Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaA fifty/fifty mix of merlot and cabernet franc comes with classic Bartier juicy black fruit, perfect ripeness, and balancing acidity. The fruit comes off the home estate Cerqueira Vineyard, on the middle gravel Black Sage Bench. All of the fruit goes into neutral French barrels (leaving no effect other than getting some air into the juice) over a 17 month stop. Black plums and savoury desert scrub scented blackberries finish with a wisp of smoke and stone. A youthful profile calls for a grilled steak, but this wine will settle down in two to three years, adding more nuances.Tasted: 09 October 2020Tasted by: Prices:
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaEqual parts merlot and cabernet franc off Cerqueira vineyard, on the Black Sage Bench, this macerated and fermented over 26 days prior to a 17 month stint in neutral French barrels. Big black plum, cassis, blueberries, blackberries, anise rule the compact, silken palate, housed with ragged, powdery tannins, and ringed with smoke. A bigger, potent, powerhouse red that needs a couple of years, or a grilled porterhouse or portabello mushroom now.Tasted: 31 October 2020Tasted by: Prices: