quicksearch
87 Arrowleaf Gewurztraminer 2005 Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada BC $15.90 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops The Arrowleaf gewürztraminer is consistently floral on the nose with light spicy sausage nose flecked with peach.
87 Arrowleaf Gewurztraminer 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $15.90 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
The Arrowleaf gewürztraminer is consistently floral on the nose with light spicy sausage nose flecked with peach. Fresh and breezy on the palate that offers up a simple fruit palate of peach and spicy mineral notes. Certainly an attractive consumer style.
88 Black Hills Sequentia 2005 Sémillon - Sauvignon Blanc
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.90 (375 ml) winery direct, private wine shops
Orange, baked apple, pear, grassy, honey nose with a touch of lees. Round, elegant, somewhat sweet style with light apricot, butter, lees, honey, canned pineapple, floral flavours with a light grassy, green apple finish. Very solid, fresh late harvest style. The best yet from Black Hills. The '05 blend is 55 sémillon and 45 sauvignon blanc.
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.
87 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $35.00 winery direct
Tobacco, gamey, earthy, leafy cassis, saddle leather, coffee aromas. Soft, round, easy style with supple tannins. Cassis, black olive, cedar, tobacco, resiny, cranberry, coffee oak flavours. Simple, forward style cabernet with a bit of acidity and oak showing on the finish.
87 Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir 2005
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.90 Winery Only
Spicy, vanilla, black cherry, strawberry nose with a tobacco, saddle leather note. Dry, round, supple style but very warm with some light tannins. Compost, spicy, prune, strawberry flavours with some orange peel and smoky licorice notes. Very solid but a bit low in concentration.
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.
87 Calona Vineyards Pinot Gris Artist Series Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $12.99 private wine shops; BC $13.49 specialty listing, vqa and private wine shops
Open floral, melon bread dough and citrus aromas. Fresh but soft palate with a fine fruity spicy melon/baked pear palate flecked with mineral slate flavours. Typically well made, easy-sipping style you can pour at most social occasions.
89 Château des Charmes Paul Bosc Estate Riesling Icewine 2002
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
BC $59.99 speculative listing - Promark Premium Wines & Spirits
Big petrol, grassy, slate, cement, green apple skin nose, somewhat mature. Round, rich, elegant style. Waxy, cement, petrol, Vaseline, apricot flavours with an over ripe apple finish. Good complexity but very mature and a bit fat and sweet overall.
87 Church and State Merlot Coyote Bowl 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $19.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Cherry, chocolate, vanilla, mint, coriander, pudding, compost aromas. Dry, round, full bodied with grainy tannins. Lots of cedar, spice, vanilla, menthol, mocha, cherry, peppery flavours. Very warm finish with big spicy oak up front but some good berry fruit. Should improve over the next few years.
87 Church and State Syrah 2005
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $21.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Spicy, vanilla, clove, roasted pepper nose with black pepper, cedar, smoky, black cherry notes. Soft, round and ripe on the palate dry, light tannins. Peppery, vanilla, chocolate pudding flavours mix with black cherry, licorice root, menthol and cedar. Solid if a bit oaky on the finish. Promising style, especially if the oak is further integrated into the fruit in future editions.
87 Church Mouse Pinot Gris Stoney Hill Vineyard 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $13.95 winery direct and private wine shops
The former Victoria Estate Winery has been reborn under California winemaker Bill Dyer (ex-Burrowing Owl). The fruit comes off the Black Sage Bench - Stoney Hill Vineyard. Clean and fresh it offers a wealth of fruit and citrus flavours mixing, red apple, mango, earth and buttery notes. The finish is juicy with just the right amount of acidity. A simple straight-up cool climate pinot gris. Excellent value.
