February 18/07 - Our Latest Top Ten BC Picks

WHITE

90 Thornhaven Gewurztraminer 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $13.90 winery direct
Could this wine be better than last year? Now one of the best in province on a consistent basis if you like gewürztraminer Thornhaven is the place to get. Look for a bright fresh floral lychee fruit nose and palate with ripe peachy fruit cut by a floral citrus undercurrent. Fine intensity and a clean finish. Terrific wine.

88 Golden Mile Road Chardonnay Luckhurst Family Vineyards 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $19.90 winery direct and private wine shops
Fresh open barrel ferment nose with toasted lees and honey aromas. Bright tangerine pear fruit on entry with hints of buttered popcorn, vanilla and honeyed tropical flavours. Fine acidity and mid-palate weight with a complex smoky oak finish. Tasty and different than most.

88 Lake Breeze Seven Poplars Chardonnay 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $21.90 winery direct, VQA wine shops
Honey, floral, peach, creamy lees, nutty, vanilla nose. Ripe, round, fresh palate with some fatness and elegance. Nutty, lees, vanilla, lemon, creamy mango flavours with a spicy, butterscotch, cream finish. Good overall balance if a touch hot.

88 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Viognier Proprietors' Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $14.99 specialty listing
Floral, creamy, spicy, ginger, orange honey aromas. Ripe, round, elegant and fresh but delicate. Green apple, citrus, ginger, lemon, mineral and honey flavours. Crisp, delicate finish, well balanced style to match any seafood. Stylish.

88 Wild Goose Stony Slope Riesling 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $15.95 Speculative - Peacock and Martin
Very floral, perfumed, peach, ripe apple nose. Crisp acidity but somewhat sweet entry with floral, red apple, peach and citrus flavours with a very floral finish. Good style if a bit sweet and on the heavier style. This is somewhat more akin to Alsace than the winery's normal Germanic style. Continued solid quality.

88 Wild Goose Pinot Gris 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $14.95 speculative listing - Peacock and Martin
A very consistent performer that seldom hits any low notes or super high ones. A touch of colour signals the pinot gris grape as does its earthy, spicy honey quince nose. Fresh and dry it hits the palate with some weight and more mineral, citrus flavours, earthy, green apple, oily notes and just a hint of ginger in the finish. Well done.

RED

90 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2004
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.90 winery direct
Open cedar-y spicy, sweaty nose with a touch of game leather and tobacco with chocolate cranberry fruit. Round and smooth on the palate with spicy, smoky, cigar, chocolate cherry flavours. Similar to last year this franc is rich and ripe with a long warm oaky finish. Well done for a variety that can be tough to love when it's not ripe.

89 Jackson-Triggs Shiraz Proprietors' Reserve 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $17.50 private wine shops; BC $18.99 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
Typical JT big blackberry blueberry fruit nose with hints of brambles and black raspberry jam. Big round accessible front end with more peppery, black raspberry, smoky, vanilla flavours streaked with chocolate and ample oak. Big warm gamey finish. This should get better in the bottle over the next 2-3 years. Roast lamb is the ticket here.

88 Burrowing Owl Syrah 2004
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.90 winery direct
Black cherry, dried lychee, mineral, smoky, roasted sausage nose with rootsy, chocolate aromas with a touch of compost and bell pepper in the background. Dry, tight, somewhat lean on entry with a bit of acidity poking through. Very meaty, licorice root, medicinal, pruny, menthol, black cherry, gamey, raisin-y, compost flavours. A bit young but lacks the balance of the 2003 with some excess acidity and dryness. This edition has a synthetic cork. Solid if a bit dry.

88 Hawthorne Mountain Merlot 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $14.99 specialty listing, vqa and private wine shops
It's been a while since we've seen this label but this is a very pleasant surprise from winemaker Dave Carson. The nose has an appealing red currant and spice scent with roasted licorice and vanilla pudding notes. Smooth and round on the palate, 9real merlot texture) with more spicy, smoky plummy fruit. Ripe fruit, fine balance and an attractive price. Real value here.

88 Jackson-Triggs Meritage Proprietors' Grand Reserve 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.99 VQA stores / private wine shops; BC $20.95 Vintages
Fairly tight nose with a youthful spicy, peppery, smoky nose streaked with clove, black cherry jam and vanilla. Stylish round entry with some gripp-y youthful tannins. On the palate it's full-bodied with smoky, coffee mocha, black olive, licorice and savoury notes. Like most JT red editions another 2-4 years will really help settle this down. Solid red wine from the south Okanagan.

88 Orofino Merlot Cabernet 2004 Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon
Cawston, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.88 winery direct
Minty, orange peel, peppery, compost, tobacco, cherry jam aromas. Dry, round, slightly tannic palate and warm but has some finesse. Light roasted bell pepper, minty, orange, cherry, leafy, black olive, smoky oak and vanilla flavours. A bit hot and tannic but a solid effort. Needs 2-4 years to soften out. Unfined and unfiltered.

88 Sandhill Cabernet Merlot Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $21.99 private wine shops; BC $18.99 specialty listing, vqa and private wine shops
Attractive open nose of tobacco, earth and black fruit aromas with streaks of vanilla. Dry and warm on entry with vanilla, tobacco shoe polish notes. Fine intensity for the price. It finishes smooth with moderate depth and bits of savoury mocha coffee. Well made and worth holding another year in bottle.

88 Sumac Ridge Meritage Black Sage Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.99 specialty listing
A big expressive smoky vanilla, chocolate pudding nose with flecks of black olive and cassis. The entry is richer and broader than last year with plenty of ripe tannins and peppery, bitter chocolate, coffee spicy, coffee flavours with bits of green olives in the finish. This will improve over the next three to five years.