February 23/10 - Our Latest Top Ten BC Picks

91/100 Mission Hill Oculus 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Oculus continues down the softer rounder richer path but slowly. Very peppery, spicy, minty nose with black olive, leather, mineral, liquorice and blackberry notes sprinkled with coffee, cassis, carrot top and vanilla aromas. The attack is dry and round with fairly tight tannins but with finesse. More black cherry fruit spiked with peppery, liquorice, smoky flavours with coffee, resin, tobacco, leather black olive and herbal notes in the finish. This has a solid future but like previous editions it will need 3-5 years to soften up and develop further. It needs a little less Medoc character and a little more Pomerol.
Tasted: 2009-10-19 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $70.00 (750 ml) private wine stores; BC $70.00 (750 ml) winery direct; ON $70.00 (750 ml) Vintages, consignment mark Anthony
CSPC: 202291;   UPC: 776545981219
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery
 
91/100 See Ya Later Ranch Rover 2007
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
This is one impressive syrah. A 95/5 blend of syrah and viognier it has a big white pepper nose flecked with anise, mint, pepper, roasted coffee, orange peel, ginger and meaty aromas. The entry is rich and concentrated with more meaty, savoury, roasted pepper, tobacco, vanilla, coffee flavours and plenty of tannin. Complex and ripe if just a bit too oaky at the moment. Let's hope the price stay at this very attractive level. Stock up.
Tasted: 2009-09-17 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $27.00 (750 ml) private wine stores; BC $25.00 (750 ml) specialty listing
UPC: 0636570217774
Producer: See You Later Ranch
Distributor: Vincor Canada - A Constellation Company

90/100 Mission Hill Compendium 2006
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Peppery, earthy, barnyard, compost, black olive nose with northwest notes of black cherry, caraway, smoky tobacco all with a touch of carrot top, vanilla and leather. The entry is dry and round but tannic. More smoky, earthy, peppery, tobacco, black olive, liquorice flavours flecked with vanilla, clove, caraway and black cherry flavours. It finishes oaky at this point and tight but again with some early finesse poking through. Time and patience is required.
Tasted: 2009-10-19 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $40.00 (750 ml) private wine stores; BC $40.00 (750 ml) specialty listing; ON $40.00 (750 ml) Vintages, consignment Mark Anthony
UPC: 00776545555571
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery

89/100 Pentâge Winery Gewurztraminer 2008
Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
A huge turnaround from last year in what is a rich fabulously ripe style gewürztraminer. Look for a big floral, litchi meaty nectarine skin notes on the nose. The palate is equally full flavoured with bright spicy fruit with peachy, orange and litchi fruit flavours and a long moderately sweet finish. Try this with spicy (hot) Pan Asian food.
Tasted: 2009-09-07 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $18.00 (750 ml) winery direct, private wine shops
Producer: Pentâge Winery
Distributor: Winery Direct

89/100 Mission Hill S.L.C. Syrah 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Smoky, black olive, savoury, balsamic, leather, tobacco, sausage meat, chocolate aromas with a touch of barnyard and black cherry. Round, elegant, dry, supple palate but slightly lean with a touch of acidity. Peppery, tobacco, espresso, resin, licorice, cedar, vanilla, dried herbs and olive flavours with a cedar, leafy, green tea, and black cherry finish. Good finesse if a bit green and hollow on the finish. It should fatten up a bit with one to three years of ageing but it is drinkable now.
Tasted: 2009-10-25 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $28.00 (750 ml) fine wine boutiques; BC $37.00 (750 ml) winery direct, Mark Anthony stores; MB $40.00 (750 ml); ON $37.00 (750 ml) consignment - Mark Anthony Brands
CSPC: 803650;   UPC: 776545995742
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery

89/100 Painted Rock Red Icon 2007
Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Big spicy, peppery, black cherry nose with cassis, clove, saddle leather, mocha, caraway and vanilla aromas with an undercurrent of tobacco and olive. Good complexity if a bit too much meaty leather notes. Round, dry, warm, supple entry with some gritty tannin in the back end. Similar flavours with spicy, oaky, coffee notes in the finish. There is ripe fruit and good balance but with a lot of oak and green dried herbs on the back end.
Tasted: 2009-09-06 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $55.00 (750 ml) winery direct, private wine shops
UPC: 0062699095385
Producer: Painted Rock Estate Winery
Distributor: Winery Direct

89/100 Sperling Vineyards Pinot Gris 2008
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Winemaker Anne Sperling describes here restrained pinot gris style as pears and stones. The fruit comes off two very different benches on the home property in Kelowna's Mission District. It's essentially bone dry on the palate, light and fragrant all aged in old barrels for no wood influence. Lees stirring gives it a pleasing texture and protects tis dry citrus flavours. Less fruit more site expression is the goal. Food friendly.
Tasted: 2009-12-18 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $19.00 (750 ml) speculative listing - Liquid Art
CSPC: 799361;   UPC: 0094922084743
Producer: Sperling Vineyards
Distributor: Calibrium International

89/100 Mt. Boucherie Estate Collection Semillon 2007
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
Grapefruit, light artichoke, gooseberry, grassy, nettle, passion fruit aromas. Ripe, round, elegant palate with pink grapefruit, passion fruit, grassy, nettle, asparagus, lemon, nutty flavours. Good fruit intensity and balance for seafood. Very impressive effort. Oysters anyone.
Tasted: 2010-01-21 by ST
Prices: BC $16.00 (750 ml) winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
CSPC: 110650;   UPC: 812289000400
Producer: Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery
Distributor: Winery Direct

89/100 Mission Hill Quatrain 2006
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
The latest and 2nd release of Quatrain is a 41/32/14/13/ blend of syrah, merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon taken from estate blocks in Oliver and Osoyoos. Tasted several times since its release. Look for black cherry, spicy, black pepper, black olive aromas with flecks of vanilla, coffee, tobacco, carrot top, caraway, saddle leather and cassis. Dry, slightly thin and tight on entry with a youthful tannic palate. On the palate spicy, clove, peppery, vanilla, tobacco, coffee, herbal, cassis, cranberry flavours mixed with black olives, cherry mark the palate. There is a sense of elegance here but it is a somewhat tannic with a hollow mid-palate at this point. Not as generous as the previous edition. It is definitely best to wait on this for another two to four years.
Tasted: 2009-10-19 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $45.00 (750 ml) private wine stores; BC $48.00 (750 ml) specialty listing; ON $45.00 (750 ml) Vintages, consignment Mark Anthony
CSPC: 350504;   UPC: 776545555557
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery

89/100 Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay Osoyoos Vineyard Estate 2007
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
An interesting twist in '07 with the pronounced lemon/nettle, clove, baked apple and pear nose with a honey pineapple hazelnut undercurrent. The attack is dry and fruity with more crisp, sharp fruit and les texture than previous editions. Green apple, vanilla, baked pear, tropical, nectarine, honey, cooked marzipan and passion fruit flavours mark its firm lean palate. This too needs a year or so to round out and develop some viscosity and weight to carry the flavours.
Tasted: 2009-10-19 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $35.00 (750 ml) private wine stores; BC $35.00 (750 ml) specialty listing; ON $35.00 (750 ml) consignment - Mark Anthony Brands
UPC: 776545555564
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery