quicksearch
WHITES 91/100 CedarCreek Chardonnay Platinum Reserve 2004 Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada Open inviting creamy lees and green apple nose with hazelnut, vanilla, floral, citrus aromas and just a touch of butter and peach.
WHITES
91/100 CedarCreek Chardonnay Platinum Reserve 2004
Open inviting creamy lees and green apple nose with hazelnut, vanilla, floral, citrus aromas and just a touch of butter and peach. Rich, elegant, dry palate with good vanilla, spicy lees, nutty, citrus, baked apple, butterscotch, melon flavours. Very good balance and acidity with some finesse and integration. Will improve over the next 1-2 years. Fine effort, best yet from winemaker Tom Di Bello.
Tasted: 2006-05-16 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $28.99 (750 ml) winery direct, VQA wine shops
CSPC: 607218; UPC: 778913064043
Producer: CedarCreek Estate Winery
Distributor:
90/100 Nk'Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2004
Osoyoos,
Winemaker Randy Picton has conquered the oak barrel in 2004 and given us a delicious spicy, cinnamon, leesy, baked apple chardonnay nose with nutty, floral, orange notes. Dry, elegant, slightly fat entry with nutty lees, mineral, vanilla, honey, waxy, spicy, green apple skin flavours. The finish is warm but with plenty of pear and citrus and a streak of buttered popcorn. Ready to go but with fine sophistication. Try with grilled trout and almonds meunière.
Tasted: 2006-04-15 by AG
Prices: BC $24.99 (750 ml) VQA stores / private wine shops
CSPC: 086405; UPC: 836909011416
Producer: Nk'Mip Cellars
Distributor: Vincor International
89/100
Okanagan Falls,
Spicy lees, mineral, butter, dried green apple, flinty nose with a touch of honey and hazelnut. Very dry, tight palate with good acidity. Buttery, mineral, baked green apple, leesy, vanilla, pear flavours. Restrained style with good acidity. Will improve over the next 1-2 years. Good value here.
Tasted: 2006-05-16 by AG
Prices: BC $25.00 (750 ml) winery direct or Foremost Wine Domaines Inc.
CSPC: 714956
Producer:
Distributor: Foremost Wine Domaines Inc.
89/100 Mission Hill Pinot Gris Reserve 2005
Mission Hill is dialling in its Reserve gris focusing on a crisp lemony style with plenty of grapefruit and mineral aromas. Lip smacking honeyed grapefruit, green apple, and mineral flavours with some attractive leesy mid-palate textures. Fine intensity with hints of pear in the finish. Food-friendly and well done.
Tasted: 2006-07-22 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $17.25 (750 ml); BC $18.99 (750 ml) specialty listing, vqa and private wine shops; MB $16.59 (750 ml); NB $18.69 (750 ml); ON $18.95 (750 ml); SK $17.99 (750 ml)
CSPC: 537076; UPC: 776545991034
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estate
Distributor: Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; Mission Hill Winery
89/100 Township 7 Reserve Chardonnay 2004
Oliver,
Green apple, floral, popcorn nose with honey, grapefruit, cinnamon and lees aromas all in the crisp, round, elegant style. Somewhat buttery with popcorn, baked apple, citrus, mineral, floral, green apple skin flavours with a nutty, garlic lees, chalky, vanilla finish. Very solid if a bit oaky now. Should improve over the next year as the oak dissipates.
Tasted: 2006-02-17 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.90 (750 ml) winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
CSPC: 034579; UPC: 626990024590
Producer: Township 7 Vineyards and Wineries
Distributor: Winery Direct
90/100 Sandhill Small Lots Program Three Burrowing Owl Vineyard 2003
Young but well balanced with peppery, chocolate, garrigue, black cherry, floral notes with vanilla, coffee, black olive and smoke. On the palate it is round and dry with fine elegant supple characters. Spicy, black cherry, mocha, vanilla, peppery, spicy, black olive flavours with a touch of cardamom. Needs 1-3 years but try now with any grilled meat. The best red blend yet from Sandhill ─ 53/21/13/13 barbera, sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
Tasted: 2006-04-30 by AG
Prices: AB $32.49 (750 ml) fine wine boutiques; BC $29.99 (750 ml) winery direct and private wine shops
CSPC: 055574; UPC: 058976350704
Producer: Sandhill Wines
Distributor: Grady Wine Marketing
89/100
Cedar, compost, barnyard, cherry, celery salt and vanilla aromas with a slightly rubbery note. Very dry, round, warm entry but elegant with light, tight tannins. Peppery, earthy, cedar-y, smoky vanilla, cherry, stewed rhubarb and carrot top flavours. Good acidity but quite dry on the finish and showing some wood. Needs another 1 to 3 years in bottle. A good effort that is consistent with the winery's style.
