Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2020

88POINTS

16/20

Lillooet, British Columbia, CanadaHeavy bottle. A blend of 2/3 cabernet franc and 1/3 merlot from Lillooet fruit, this leads with generous oak, adding mocha and vanilla to the ripe dark cherry and plum. It's a more extracted style, with firm, chewy tannins that outpace the moderate fruit concentration, leading to a drying finish. A well made wine that needs time in the cellar to resolve. Give this another 3-5 years or vigorously decant if opening sooner.Tasted: 03 September 2024Tasted by: Prices:

$59.99

750ml

winery direct, private wine shops, restaurants

Producer: Fort Berens Estate WineryDistributors: The Drinks List
Blend: Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - MerlotCSPC: 499319UPC: 00626990114277

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90POINTS

16^½/20

Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2020

Lillooet, British Columbia, CanadaA blend of 67% cabernet franc, 33% merlot grown at the estate vineyard in Lillooet, Red Gold stands as the winery’s flagship wine. It reveals a perfumed nose of red currant and plum, mingled with violet florals, dried herbs, and generous oak spices of vanillin, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The tight acidity gives the body a lighter feel, while the slightly grippy, subtly bitter nature of the tannins is deftly balanced by sweet, ripe fruit. With four years of age, it is just beginning to show some savoury tertiary notes of black tea leaf and forest floor, and will likely develop more intriguing nuances in the coming years.Tasted: 29 July 2024Tasted by: Prices:

$59.99

750ml

winery direct, private wine shops, restaurants

Producer: Fort Berens Estate WineryDistributors: The Drinks List
Blend: Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - MerlotCSPC: 499319UPC: 00626990114277

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90POINTS

16^½/20

Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2020

Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada2020 marks the return of Red Gold after a three year absence. This cuvée is only made when the vintage portends a very high-quality wine. The Lillooet red is grown at the estate Dry Creek Vineyard. The blend is 67/33 cabernet franc/merlot, aged separately in French oak barrels. In the end, Red Gold 2020 was a selection of three barrels. At 13.2 percent alcohol, this is an elegant red with a juicy palate mixing dark blackberry, blueberry, and black currant with some earthy, floral, cigar box and chocolate underneath. Complex and youthful, this will only improve in the bottle through 2028.Tasted: 26 August 2023Tasted by: Prices:

$59.99

750ml

winery direct, private wine shops, restaurants

Producer: Fort Berens Estate WineryDistributors: The Drinks List
Blend: Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - MerlotCSPC: 499319UPC: 00626990114277

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88POINTS

16/20

Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2020

Lillooet, British Columbia, CanadaThis year's Red Gold blends 67% cabernet franc and 33% merlot, all from the Lillooet estate. Each part was fermented and aged separately in new French oak before the top 3 barrels were blended for this wine. The heavy weight bottle shows off its 'icon' status for the winery before you even get to the dense, ripe cassis, blackberry, baked plums and liberal baking spice. Sticky tannins frame the fleshy palate, hugging this bigger wine to a warming, bitter cocoa finish. Though it tastes too made, this is an improvement over the last Red Gold I tasted a few years back. Open with sauced steak or lamb dishes now for best results.Tasted: 09 August 2023Tasted by: Prices:

$59.99

750ml

winery direct, private wine shops, restaurants

Producer: Fort Berens Estate WineryDistributors: The Drinks List
Blend: Cabernet Franc - Cabernet Sauvignon - MerlotCSPC: 499319UPC: 00626990114277

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87/100Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2017Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada

87/100Fort Berens Red Gold Reserve 2016Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada