naramata Bench Pinot Noir to intimidating bottles of big blends from the southern Okanagan. Although many represented wines I have collected in past vintages, I was just as pleased to add some new wineries based on the positive buzz they are generating.

Tightrope 2013 Pinot Noir: New Zealand-trained winemaker-viticulturist couple Lyndsay & Graham O’Rourke gathered accolades at Ruby Blues and Mission Hill respectively before  focusing exclusively on their own winery recently. This new release, having spent 10 months in French oak, is only the second vintage from the O’Rourke’s Naramata Bench vineyard planted in 2007-2008. The inaugural 2012 was awarded a Gold medal at the 2014 National Wine Awards. John Schreiner’s recent 93-point review described the 2013 as a rich, seductively silky, “outstanding wine.” Firefly Fine Wines & Ales $40

Blasted Church 2012 “Cross To Bear” Syrah/Malbec: Previous Winemaker Richard Kanazawa produced the first Cross To Bear from the 2008 vintage, a 50/50 blend of the two rich red varieties. In 2012 new Winemaker Mark Wendenburg repeated the endeavour, this time using 72% Syrah, 22% Malbec, and 3% Viognier. The two reds were aged separately for 20 months before blending and bottling, with the Syrah’s co-fermented Viogner adding the classic floral notes. Like the original (a 93-point “big and demonstrative red”), fewer than one hundred cases were made, and will rapidly sell out in the winery’s busy Skaha Bench tasting room. Winery Direct $36

Nichol 2012 Syrah: Snagging a bottle from the oldest Syrah vines in Canada is an annual necessity, particularly from a vintage the winery calls “one of the most open and accessible in years.” Nichol’s 17 rows of own-rooted Syrah in Naramata Village celebrate their 25th birthday this year, providing the winery with not only major cachet but also consistent, quality fruit in the realm of 400+ cases each year. The dark fruit and herbs & spice of the 2012 is suggested as capable of accommodating several years in the cellar, until 2022. Firefly Fine Wines & Ales $38

Blasted Church 2012 “Holy Moly” Petit Verdot: I opened a vertical of this rare varietal Petit Verdot earlier this year, tasting 2008 to 2011, a set of four challenging vintages for this big red. The chocolaty aromas and stewed blue and black fruit yielded plenty of discussion, with the well-balanced, bright 2010 winning the night despite the fresh fruit and floral aromas from the young 2011. Blasted Church’s devotion to this varietal yielded particularly big rewards this year when the 2012 was awarded a prestigious Lieutenant Governor’s Award after taking home a Gold medal at the All Canadian Wine Championships. No surprise that the 191 cases have begun to move even faster since the Award publicity. Winery Direct $36

Lock & Worth 2013 “Square One” Cabernet Franc: An outpost in the southern Naramata Bench lets Nichol Vineyard owner Ross Hackworth (and Sales Director Matthew Sherlock) capture visitors who don’t make it further north to Nichol’s home-base. The former Poplar Grove property also allows Ross to work with varieties that would otherwise clutter the tight and focused Nichol portfolio. The sole area of overlap is in Cabernet Franc, from which nearly twenty-year-old vines that came with the property yielded 172 cases of “big, bouncy fruit” for their third vintage. I’m looking forward to opening this “driven, dense, and juicy” wine a little closer to the suggested best before date in the 2020s. Firefly Fine Wines & Ales $33

Blasted Church 2011 “Nothing Sacred” Meritage: I have managed to collect each vintage of the winery’s signature red blend since it was first made in 2007. As part of the reserve-tier “Revered Series” It is always a small production wine of approximately 200 cases, although the components of the blend vary substantial with each vintage. Because of the cool conditions in 2011 the winery harvested a combination of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec as late as mid-November. As a result of “extreme dehydration of the grapes, which concentrated the flavours, Brix levels reached 25 plus.” Winery Direct $40

Hester Creek 2012 The Judge: Having finally acquired my sixth vintage for this vertical collection I can admire the full crate of half a dozen stately bottles, encompassing every vintage produced of this new Golden Mile Bench icon. Thanks to pre- and post-blend aging Hester Creek was able to bottle and release the wine just in time to proudly brand it with BC’s first official sub-appellation. The combination of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot comes from some of the Okanagan’s oldest vines; from them Winemaker Rob Summers produces an age-worthy wine I can look forward to opening when I need to make room for the 2019! Swirl VQA Store $50

Collectibles: January 2015

The new year brings ever more new wine, with increasing release of the 2012 vintage, now more than two years in the past. Even 2013 reds are starting to appear, having enjoyed a solid twelve months in their respective tanks and barrels. Some brand new Pinot Noirs came home with me alongside a few new vintages for cherished verticals, both young and old.

Foxtrot 2012 Pinot Noir: This wine obviously sees a more complex barrel program than most – it was only just bottled in September, two years after harvest. Widely acknowledged as one of BC’s superlative Pinot Noirs, the wine is produced in small proportions (500 cases) from a 3.5 acre Naramata Bench vineyard. Fortunately John Schreiner shared the good news last year of an expansion to the self-rooted vineyard. The wine is being released at the winery in February, and seems to have shown up in selected stores in advance. Firefly Fine Wines & Ales $69

Nichol 2012 Pinot Noir: More Naramata Pinot, this time from one of the original wineries on the Bench. Nichol reports their vineyard (also own-rooted) was planted between 1989-1991, bringing at least some of the vines up past 25-years-old by now. The Pinot Noir comes from a mere six rows of vines, yielding about 400 cases that spent 13 months in neutral French oak. The winery describes it as the “fleshiest” Pinot they have released in some time, providing “more immediate pleasure than previous vintages,” but still good until 2020. Firefly Fine Wines & Ales $34

SpierHead 2013 Pinot Noir Cuvée: I don’t often get to know a wine even before bottling, but this one crossed my lips in September during a winery visit as part of the BCWAS Bus Tour. Proprietor Bill Knutson generously offered our group tank samples the day before bottling, to great satisfaction. Originally imagined as a producer of Bordeaux varieties, the five-year-old winery has rapidly become known for finely crafted Pinot Noir. I was quite excited to learn of this flagship wine’s public release, but the miniscule 100 cases produced are few and far between – get it now! Sutton Place Wine Merchant $41

Nichol 2012 Cabernet Franc: All the Nichol reds are typically released together, from the same vintage, at the same time, and retail distribution is fairly well established. (That being said I haven’t spotted the Syrah just yet, as most stores are still selling the 2011.) The Cabernet Franc is a 414 case lot, having spent 12 months in neutral French oak before bottling last March. The excellent 2012 vintage has produced a particularly ripe wine in the eyes of the winery, with great aging potential until 2022. Firefly Fine Wines & Ales $34

Osoyoos Larose 2010 Le Grand Vin: Everyone knows one of the original “icon reds” from BC, produced in a relatively consistent age-worthy style since 2001. The 2010 is the last vintage fully under the supervision of long-serving winemaker Pascal Madevon. Pascal left to join Don Triggs’ Culmina in early 2013, shortly after this vintage was bottled (following 18-20 months in French oak). Challenging conditions in 2010 are said to have been managed well, yielding a wine John Schreiner described as bright, firm, and generously textured (thanks to a blend centered on 67% Merlot). With the 2010 added to my six-year vertical, the 2004 is now available for consumption! Swirl VQA Store $50

Nk’Mip 2012 Mer’r’iym: The Osoyoos Indian Band’s well known winery added a super premium red blend to their portfolio as of the 2008 vintage, leading to the demise of their solid Qwam Qwmt (Reserve) Meritage. However, the Mer’r’iym Meritage has garnered plenty of praise of its own, coming from a winemaking team long experienced with big reds. The 2011 vintage was actually skipped over, making this the fourth release, and the first to cut Cabernet Sauvignon below one quarter of the blend: Merlot leads for 2012 with 59%, with 12% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc. The wine was released at the winery back in May 2013, but some of the approximately 450 cases produced only showed up in stores recently. BC Liquor Stores $50

Culmina 2012 Hypothesis: Only the second release from a powerhouse winery that leapt out of the gate two years ago with a 2011 that Anthony Gismondi called “the best first release I can remember from a local winery.” The 2012, from a superior vintage, should be even better – John Schreiner deemed it a solid 92+ points. Tasting the 2011 and 2012 side by side would be quite revealing, considering the major change in proportions: the formerly leading Cabernet Franc is now only 19%, with Merlot taking charge at 57% – while Cabernet Sauvignon remains the same at 24%. The wine has been available for a few months, but the new vintage is only now starting to replace the 2011 on store shelves. Swirl VQA Store $50

Recent Acquisitions: January

The schedule of new release wines usually slows down a bit in January, giving collectors a chance to catch their breath after the busy Fall and Christmas season – when many tempting sales and specials are in abundance. Last month I took the chance to fill in a few holes in my collection, as well as snap up some of the few recent releases while I had the chance to concentrate on them: the Spring Wine Festival and reams of new wines will be upon us before we know it!

Nichol Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Syrah: A number of excellent wines are produced by this Naramata winery, in particular a well-respected Syrah and some great work with Pinot Noir. I was surprised to see that this unique blend of estate-grown Cabernet Franc and Syrah from the 2007 vintage was still available, considering the relatively low production quantity of 578 cases. The spiced fruit and chocolate profile sounded quite appealing, so I filled one of the last remaining spots in my 2007 compilation with a bottle from Firefly.

