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Tastings: August 2026
06 August 2026
89PTS
Moon Curser Border Vines 2022
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaAlways a popular Moon Curser red, this year's Border Vines (referencing their proximity to the US / CA border in Osoyoos) blends 35% petit verdot, 33% merlot, 16% cabernet sauvignon, and 16% cabernet franc. The destemmed, uncrushed fruit was fermented warm stainless before resting 1 year in 225L French barriques (25% new). Baked blackberry, jammy plum, cassis, and thorns fills the muscular, full-bodied palate, with dense and chewy tannins, and a raft of baking spices on the lingering warming finish. One of the more powerful, showy wines in the lineup, though well achieved, and a rich one to reach for with equally rich braised / grilled dishes.Prices:| BC | $34.99 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Moon Curser Diversion 2024
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaOne of the very few Okanagan 2024 reds to survive the cold snap, Diversion blends 46% cabernet franc, 34% syrah, and 21% cabernet sauvignon from Osoyoos fruit. The destemmed, uncrushed fruit underwent a warm ferment in stainless before moving to 225L French barriques (28% new) for 1 year. Deep and dark blackberry, cassis, dark plum, dark chocolate work through the full, muscular frame, with youthful tannins poking through, and ample baking spice sticking to the finish. Give this a little more time to settle in your cellar, and enjoy with fuller roasted meats / veg.Prices:| BC | $38.99 | 750ml |
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91PTS
LaStella Espressivo 2023
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThis Super Tuscan x Southern Okanagan blend marries 42% cabernet franc, 30% merlot, 16% cabernet sauvignon, and 12% sangiovese. Everything aged 20 months in 91% French and Slovenian oak barrique (11% new, 9% botti) before being bottled unfined. Wild black cassis, tobacco, dark espresso, and thorns are woven through this fuller, powerful red, with dusky, sueded tannins leading to a warming puff of heat on the sticky finish. Benefits from a decant, and a partnering with grilled lamb, or more time in the cellar.Prices:| BC | $49.99 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Maverick Estate Winery Rubeus 2022
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaPale garnet throughout, the wine offers mature, well-melded, engaging savoury strawberry, barrel vanilla and garrigue. The flavours confirm this, delivering a medium-bodied cherry profile with smoky, earthy, herbaceous notes. It's supple, with ripe tannins, lengthy and strikingly balanced from beginning to end. This is a showpiece for what the South Okanagan is capable of in this Rhône-reminiscent, deft blend of 53% cabernet franc and 47% merlot. It was aged 16 months in French and Hungarian oak barriques.Prices:| BC | $25.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Bench 1775 Meritage Red 2020
Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThe Meritage fruit is sourced from multiple vineyard sites across the Okanagan Valley and blended in a 30/30/30/10 mix of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, and petit verdot. Aged 30 months in new French oak, it is now five years old and beginning to trade some youthful charm for a more savoury, spicy profile of black fruit. The oak adds density and weight without overwhelming the terroir. The finish is long and mineral streaked. Drink or hold. Best now with grilled ribeye steak or braised lamb shanks, especially with any side dish involving mushrooms. A perfect red for September dinners.Prices:| BC | $34.75 | 750ml |
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04 August 2026
89PTS
Mas de Sainte Croix Tendresse d'un Climate 2022
Valréas, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceThis blend of 60% grenache / 40% syrah comes from 50 year old vines on the pebbly marl soils of Valréas, in the CdR. Wild blackberry, dusky black plum, crushed florals swirl on the stony palate, with ample sticky tannins framing, and a lingering pepperiness on the finish. An easy lofted acidity keeps this fresh and food-friendly (think lamb or pork). Drinking now, and good value.Prices:| BC | $24.99 | 750ml |
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89PTS
Domaine Duseigneur Les Larmes du Seigneur Côtes du Rhône 2023
Côtes du Rhône, Rhone Valley, FranceThis organic / biodynamically farmed blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah come off 20 - 50 year old vines in the Saint-Victor-la-Coste area of the Gard region. The varieties are vinified separately, with 1/3 of the Grenache kept as whole bunches. All were macerated in stainless before aging 10 months in concrete vats, blended a few weeks before bottling without fining or filtration, with minimal sulphites. Ripe raspberry, strawberry jam, mustard seed, scrubby herbs floods a juicy palate, with ample sticky tannins framing, and a stony underlay cooling. There's a nice bright acidity to carry, and making this extra food-friendly. Try with grilled pork / chicken / veg now.Prices:Read Full Note
91PTS
Famille Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2022
Vinsobres, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Southern Rhone, Rhone Valley, FranceI revisited the 2022 Vinsobres, a relative newcomer to the prestigious Côtes du Rhône standalone Village wines, and it continues to overdeliver in the Perrin lineup in terms of quality for the price. The 2022 Les Cornuds is a classic mix of Grenache generosity and Syrah structure, with dark berry, herbs, dense but round tannins, and lively acidity. It's a good step up in seriousness from Côtes du Rhône and will reward a little patience in the bottle through 2028-2030.Prices:| BC | $28.50 | 750ml |
| ON | $21.50 | 750ml |
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94PTS
Gérard Bertrand L'Hospitalitas La Clape 2022
La Clape, Coteaux du Languedoc, Languedoc, Sud de France, FranceIn the Middle Ages, l'Hospitalitas was a place of refuge for pilgrims, protected from fierce winds and the punishing summer sun by a high cliff. Today, Château l'Hospitalet occupies the La Clape site, with the certified biodynamic coastal vineyard planted on its marls, chalks, and limestones. The 3 hectare Hospitalitas plot lies at the foot of a 30 metre cliff, planted with syrah and mourvèdre, and is now considered one of La Clape's flagship reds. The 2022 is a giant of a wine; at 15% alcohol, it has the weight and power of a Napa red, yet it also has freshness and structure that suggest it is on an ageing curve. The mix of power and elegance is a trademark of the plot, as are the dense garrigue, olive, blackberry, with a peppery finish. Lamb is the dish to tame it at this point, or cellar through 2032 with ease.Prices:| BC | $85.00 | 750ml |
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03 August 2026
93PTS
Gérard Bertrand Chateau La Sauvageonne Grand Vin Rouge 2022
Terrasses de Larzac, Coteaux du Languedoc, Languedoc, Sud de France, FranceChâteau la Sauvageonne is a special site in the Terraces du Larzac appellation, in the northern part of the Languedoc's Hérault region, with basalt, schist, and iron laced soils. This biodynamic blend of syrah, grenache, and mourvèdre saw each plot fermented separately, with 3 weeks of maceration before heading to new 225L French barrels for up to 16 months. Fragrant scrubby resinous herbs and ferrous veins are woven throughout this powerful, full (15.5%) red, amidst wild cherry, boysenberry, raspberry swirling on the palate, and lingering long on the finish. Even with all the depth and density, there's an bright stony acidity keeping all in balance, and an easy silkiness to the ample tannins, making this drinkable now (bonus points to lamb) but with time certainly ahead in your cellar. Impressive.Prices:| BC | $65.00 | 750ml |
| AB | $50.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Moon Curser Dead of Night 2022
Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaDead of Night, their flagship wine, is a confident blend of 50% tannat / 50% syrah from Osoyoos East Bench, partially co-fermented. The destemmed, uncrushed fruit was fermented warm in stainless before spending 1 year in 225L French and Hungarian barriques (35% new). Ripe cherry, earthy blackberry, and cassis is etched with smoked meats, and gripped with rustic hewn, powdery, chewy tannins, lingering on the finish with bitter chocolate and brown spices. Certainly requires equally powerful / rustic dishes to match the intensity.Prices:| BC | $46.99 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Wending Home Wending South 2020
Ontario, CanadaWending Home is a new Niagara family winery owned by Ying Feng and her husband, partnered with veteran Niagara winemaker and educator Ron Giesbrecht. Wending refers to the slow route to home, with added meaning in Cantonese (Wēn 问, Dīng 鼎) as illustrated by their traditional stamp. This red blend of dornfelder, cabernet franc, gamay, and lemberger was fermented separately in stainless before blending and heading to French and American oak (small percent new) for 18 months. Blackberry, plum, and crushed purple florals are wrapped with sticky, fine tannins, and lifted with a tart cranberry acidity. Though a 2020, this doesn't feel like it's going to settle further without grilled beef or duck. Drinking now.Prices:| ON | $24.95 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Rivera Il Falcone Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva 2020
Puglia, ItalyRivera was founded by the Corato family in the late 1940's, and son Carlo has been overseeing the estate since the early 1980's. The property represents Puglia in the prestigious Instituto Grandi Marche. Based on the main grape of Puglia's Castel del Monte, nero di troia (70%), with 30% montepulciano from the regions tufa and limestone soils, this was fermented in stainless over 2 weeks. The wine then rested 16 months in a mix of French oak casks, barriques, and tonneaux before a further year in the bottle before release. Ripe black cherry, cassis, worked leather are kissed with anise, and clad with sinewy tannis, gripping this muscular wine through a smoky, saline finish. An easy coastal acidity keeps this full-boded red (13.5%) feeling fresher than would be expected from Apulia, and a worthy contender to grilled beef or lamb.Prices:| BC | $36.00 | 750ml |
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90PTS
Tenuta di Castellaro Nero Ossidiana 2021
Sicily, ItalyFrom Lipari Island, off the coast of Sicily, this blends 90% Corinto Nero with 10% Nero d'avola. The former grape is indigenous to the Aeolian islands, and was near extinction before Tent di Castellaro rescued it, working with massale selections from the handful of vines left. Fragrant scrubby herbs, tayberry, blue florals, and cracked mustard seed fill a juicy palate, with finely sticky tannins and a fantastic buzzy stony grip underlay, with lingering salinity. Such a wine of place.Prices:| BC | $67.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Garzón Balasto 2020
Garzon, Maldonado, Oceanic, UruguayFrom the Altantic-influenced estate and rocky gravel soils, the flagship blend is named for the soils of decomposed granite (in layers on the label). This mix of 42% tannat, 39% cabernet franc, 19% petit verdot was fermented in cement tulips before 2 years in large format older French oak. Roasted coffee, crushed dark florals, wild blackberry, is seasoned liberally with dried savoury herbs. Structural, refined, and stately, this has firm, fine, yet unyielding tannins to carry this long into the future. Take with roast beef or lamb, along with a decant, now.Prices:| BC | $129.00 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Chateau Montus 2019
Madiran, Sud-Ouest, FranceMontus has always been a rich wine, full of earthy, savoury notes, delivering a powerful 80/20 blend of tannat and cabernet sauvignon from Madiran. In 2019, the dark berry fruit is layered with forest floor and leather, along with spicy soy. The wine is remarkably elegant, something Madiran wines are seldom known for. Compared to 2017, this wine is refreshingly clean on the nose without sacrificing any complexity. Barbecued ribs would be a fine match for a wine that can easily stand up to the richest menu items. Impressive.Prices:| BC | $34.99 | 750ml |
| QC | $29.35 | 750ml |
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91PTS
Azores Wine Co. Erupção Vulcânica NV
PortugalFrom the 2020 vintage (local laws don’t allow the vintage to be on the label for this rogue wine), this blends Malvarisco, Bastardo, Rufete, