Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaSeldom encountered but always welcomed are older vintages of a winery’s top wine. I grew up tasting verticals of Bordeaux’s best wines, and there is nothing more instructional than going back to see how the wine is, and has developed. Over the years, I have learned with quite a bit of accuracy which wines should be cellared and which should not. The 2016 growing season was mostly uneventful if a bit on the cool side on the Gloden Mile Bench. The result was longer hangtime for the reds and complete phenolic ripeness. We then suggested, “This is the best Garland yet and perhaps the best wine to come out of Hester Creek ever.” So how did our proclamation that it would “Age well through 2025” stand up? Pretty damned good. Tasing this wine in mid-2024, it appears to have reached its maturity plane, but it also could hold here for another 5-7 years. The stylish black fruit is highly polished and blossoming with time in the bottle. The tannins have melted, and the wood has disappeared into the fruit. Garland was named after Hester Creek owner Curt Garland and first appeared in 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original planting of vinifera vines in 1968. Like the old vines, 2016 has stood the test of time.Tasted: 21 July 2024Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$55.99
750ml
winery direct, wine club
Producer: Hester Creek Estate WineryDistributors: Revelry Import Company Blend: Cabernet Franc - Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Petit Verdot - MalbecCSPC: 145362UPC: 626990222118
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThe 2015/16 winter was relatively mild, with no extended periods of significant freezing. As a result, there was a uniform bud break in the driest spring on record. After a quick start, July and August turned cool, slowing the ripening process through the fall, leaving the Golden Mile Bench reds to gather themselves and put on some complexity. This is the best Garland yet and perhaps the best wine out of Hester Creek ever. The cabernets and merlot are fermented separately, while the petit verdot and malbec are co-fermented. They all spend 18 months in primarily medium-plus toast French barriques. The attack is firm and dry (yeah), with very stylish black fruit and polished tannins. The mid-palate and finish are all in balance with dense, soft tannins. It will age well through 2025 or be served now with a well-marbled steak or a rich winter cassoulet. Garland was named after Hester Creek owner Curt Garland and first appeared in 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original planting of vinifera vines in 1968.Tasted: 25 July 2019Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$55.99
750ml
winery direct, wine club
Producer: Hester Creek Estate WineryDistributors: Revelry Import Company Blend: Cabernet Franc - Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Petit Verdot - MalbecCSPC: 145362UPC: 626990222118
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaEven if you didn't know anything about Garland, the small lot cabernet-led Bx from Hester Creek, you could tell it was an 'icon wine' from the weight and girth of the bottle. I can barely lift it with one hand! Intended to typify the Golden Mile Bench, this is an intense, no-holds-barred blend of 70 cabernet sauvignon with merlot, petit verdot, malbec, cabernet franc filling in the cracks. Grapes come from their old vines vineyard, and were left on the skins to ferment for three weeks. The petit verdot and malbec were co-fermented, all lots pressed, blended, and then barrel-aged in medium+ toasted French barriques for 18+ months. As you can expect, all this treatment exemplifies the already giant southern Okanagan red fruit. Dense medicinal cherry, baked raspberry pie, sweet currants, mint, cinnamon bark and cedar is shellacked with new toasty wood, weighing the palate to a warming finish, one that belies its 13.9 degrees declared. Tannins are soft, cocoa powdered, and striated with wood, and acidity is moderate, as it was meant to be. It is all about the power of the fruit and the pedigree of the oak. At this young age, it's too much, but with time in the cellar to settle, this should be more approachable. Bigger isn't better. Garland was named after Hester Creek owner Curt Garland and first appeared in 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original planting of vinifera vines in 1968.Tasted: 24 September 2019Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$55.99
750ml
winery direct, wine club
Producer: Hester Creek Estate WineryDistributors: Revelry Import Company Blend: Cabernet Franc - Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon - Petit Verdot - MalbecCSPC: 145362UPC: 626990222118
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