June 16/05 - Our Latest Top Ten BC Picks

wines alongside similar wines from the rest of the world. At gismondionwine.com we do our best to keep our B.C. reviews as current as possible; the scores and prices provided allow you to measure our best against similarly priced imports. Only the best wines make the list and we are proud to share the selections with you as we uncover them.

Availability, as in finding the top wines, remains a challenge and is not for the sleepy or slow of foot. Despite our best efforts to let you know where the wine is we suggest you contact the winery direct to obtain the most current distribution information.

The following "Top Ten and Ties" list represents the very best B.C. table wines EXCLUDING icewines we have tasted in the last six months.

92 Mission Hill S.L.C. Merlot 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.99 Winery, Mark Anthony Wine Marts, Private Wine Shops
The latest edition to B.C.'s roster of elite wines is Mission Hill S.L.C. Merlot 2002. Mission Hill's picture perfect winery has garnered a lifetime of accolades for its architecture but now they have a wine with similar impressive structure. Spice, smoky garrigue and licorice root aromas mix easily with black cherry pudding, vanilla, black olive and coriander. The merlot is perfectly ripe with concentrated fruit and supple tannins. Restrained spicy, black cherry jam and chocolate pudding flavours laced with mint, olive, resin and coriander finish long and stylishly. This is the best wine John Simes has made in B.C. and his vineyards are only beginning to fill out.

91 Burrowing Owl Syrah 2003
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.95 Winery
Very dark cherry colour. Big smoky, dried lychee, sausage meat aromas with peppery, licorice root, blackberry jam notes. Rich, round, fat and ripe with blackberry jam, smoky, peppery, vanilla, dried lychee, mineral, gamey flavours with a long, minty, smoky meat finish. Hot (alcoholic) but still a fine effort with a Northern focus. This young brute needs 2-4 years.

91 CedarCreek Cabernet Sauvignon Platinum Reserve 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $39.99 Winery
Dark cherry colour. Lots of spicy, peppery, cedar, tobacco leaf mixed with resiny, smoky vanilla aromas cassis and olive. Lovely round, ripe supple textures with fine grained tannins. Fresh cassis, coriander and pepper entry with spicy, cherry, smoky oak and vanilla flavours. Long and warm but well balanced with good finesse. Young, showing some oak, will improve over the next 3-5 years. Newer Bordelais style ― this is very fine, well crafted cabernet sauvignon. Bravo B.C.

90 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $26.90 Winery Only
Very deep cherry colour. Black olive, cassis, spicy, peppery, tobacco, roasted bell pepper, saddle leather aromas with smoky oak vanilla and garrigue notes. Moderately rich round and supple with balanced tannins. Good cassis, black berry, vanilla, chocolate, peppery, minty, smoky, black olive flavours and a touch of roasted bell pepper. Suave, supple style with good balance and intensity and a few tannins to shed. A 3-7 year wine, very good effort.

90 Burrowing Owl Meritage 2002 Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $34.90 Winery Only
Just released the 02 is a blend of 40/40/20 cabernet franc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Mocha, minty, black cherry, tea, black berry jam aromas mixed with tobacco, leather, cranberry and peppery orange peel notes. Rich, round, warm and dry with supple, ripe tannins. Big spicy, mocha, peppery, minty, tobacco, clove, smoky black olive flavours with a cassis, coffee vanilla pudding finish. Quite suave with good intensity, should age well over the next 4-6 years. Impressive ― 1000 cases made in a new Pomerol-like style. Reminiscent of Vieux Chateau Certan but hotter.

90 Township 7 Syrah 2002
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $22.90 Winery and LRS
Smoky sausage, peppery, spicy, leather, black berry aromas. Soft, round, elegant style with black cherry, spicy, licorice, floral, roasted coffee flavours with a warm, peppery, leather mineral finish. Good finesse, supple, has some Rhone like similarities. An excellent interpretation of B.C. syrah. Sold out.

89 Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2004
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $20.00 Winery
Another fine effort from BOV albeit slightly leaner and crisper than in the past and showing a touch more alcohol. Look for a floral, spicy, citrus, light buttery nose with mineral, earthy aromas. Round, dry, elegant palate with grapefruit rind, minerals and spice with light buttery lees and green apple flavours.