Tasted: 2006-07-19 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $35.00 (750 ml) winery direct or Foremost Wine Domaines Inc.
CSPC: 714881
Producer:
Distributor: Foremost Wine Domaines Inc.
89/100 Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon -
A 60/40 blend of cabernet sauvignon/shiraz age in French and American wood. It has a youthful charred barrel nose with dense generous smoky, blackberry vanilla and spicy leather notes - a la Oz. Well-balanced attractive style many will like. Another warm year and 40 per cent
Tasted: 2006-07-01 by AG
Prices: BC $25.99 (750 ml) specialty listing, private wine shops
CSPC: 632950; UPC: 063657005378
Producer: Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate
Distributor: Vincor International
89/100 Jackson-Triggs Shiraz Proprietors' Grand Reserve 2004
Big cedar sausage/meaty peppery
Tasted: 2006-06-30 by AG
Prices: BC $24.99 (750 ml) specialty listing, private wine shops
CSPC: 732172; UPC: 063657005835
Producer: Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate
Distributor: Vincor International
89/100 Nichol Vineyard Syrah Reservare 2003
Naramata Bench,
Where others wineries have floundered in a difficult 2003 vintage, the Nichols appear to have hit the target. Love this smoky, meaty, gamey, nose flecked with pepper and rootsy aromas. Dry, round, slightly tannic entry with a sense of elegance throughout. Dense peppery, gamey, meaty fruit with floral, black berry, smoky, spicy flavours with a bit of saddle leather and coffee grind on the finish. Needs 2-4 years. Well made and perfectly suited to strong meat dishes. Fine effort.
Tasted: 2006-04-23 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $34.90 (750 ml) winery direct
Producer: Nichol Vineyard & Farm Winery
Distributor: Winery Direct
89/100 Sandhill Small Lots Program Two Burrowing Owl Vineyard 2003
Open floral peppery nose with licorice, cassis, black cherry, mocha aromas with some barnyard and smoky leather. Rich, ripe and round with dry if soft tannins. Intense coffee, peppery, smoky, resin, vanilla, cassis, black cherry, black berry flavours on the palate with a warm, vanilla pudding finish. Needs 2-5 years but will improve. Good balance overall.
Tasted: 2006-04-08 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $29.99 (750 ml) winery direct and private wine shops
CSPC: 620344; UPC: 058976350667
Producer: Sandhill Wines
Distributor: Grady Wine Marketing
89/100 Sumac Ridge Pinnacle 2002
Stewed cherry, cassis, and coffee nose streaked with pepper, smoke, bacon, leather, barnyard and garrigue-like spice. Rich, ripe, fat and round not to mention somewhat alcoholic. Smooth, substantial tannins but balanced. Intense smoky, coffee, cedar, mocha, cherry cola, black olive, rootsy clove flavours. Big and warm and ripe. This needs another 3 to 4 years in bottle to pull it all together. Good effort.
Tasted: 2006-04-08 by AG-ST
Prices: AB $43.00 (750 ml) private wine shops; BC $50.00 (750 ml)
CSPC: 593061; UPC: 778876830617
Producer: Sumac Ridge Estate Winery
Distributor: Vincor International
89/100 Township 7 Syrah 2003
Oliver,
Tobacco leaf, menthol, pruny, cherry, shoe leather, coffee and barnyard aromas with a meaty streak. Dry, round, slightly tannic entry but good elegance. Chocolate, coffee, menthol, cool leafy, olive, tobacco flavours with some cherry mint on the finish. A touch oaky but has good expression and balance.
Tasted: 2006-02-15 by AG-ST
Prices: BC $24.90 (750 ml) winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
CSPC: 037523; UPC: 626990024552
Producer: Township 7 Vineyards and Wineries
Distributor: Winery Direct
