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17/20
Mission Hill Family Estate Oculus 2012
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaOculus is a vintage wine, built to age, and hopefully reflect its growing season. In 2012 the spring was near normal, only to be followed by a cool June and steady, intermittent rainfall. A warm, dry summer saved all, veraison took place under nearly ideal conditions and the grapes basked in warm sunshine until the end of September. To that end ripeness wasn’t a problem; the ’12 reflects that and more after some previous cooler years. In the end, the trick was to keep the acidity to lift the fruit to a higher, more complex level. The blend is 52/30/18 merlot/cabernet franc/cabernet sauvignon, a ratio I think is about right for anyone aping the classic style of Bordeaux reds. The fruit is all hand harvested, with 94 percent from Osoyoos and six percent Oliver. The ferment is in wooden vats prior to ageing 14 months in French oak barrels. The result is a spicy blackberry, boysenberry nose with bits of leather and toasted oak. The palate is tight and reasonably fresh with a fair bit of leather and spice. The palate is equally full-bodied with exuberant youthful black fruit dusted in south Okanagan sagebrush, tobacco and olive. The long and persistent finish shows that acidity still is prominent. This bottle needs time to settle in and show its stuff six to eight years down the road. There will be no rush to the finish line.Tasted: 13 April 2017Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:| BC | $136.99 | 750ml | BCLS |
| AB | $145.00 | 750ml | private wine shops |
| MB | $125.00 | 750ml | MLCC |
| QC | $129.00 | 750ml | SAQ |
Blend: Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Cabernet SauvignonCSPC: 616755UPC: 776545981448