87 Fairview Cellars Merlot Cabernet 2004 Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.90 winery direct and private wine shops
Peppery, black cherry jam, lifted spicy, rootsy, tobacco, and prune fruit nose with some vanilla. Round, elegant, slightly warm entry with light tannins. Spicy, smoky, vanilla, peppery, black cherry, tobacco, black olive flavours. A bit warm but solid. Ready to drink now and over the next 2 years.
87 Garry Oaks Prism 2005 Gewurztraminer - Schönburger - Chardonnay
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $19.95 winery direct
Spicy, floral, mineral, green apple skin, sausage nose. Round, fresh, delicate entry with some good acidity and sweetness balance. Mineral, spicy, citrus, green melon, meaty, green apple flavours. Very fresh, crisp finish. Good for a warm summer day or picnic.
88 Golden Mile Road Chardonnay Luckhurst Family Vineyards 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $17.90 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.
87 Hillside Estate Muscat Ottonel Reserve Series 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $19.95 winery direct
A repeat performance is always welcomed when the previous year was good too. Consistency is the ultimate compliment. Love the fresh spicy, floral nose with hints of ginger and honey. Crisp and juicy on the palate with more mineral, ginger, green apple skin flecked with orange. Like last year its bit viognier-like in the finish. Well done again.
87 Hillside Estate Pinot Gris Reserve Series 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $17.95 winery direct
Very floral, perfumed, citrus, honey, mineral, tangerine peel nose. Ripe, round, dry, slightly oily texture with lees, mineral, apple skin, floral, citrus flavours. A bit austere on the finish but solid for food. Good effort.
87 Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Blanc Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $13.49 specialty listing
While I'm not a huge fan of pinot blanc, winemaker Sandor Mayer is doing a solid job with it. Like the previous year it has plenty of peach, red apples, nectarine notes in its floral nose. It warm if not a bit hot on the palate with more red apple, nectarine, and citrus rind flavours. This finish is long and warm. Think turkey dishes or perhaps even pork. Fine value.
92 Inniskillin Okanagan Riesling Icewine Dark Horse Vineyard 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $60.00 specialty listing
Green apple, lime, apricot, mineral, ripe mango aromas. Sweet, rich, ripe and fat but very good acidity. Baked apple, peach, orange, mango flavours. Very ripe, tropical finish with great fruit.
93 Inniskillin Okanagan Vidal Icewine 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $52.99 (375 ml) specialty listing
Honey, orange rind, mineral, green apple skin, light petrol nose with a touch of plasticene. Ripe, round, rich and elegant style with moderate acidity and sweetness but good balance. Orange marmalade, cream, mineral, passion fruit, plasticene and grapefruit flavours. Rich but elegant with very good acidity on the finish and it's only 9.6% alcohol. A delicious example of vidal icewine.
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
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.
87 Jackson-Triggs Meritage Sun Rock Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $33.99 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
Smoky, coffee, vanilla, black berry, cassis, peppery, floral, spicy tobacco nose. Very warm entry but rich with some chewy, dry tannin. Plum, black cherry, earthy, peppery, chocolate, vanilla, and pudding flavours with a minty, olive note. A bit alcoholic and young but has some good fruit. Needs 2-3 years to round out.
94 Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Riesling Icewine Proprietors' Grand Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $60.00 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
Floral, lime, green apple, apricot, mineral aromas. Ripe, sweet and elegant with very good acidity and viscosity. Lime, green apple, orange, pineapple, nectarine flavours that persist throughout. Great fruit and acidity with fine balance but very young. Very fine effort.
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 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.
91 Nk'Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Riesling Icewine 2005
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $59.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Warm baked apple, butter, nectarine, orange, mineral aromas. Fat, rich, ripe and sweet with good acidity but very unctuous. Citrus, dried apricot, mango, pear flavours. Intense, big style that is a bit too fat but has good fruit and acidity if a touch warm. Not quite as fine as the '04.
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.
87 Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Private Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $18.99 private wine shop; BC $18.99 specialty listing; MB $17.29; SK $18.99
Coffee, mocha, tobacco, smoky, black cherry, cranberry nose. Soft, round, supple, easy drinking style with smoky oak, vanilla, coffee, resin, cedar, black berry, cigar, soapy cranberry flavours. Ripe, round, ready to go consumer style with lots of smoky oak flavours. Serve with a steak.
87 Peller Estates Chardonnay Private Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $16.99 private wine shop; BC $16.99 specialty listing; SK $18.99
Peller Estates appears to be turning the quality corner after years of less than distinguished winemaking. The '05 PR chardonnay is hand-picked and stainless steel-fermented before spending 9 to 12 months in mostly used French and American oak. The result is an attractive wine with a honeyed fruit nose, fine acidity and generous textures on the palate. It's not complex but it's a crowd pleaser and it hits the value for money mark.
87 Peller Estates Syrah Private Reserve 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $24.99; BC $19.99 specialty listing
Smoky, gamey, compost, peppery nose with mocha, coffee, blackberry hints and a touch of menthol and butter. Soft, round, dry, supple style with cedar, smoky, savoury, coffee, mocha, mineral, boysenberry flavours. Solid, drinkable, slightly oaky style but has some good syrah character. Will be good with turkey or a lamb leg.
90 Peller Estates Trinity Icewine Private Reserve 2004 Vidal - Riesling - Ehrenfelser
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $54.99 specialty listing
Quite golden in colour. Marmalade, plasticene, floral, mineral, apricot, baked pear aromas. Ripe, round, fat and sweet with moderate acidity. Honey, orange, green apple, plasticene, petrol, dried apricot flavours. Good intensity but a bit coarse and muddled. Perhaps another year or so will help to integrate the 3 varieties.
87 Sandhill Cabernet Franc Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $21.99 private wine shops; BC $18.99 specialty listing, vqa and private wine shops
This is quite an oaky edition with smoky sweet vanilla cherry nose. On the palate it is dry and smooth with fairly supple tannins and cherry and tobacco fruit flavour. The finish is long and flecked with tobacco, pepper, licorice flavours. Youthful and awkward at this point but should improve in the bottle over the next year or two.
87 Sandhill Chardonnay Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $19.99 private wine shops; BC $16.99 winery direct, BC Liquor stores, VQA and private wine shops
Open vanilla lees nose with butter, honey melon notes and a touch of garlic. Rich and fat on entry with sweet fruit and more oaky butter melon peach vanilla a fruit flavours. A sweet commercial style that will have wide appeal with consumers.
87 Sandhill Small Lots Program Cabernet Sauvignon - Syrah Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Syrah
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $26.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Black cherry, peppery, Band-Aid, cassis nose with smoky, resiny, coffee vanilla, roasted bell pepper aromas. Dry, round, elegant but slightly lean tannic entry. Very smoky, tobacco leaf, resiny, herbal, vanilla, coffee, sweaty saddle leather, olive flavours. Very tight, dry finish. Needs 1-3 years. 161 small lots made with 75/25 blend of cabernet sauvignon syrah.
88 Sandhill Small Lots Program One Phantom Creek Vineyard 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Petit Verdot - Malbec
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $32.99 fine wine shops; BC $32.99 Winery; Granville Island Brewing Retail Store
Olive, dill, tobacco, cassis, smoky, peppery, coffee nose. Round, soft, supple palate but dry. Smoky, coffee, mocha, tobacco, cassis, black olive, savoury flavours. The finish has a touch of acidity and earthy herbal notes that will be a good match for roast beef. 511 small lots made with 82/9/9 percent cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and malbec. Just needs some polish to shine.