89 Mission Hill Chardonnay Estate 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $31.50 Fine Wine Boutiques; BC $29.99 Speculative - Mark Anthony Brands; NB $29.96 Special Order - Mark Anthony Wine Merchants; ON $28.00 Vintages; YK $29.90 Special Order - Mark Anthony Wine Merchants
Honey, floral, spicy, mineral, lime and orange rind, vanilla aromas with a bit of fruit cocktail. Dry, round, crisp palate but balanced with mineral, fruit cocktail, vanilla, nutty lees, honey, green apple flavours with a touch of nectarine and perfume. Nice intensity but definitely more of a food style - not fat or big but stylish.

89 Mission Hill S.L.C. Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2003 Sauvignon Blanc - Sémillon
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.99 Winery, Mark Anthony Wine Marts, Private Wine Shops
Restrained grassy, mineral, grapefruit mixed with green fig, clover and smoky mineral aromas with a hint of honey and vanilla lees. It's made in an elegant dry style with grassy, vanilla, creamy fig, grapefruit rind flavours with a light kiwi, smoky mineral finish. Fine crispness on the finish. Think Graves meeting the Loire in British Columbia. A fine first effort, especially given the smoke and fires that wreaked havoc in Okanagan vineyards.

88 Blasted Church Merlot 2003
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $22.99 VQA Wine Stores; Private Wine Shops
A super dark opaque colour previews a rich spicy nose of black raspberry and smoky, tobacco leaf. The entry is smooth (there is plenty of alcohol) and supple (light tannins) with cedar-y, coffee, smoky, black cherry, vanilla fruit. A warm year has ripen the fruit and spiked the alcohol but this will be enjoyed by many.

88 Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir 2003
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.90 Winery Only
Compost, leaf, black cherry, minty, maraschino, vanilla, cola licorice aromas and quite hot. Dry, rich, somewhat tannic and tight palate. Good rootsy, black cherry, minty, vanilla, leafy forest floor and rhubarb flavours. Elegant styling but too hot and compost-y at this point with some dry, tight tannins on the finish. Needs a year or two to settle down.

88 Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2003
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $23.00 Winery
Spicy vanilla, honey, mango, peach and baked apple aromas with some citrus notes. Ripe, round, dry and slightly hot with a dry, mineral, oily texture. Citrus, peach, creamy lees, vanilla, buttery baked apple flavours. Very ripe with some good length but showing some alcohol in the finish.

88 Blue Mountain Pinot Noir Reserve (Stripe Label) 2002
Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $32.00 Winery
Spicy, barnyard, cinnamon, smoky nose with streaks of celery top, mushroom/compost aromas and black cherry underneath. Dry, round, elegant palate but still a bit tight with earthy, spicy, smoky, mushroom, barnyard, stewed cherry and rhubarb flavours. Blue Mountain has consistently improved in bottle and we suspect this edition will be no different.

88 CedarCreek Ehrenfelser 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $14.99 Specialty
Floral, orange blossom, mineral, red apple nose with some perfumed, apricot notes. Soft, round, elegant and fresh with mineral, grapefruit, green apple, nectarine and rose petal flavours. A touch sweet and warm but has good acidity and balance and very true to type. Try as a sipper, with duck or with Indian food.

88 Herder Merlot Bellamy Vineyards 2003
Keremeos, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $18.90 Winery
Lawrence Herder the former Golden Mile winemaker is making his own wine in the Similkameen Valley and his first merlot has an open smoky, mocha, chocolate aromas mixed with leafy, herbal, spicy, dill and noticeable alcohol. Rich, round, dry, supple tannins with big chocolate, vanilla, smoky, pudding and black cherry flavours with some minty, cedar notes. Very warm finish but has lots of flavour and oak. Quite intense and young needs more time to develop in bottle.

88 Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Blanc Dark Horse Estate Vineyard 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $15.49 Specialty
Floral perfumed, bubblegum, honey-scented nose with red apple, mineral, grapefruit rind aromas. Very fresh. Round, elegant palate with fresh acidity and a touch of oiliness. Spicy, mineral, slate, green apple skin, floral, citrus flavours. Attractive style for drinking or with food. Well done.

