quicksearch
Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Clos du Soleil Estate Reserve Redtext
89POINTS
16¼/20

Clos du Soleil Estate Reserve Red 2020

Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, CanadaClos du Soleil Estate Reserve is the winery's flagship red and among the leading expressions of what a Silkameen red is. The fruit comes from two Clos du Soleil estate vineyards in Keremeos: the Estate Vineyard, and La Côte Vineyard. The blend is 49% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot, 15% cabernet franc, 9% malbec, and 6% petit verdot. The vintage has been widely acclaimed and has all the hallmarks you need to ripen the biggest reds, which explains why the cabernet sauvignon was upped to 49% from 31%, but I'm not sure it made the blend better. It is more robust and brawnier and will, in the fullness of time, likely be a winner, but for the moment, it appears to have lost a bit of the finesse we have come to know from this label. Look for a warm, spicy cassis nose with cedar and blackberry. Add a rich tannic structure to the Similkameen desert scrub, and you get a tightly round red wine that will need a decade to unfurl. Long, warm, spicy and complex, this is lamb wine for the moment. Returning to this wine in three to five years will be instructive.Tasted: 04 July 2024Tasted by: Prices:
BC$64.90750mlwinery online/direct, select private retailers
Producer: Clos du Soleil WineryDistributors: Select Wines & Spirits
Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Malbec - Petit VerdotCSPC: 859835UPC: 857088000497