May 07/05 - 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.

TOP TEN TABLE WINES AND TIES (Alpha Order Tasted after 11/1/04)

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 $24.90 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.

91 Jackson-Triggs Meritage Proprietors' Grand Reserve 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $24.95 Speculative - Atlas Wine Merchants
Huge smoky oak, vanilla, black pepper, chocolate pudding, spicy, clove aromas with very ripe blackberry jam streaks. Rich, ripe, concentrated, tannic and extracted with a ton of cassis jam, blackberry, black pepper, sweet vanilla pudding, clove and black olive flavours and a hot finish. A big, oaky style but with great ripeness and intensity. Tone down the oak and extraction and this will be in the running alongside many great blends from around the world.

91 Quails' Gate Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $35.00 Winery, VQA Wine Stores
Tasted several times this year and there is no mistaking the big smoky, sweet cola vanilla, peppery nose mixed with spicy, black olive, black berry, earthy, tobacco aromas. Rich, round, dry and supple with roasted pepper, black cherry, spicy, smoky vanilla cola, spicy prune flavours. Quite warm on the finish with a touch of acidity. A good mid-term drinking wine. The big American oak sheen will be attractive to many consumers.

91 Quails' Gate Merlot Family Reserve 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $40.00 Specialty
Super spicy, vanilla, clove nose with notes of coffee and pudding. Rich, round, ripe smooth tannins with big alcohol and lifted fruit flavours. On the palate look for big smoky oak, coffee, vanilla flavours with streaks of licorice and cedar. A very warm year has left this a bit over ripe but it's well worth cellaring to see how it develops over the next few years.

91 See Ya Later Ranch Ping 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabernet Franc - Merlot
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $21.99 VQA Wine Stores
Spicy, peppery, waxy, green bean, olive and black cherry aromas with a big streak of coffee vanilla and cardamom. Rich, ripe, round and supple with big spicy vanilla oak, black cherry jam, chocolate pudding, licorice flavours and a peppery, tobacco finish. Somewhat alcoholic but ripe and long with pretty good balance and ripeness. Somewhat reminiscent of the mocha chocolate pudding coffee JT style.

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.

89 CedarCreek Chardonnay Platinum Reserve 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $28.99 Speculative - Medallion Wines
Slightly closed nosed with light creamy vanilla, lees, mineral, baked apple and citrus aromas. Dry, round, elegant style with strong mineral, citrus, creamy vanilla, lees, green apple skin flavours with spicy, buttered apple and butterscotch finish. Understated and a bit skinnier than previous efforts but still quite fine. It will need a year or so in bottle to emerge. A classy wine that should be excellent with food.

89 Hawthorne Mountain Cabernet Franc 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $15.95
Quite a pleasant surprise for such an ordinary looking bottle and label. Look for mocha, spicy, smoky, compost, cherry, raspberry aromas with black olive and cigar tobacco. Round, dry, smooth and soft with very smoky oak, spicy, tobacco and fresh black raspberry flavours streaked with pepper and black olive. Nice fruit and varietal expression with the requisite oaky finish that will attract a crowd. Great value.

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.

89 Sandhill Small Lots Program Petit Verdot Phantom Creek Vineyard 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $25.99 Granville Island Brewing Retail Store; or www.sandhillwines.ca
Dense black cherry colour. Peppery, cardamom, resiny, cassis, violet, chocolate, smoky vanilla aromas with some gamey, saddle leather notes. Rich, round, dry and smooth with good acidity and ripe tannins. Nice smoky vanilla, coffee, cassis, black cherry, tea, resiny, sage flavours with a sweet vanilla pudding finish. Fine effort, drink now or keep for 2-3 years. 188 cases made in this the t release. Might be even better as a "spicing agent" in a Meritage blend especially if it reduces the cabernet sauvignon content.

89 Tinhorn Creek Oldfield's Collection Merlot 2002
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $28.00 Winery Only
This is the second release under screw cap for the Collection series and it's the whole production this time. Look for a spicy, cardamom, smoky, dill and black cherry nose with vanilla aromas and a touch of saddle leather and licorice. Rich, round, concentrated and dry with very grainy but ripe tannins. Intense smoky, chocolate, peppery, black plum, mocha, tobacco flavours with an olive and orange note in the finish. Young, big and ripe and much better at this stage than the 2001. Needs 3-5 years of ageing and there are no cork concerns. Expected release: Fall 2005.