November 17/07 - Our Latest Top Ten BC Picks

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90 Thornhaven Gewurztraminer 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $16.90 winery direct
A carbon copy of last year and well worth searching for if you can locate it. Consistently one of the best gewürztraminer in B.C., I would say it is now easily among the best in North America. Fresh alive packed full of sweet lemon fruit flavours, lychee and a fresh floral citrus undercurrent. Terrific intensity and length. Bravo, again. (AG-ST)

89 Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2006
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $20.00 winery direct
Open honey, mineral, floral aromas with sweet lime rind notes. Rich, ripe and round in the mouth with a brightness and texture that sets B.C. pinot gris apart for its competitors. Fresh juicy mineral fruit with bits of red apple honey and ripe pear fill the palate. The finish is unusually off-dry but with citrus undertones. (AG-ST)

89 Golden Mile Riesling Luckhurst Family Vineyards 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $19.00 winery direct, VQA wine shops
Golden Mile cleverly adds a bit of orange muscat to the riesling and the wine soars. Dry and, yes a bit slate-ty, this is an attractive riesling on many fronts. The acidity is youthful and at this point bracing for most but this is the road to travel down. Let me count the food you can serve with this if you can get the bo0ttle to the table before it's all gone. Bravo. (AG-ST)

89 Gray Monk Siegerrebe 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $16.49 winery direct, vqa and private wine stores
Siegerrebe is a cross between gewürztraminer and madeleine Angevine so it's normal to encounter a floral, spicy nose but in this case it has elegance, citrus fruit flavours and a touch of summer sausage meat. A very intriguing wine and a clear step up in quality from previous vintages. Perfect for serving choucroute garnie or chill and sip solo as an apéritif. (AG-ST)

89 Joie A Noble Blend 2006 Gewurztraminer - Kerner - Pinot Blanc - Ehrenfelser - Riesling
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $20.90 winery direct, private wine shops
The 2006 Noble Blend swaps out the ehrenfelser for muscat leaving all the previous components: gewürztraminer, riesling, pinot blanc, kerner, and riesling, more or less the same. This is a delicious style of wine that should be widely imitated in the Okanagan. Floral, spicy, sausage notes with peachy, litchi fruit and just a touch of oil in the texture and some residual sweetness make it a delight to sip. Bravo. (AG-ST)

89 Sandhill Pinot Gris King Family Vineyard 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $17.99 specialty listing, AB $19.99 private wine shops
This is the best and the weightiest, Sandhill pinot gris I have tasted and I have had all six vintages and surely it's the best fruit yet from the King Family vineyard in Naramata. It is so round and full-bodied, yet fresh, with smoky, grassy, nutty lime notes. On the palate there is plenty of zest and more mineral, green apple skin and buttery nutty notes. Kudos to the King family and winemaker Howard Soon for getting all of the flavour into the bottle. (AG)

89 See Ya Later Ranch Chardonnay 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $18.99, AB $15.00 private wine shops
Consistently the best wine made at SYL is this chardonnay. It 100 barrel-fermented but now only 25 of the oak is new, leaving the fruit a chance to express itself. Look for a lovely lees character with floral, lemon, honey, buttery vanilla aromas. On the palate it's lively and fresh with buttery, baked apple, nutty, fruit flecked with citrus and smoky honey notes. Impressive texture and length. (AG-ST)

89 Tantalus Riesling 2006
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $19.90 winery direct, VQA and private wine shops
Similar to the 05 the latest Tantalus has an equally inviting floral, orange blossom peachy nose with a high dose of minerality and a pinch of salt. Almost Mosel-like in its crispness and red apple crunch with more lime rind and green peach flavours in the finish. A crisp, lip smacking style that will appeal to the purists and food lovers. (AG-ST)

RED

90 Burrowing Owl Cabernet Franc 2005
Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $33.00 winery direct
Although I'm not normally a big fan of cabernet franc, no one does it better in B.C. The nose is classic cedar and tobacco with bits of dried leaf, chocolate and cranberry. It's very supple on the palate with more spicy, cigar and cherry/chocolate notes. The finish is long, mouth filling and warm with fine fruit character and thankfully ripe tannins. Good now but will age. (AG-ST)

89 Laughing Stock Vineyards Portfolio 2005 Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Malbec - Cab Franc - Petit Verdot
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $37.00 winery direct
Like many Okanagan reds, it is usually the latest edition that is the best and that's certainly the case with the Portfolio 2005, easily the best we have tasted from winemaker David Enns. Burdened early on with the goofy 'cult wine' tag, Portfolio is beginning to spread its wings, shedding some of those green notes and dry tannins for a slightly more expansive palate of ripe cassis and black fruits and better oak integration. A solid effort and getting better each time out. (AG-ST)

89 Mission Hill Oculus 2004 Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabernet Franc - P.Verdot
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $72.00 specialty listing
The latest Mission Hill 2004 Oculus has just been released at a formidable $70. It is the best yet and likely, only the start of a series of vintages that will benefit from the most recent round of massive investments the winery. At 74 percent merlot it has the enticing 'drink-me' factor that earlier editions lack along with plenty of cedar cassis and savoury black fruit undertones. It's young and will need time but at this price it should be available for a bit. (AG-ST)

89 Nk'Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Meritage 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $29.99 VQA stores / private wine shops
Much like last year the 04 opens with a cedar-y - mocha nose with bits of smoky bacon and spice. On the palate it's suave and showing some restraint with fine-grained, dry-ish tannins and plenty of peppery, cedar, olive and black fruit flavours with a twist of garrigue. An impressive young wine, if a bit dry, that dabbles in restraint. Needs three to five years to develop fully. (AG-ST)

89 Osoyoos Larose 2005 Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Malbec - Cab Franc - Petit Verdot
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
BC $40.00 private wine shops, AB $40.00 fine wine boutiques, ON $40.00 consignment - Vincor International, QC $40.00
Peppery, black cherry, saddle leather, coffee, vanilla, green bean, black olive nose with a touch of sausage meat and licorice. Dry, tight palate with young, grainy tannins but good finesse. Peppery, spicy, coffee, vanilla, licorice, cassis, black cherry, tobacco leaf, black olive flavours. Young, well balance but somewhat austere, this will need 3-5 years to soften but should improve. (AG-ST)