88 Sandhill Small Lots Program Petit Verdot Phantom Creek Vineyard 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $26.99 Exclusive to Earl's Restaurant
Now one of the best 'Small Lots' is Richard Cleave's Phantom Creek Petit Verdot. Smoky, coffee, mocha, peppery notes mix with cherry, floral, cranberry and saddle leather aromas. Round, dry, elegant, supple but with some youthful grainy tannins. Floral, cranberry, spicy, peppery, tobacco leaf, cherry, smoky vanilla, coriander and caraway flavours. Good intensity if a bit light on extract. Very smoky, oaky finish but should dissipate over the next 1-2 years. Good effort. 124 small lots made.
87 Sandhill Small Lots Program Sangiovese Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $29.95 fine wine shops; BC $26.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Spicy, mocha, chocolate pudding, black cherry, saddle leather, savour, floral, animal aromas. Dry, round, elegant palate with light tannins. Peppery, coffee, pudding, vanilla, savoury, licorice and black cherry flavours and showing a fair bit of oak. Grippy back end with youthful light tannins. Needs food now or try in 1-2 years. 406 small lots made.
88 Sandhill Small Lots Program Three Sandhill Estate Vineyard 2004 Sangiovese - Barbera - Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $32.49 fine wine boutiques; BC $29.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Rootsy, licorice, black cherry, chocolate pudding, spicy, savoury, gamey aromas. Dry, round, slightly lean entry with a bit of acidity showing. Smoky, vanilla, cherry, savoury, tobacco leaf, peppery, cassis flavours with a coffee finish. A bit young and warm, need a year or two to round out. 411 cases made with a blend of 48/37/10/5 sangiovese, barbera, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.
87 See Ya Later Ranch Chardonnay 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
AB $15.00 private wine shops; BC $18.99
Light lees, green apple, floral, lemon, buttery vanilla aromas with a touch of honey. Round, fresh, elegant palate with a touch of oiliness. Warm with buttery, baked apple, nutty, butterscotch, citrus, smoky honey flavours. Good effort with better finesse than past editions.
87 See Ya Later Ranch Ping 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabernet Franc - Merlot
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.99 winery direct and private wine shops
Similar in structure to the 03 with notes of cranberry and cedar bark on the nose and in the flavours. The entry is dry the tannins well managed with a slightly grainy textures at this spoint. The flavours mix tart, peppery, fruit with mocha, coffee and, leafy cherry notes. It should fatten up with a bit of age. Solid, but currently under delivers for the price.
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.
87 Summerhill Pyramid Pinot Gris Organic 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $28.95 winery direct
The latest 'Platinum' organic gris from Summerhill comes off Cana Vineyards at Okanagan Falls. It's aged for eight months on its lees to give it a creamy texture and a small portion is aged in French oak to enhance its weight and adds some complexity. The fruit mixes apples and tropical melons with a dusting of honey and earth. Not cheap but perfect for a wide variety of seafood.
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.
87 Thornhaven Pinot Noir Barrel Reserve 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $16.90 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
A nice improvement over last year although it still has some way to go to develop a true pinot profile. Sweet oak and smoke lend an attractive upfront character to this red but the fruit component is low. More smoky oak and toast mark its smooth dusty oaky finish.
87 Van Westen Vineyards Viognier 2005
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $27.90 winery direct and private wine shops
Very floral, perfumed, orange, creamsicle, honey, ginger, leesy nose. Crisp, round, dry, slightly fat entry but good intensity. Mineral, floral, ginger, menthol, buttery, honey, citrus rind flavours. Good effort, a bit young, will improve with a year in bottle.
87 Wild Goose Mystic River Pinot Blanc 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $16.95 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
Inviting scented nose of butter and spiced green apple with bits of lemongrass. Soft and round on the palate with pear and buttery floral flavours. Well made white with a mouth-watering finish. Good value.
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.
87 Wild Goose Riesling God's Mountain Vineyard 2005
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $15.95 speculative listing - Peacock and Martin
Floral, mineral, green apple skin, honey nose with a touch of orange and mango. Fresh, round, juicy palate with a touch of oiliness. Light lees, mineral, green apple, peach skin, clover flavours with a crisp, warm finish.
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.