88 Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Blanc 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $12.00; BC $12.99 Specialty; MB $12.49; NB $12.79; NS $11.44; ON $12.90; QC $13.95; SK $12.99
Winemaker John Simes has nailed the '04 Pinot Blanc and I suspect its all about vineyard control. Mission Hill was painfully slow off the mark to commit to estate vineyards but you can see now why it pays to have complete control over your fruit. This is quintessential British Columbia pinot blanc fresh and lively with bright citrus and pineapple fruit and none of those bitter skin contact fruit cocktail flavours. Best of all the winery has cranked out thousands of cases and it's available in government liquor stores at a price ($12.99) that few if any B.C. wineries can match for the quality. Oysters please or maybe some simply grilled halibut. I do have one question...where's the screw cap?

88 Mission Hill Pinot Gris Reserve 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $17.25; BC $18.99 Specialty; VQA and Private Wine Shops; MB $16.59; NB $18.69; ON $18.95; SK $17.99
Grapefruit, red apple, mineral, lees, honey and quince aromas. Round, dry, crisp and fresh but nicely balanced with honey, grapefruit, green apple, spicy, buttery mineral flavours. Nice intensity and fruit but finishes a bit on the dry side. To be released late summer 2005.

88 Mission Hill S.L.C. Syrah 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.99 Winery, Mark Anthony Wine Marts, Private Wine Shops
Spicy vanilla, mocha, blackberry, black cherry, smoky garrigue and chocolate pudding aromas. Round, dry, slightly tannic, tight entry with boysenberry, licorice, vanilla pudding, mocha, black cherry, peppery sausage flavours. Dry, slightly elevated acidity with a smoky, peppery finish. Fine fruit and French in style but appears to lack mid-palate concentration at this point which could be a function of young vines. Solid effort.

88 Orofino Merlot Cabernet 2003 Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon
Cawston, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.95 Winery
Big chocolate vanilla, tobacco nose mixed with smoky pepper, mineral, cherry and saddle leather aromas. Rich, round, structured and ripe with grainy tannins. Lots of smoky vanilla, chocolate espresso, tobacco, black cherry flavours. Chunky, chewy finish - very young, should improve over the next 2-5 years. Good effort.

88 Poplar Grove Reserve 2001 Merlot - Cabernet Franc
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $34.90 Winery
The blend is 80/20 merlot/cabernet franc. Look for a peppery, spicy, licorice root nose streaked with earthy, clove, mocha and light blackberry notes. It's dry and round on the palate with moderate tannins and fine concentration. Black pepper, chocolate, licorice, and vanilla flavours mix with a smoky, spicy earthy finish. Good intensity if a bit hot and chunky. It still needs a couple of years but not too long. Better with food.

88 Sandhill One Phantom Creek Vineyard Small Lots Program 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Petit Verdot - Malbec
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $28.99 Winery; Granville Island Brewing Retail Store
The '02 Small Lots One is a 95/5/3 blend of cabernet sauvignon/petite verdot and malbec grown at Phantom Creek Vineyard just off Black Sage Road south of Oliver. Look for a huge spicy, smoky nose with coffee pudding, tobacco, caraway and peppery blackberry fruit aromas. Rich, hot and fat it has a supple mid-palate with big coffee, cedar, tobacco, mocha, black cherry, cedar and stewed plum flavours. A monster, alcoholic red that will appeal to hose who love big rich powerful reds.

88 Township 7 Chardonnay 2004
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $17.90 Winery and LRS
Light butter and lees notes mix with peach, melon, green apple aromas streaked with citrus undertones. The entry is round and elegant, the palate soft but fresh with grapefruit rind, mineral, green apple, buttery, honey flavours. Crisp, some finesse, like a buttery mineral Chablis-style. Well done.

88 Township 7 Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $20.90 Winery and LRS
Open peppery, meaty, spicy nose with smoky, cassis aromas tobacco, mint and black olive. Dry, round, elegant but somewhat tight. Cassis, spicy, leafy, mineral, earthy, tobacco flavours. Nice finesse and balance but needs some additional fruit. Shoul dimprove in bottle over the next two to three years.