Jackson-Triggs 2007 Proprietor’s Grand Reserve Shiraz: This bottle represents one of the last available wines with Jackson-Triggs’ old labelling and nomenclature. The Proprietor’s Grand Reserve tier no longer exists, having been merged for the most part with the Sunrock tier into the new Gold Series wines. Considering this wine went through only 12-months in barrel, it’s surprisingly still available more than four years after harvest, and still active on the awards circuit as well: Jackson-Triggs brought home a gold medal from the BC Wine Awards at the Fall Wine Festival, and a silver from the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards. I took advantage of a post-Christmas 15% off sale from Vincor to buy this already economical wine at a superb price as part of a mixed case.

Peller 2009 Private Reserve Syrah: A surprise gold medal winner at the Canadian Wine Awards, this $20 Syrah faced stiff competition from the likes of Church & State, Painted Rock, Laughing Stock, and other big names. Not that Peller Estates is a small winery by any stretch, but it’s rare to see a winner this economical when the competition sells for up to twice as much. I filled out my collection of gold medal Syrah when I found a bottle at Village VQA wines. Most VQA stores should carry this vintage now, but only 889 cases were made so this potent Syrah won’t last too long at such an approachable price point.

Orofino 2009 Beleza: The new release of this Similkameen winery’s signature blend took place recently, and fans would be wise to grab a bottle like I did at Firefly, which has reliably carried the full range of Orofino’s relatively small lot wines for some time. The blend for 2009 is primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a surprisingly high 20% contribution from Petit Verdot; that bold blend combined with 20 months in barrel should yield a powerful and ageable wine similar to the well-received 2008 version. Collectors could also consider an aggressively-priced magnum direct from the winery: Orofino garners a great deal of respect from me for not inflating their magnum price beyond the cost of two bottles.

Sandhill 2009 Small Lots Two: As is common for Sandhill’s Small Lot wines this Cabernet Sauvignon-heavy red blend appeared in BC Liquor Stores recently with little fanfare. Having missed the entire 2008 vintage of the Small Lots “One”, “Two”, and “Three” blends I didn’t dawdle in getting a bottle, despite little available information or reviews. Seeing as the 2008 wines never even made it to stores – and barely showed up on Sandhill’s website – I felt lucky to obtain this bottle, considering only 525 cases were produced.

Inniskillin 2009 Discovery Series Malbec: Another bottle from the mixed case I ordered via Great Estates of the Okanagan, I’d been looking for this wine since hearing about the gold medal it received at the BC Wine Awards last Fall. Seeing as there are so few varietal Malbecs produced in BC I’m always pleased to acquire particularly good ones. I actually had the chance the try this wine recently at a friend’s, and was impressed with the fresh, bright fruit and spicy finish. Other local Malbecs can often be had (when they aren’t sold out) from Cassini, CedarCreek, Desert Hills, Kettle Valley, La Frenz, Red Rooster, and Sandhill.

Burrowing Owl 2009 Meritage & Cabernet Sauvignon: Burrowing Owl has a habit of releasing their wines one at a time – presumably when they are ready – which makes purchasing a bit of a challenge, so a mixed case I ordered last Fall didn’t include the new Meritage, or the Cabernet Sauvignon. Fortunately the winery ships in smaller increments (as few as two bottles), so I recently piggybacked on a friend’s small order with a couple bottles of my own. So far little information is available about these new releases but they do have good pedigree: the 2008 vintages each received a silver medal at the 2011 Canadian Wine Awards. The winery appears to have commissioned Rhys Pender to write detailed tasting notes, and his comments certainly inspire confidence.

Road 13 2010 Rockpile: Just recently released and showing up in most public and private stores (4,000 cases were made), this wine represents the third year of Road 13’s new red blend. The Syrah component has increased markedly this year, going up from 45% last year (with 45% Merlot) to 82% for 2010. It’s actually quite a lot of fun seeing how this blend changes from year to year: Rockpile shows Road 13’s realistic and flexible approach to winemaking – as each vintage differs so too does the blend. Although this wine is produced in a style that is approachable in its youth, I’ve nonetheless cellared some each year to see how it ages, something about which I imagine Road 13 is equally curious!

January Acquisitions

With all the hubbub this month I’ve been busy posting about Taste BC and my Wine Club with friends, and haven’t had a chance yet to talk about some of the new wines I’ve added to my collection in January! Fortunately I’ve still got a few minutes left this month to mention some of the cherished new additions I sought out over the past few weeks.

Lennox Liquor Store: My Little Secret

Inside City Square Shopping Centre across from Vancouver City Hall there is a small unassuming private liquor store in which I often find surprisingly rare finds. This month was no exception as I picked up a Poplar Grove Merlot for a reasonable price, and two great wines from Orofino at winery pricing!

Poplar Grove Merlot (2006): In addition to their high quality white wines Poplar Grove produces some powerful and highly acclaimed reds including Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and this Merlot. Their wine can be a little hard to find so I’m glad to have picked up what sounds like a beautifully complex wine that even four years out still has at least a couple years to go before full maturity.

Orofino Red Bridge Red (2008): Orofino was one of the first wineries I visited in person, and all by a happy accident after my wife and I got a little lost driving back from the Okanagan! We stopped in the Similkameen valley for directions at what turned out to be Orofino Winery, and enjoyed their wines so much we later ordered a whole case. Since those early days Orofino has gained steam each year, in large part due to their very well received Red Bridge Red Merlot. I picked up the 2007 vintage at the winery in 2009 on my second visit, and buying the 2008 was a no-brainer.

Orofino Cabernet Sauvignon (2007): An experiment with Cabernet Sauvignon has yielded what sounds like an excellent small lots wine. Only time will tell if they release another vintage, but one would hope so based on the critical success of the 2007 (Silver at the 2010 All Canadian Wine Championships) and very positive acclaim from critics. Orofino seems to have an enviable a habit of very strong initial releases.

Firefly Fine Wines & Ales: The Rarities

Firefly has done a good job of acquiring some of those non-VQA wines and others you simply don’t see too often in the many VQA stores that dot Metro Vancouver: wineries like Black Cloud, Blue Mountain, Joie, and Nichol for example. They’ve made a wise choice not to directly compete with LDB pricing too often, especially with a BC Liquor Store only blocks away (from their Cambie location).

Black Cloud Pinot Noir Altostratus (2008): Township 7 winemaker Bradley Cooper has released a couple of charming Pinot Noirs under his own label, from both the 2006 and 2008 vintages. With the 2006 already in my hands I knew I needed a bottle of the highly regarded 2008 to “collect the whole set”.

Nichol Syrah (2008): Nichol has a very creative portfolio of wines including some based on the rare St. Laurent grape, plus a tasty-sounding Cabernet Franc-Syrah blend and a uniquely peachy-coloured Pinot Gris that always grabs people’s attention. Among their recent red releases is this Syrah that has got lots of people talking, in a good way: with words like bold, unique, and chic. I can’t wait to try it!

Mission Hill Reserve Viognier (2008): This wine was not on my list – primarily due to its Sold Out status at the winery – so it was a very pleasant surprise impulse purchase. Seeing several on the shelf at Firefly I quickly checked my smartphone to be sure I was remembering the details right and just as quickly picked up a bottle of this solid value wine that possesses a “richness and power that is rare in whites.”

Taylorwood Wines: VQA Selection and New Releases 

Taylorwood is one of my favourite wine shops for VQA new releases: their staff is highly knowledgeable about BC wines and they host some really excellent weekly tastings in their spacious location in Yaletown. They recently started sending what I hope will be a weekly newsletter including details of new arrivals, which is what prompted a visit for some wonderful Malbecs, among other treats.

CedarCreek Platinum Malbec (2008): Last year CedarCreek released their first single-varietal Malbec, only 84 cases of a rare and complex wine I scooped up from the Playhouse Wine Festival Shop last April. Local writer John Schreiner described it as one of the best Malbecs he’d ever tasted in BC, or Argentina! There are no reviews out yet for the 2008 vintage, but it just received a Gold Medal from the Canadian Wine Awards, so it was a purchase I made without hesitation. I’m particularly glad that CedarCreek decreased the price by $10 (from $55), and nearly tripled production (to 210 cases).

Cassini Cellars Malbec (2008): ready to battle for my Malbec love is this small production release from new winery Cassini (only 174 cases). I didn’t get to try this wine at the recent Taste BC, but it’s clear Cassini has another winner on their hands (Silver Medals at both ACWC and CWA). It’s been described as a delicious wine possessing a silky, fluid texture. After some cellar time I may toss the above two Malbecs up against Sandhill’s Small Lots version – and maybe Inniskillin’s Discovery Series – for a Malbec battle royale!

Cassini Cellars Maximus (2008): Cassini’s Cab-heavy red blend also received Silver at the Canadian Wine Awards, while it’s older sibling from 2007 took home a Gold medal. Fortunately I added the 2007 to my collection before it sold out, and now the 2008 holds a spot as well. John Schreiner thinks highly of this ripe red, which will hopefully have many subsequent younger siblings to come.

Twisted Tree Tannat (2008): This very exclusive varietal from Twisted Tree is their only red wine left that isn’t sold out. Hopefully some new releases are coming this spring or they’re going to get awfully bored in the shipping “department” at Twisted Tree! In an odd twist this wine came out in early 2010, before their 2007 Tannat (sold out). It is described as bold and vibrant, with firm tannins that I’m sure will do well in the cellar for a little while.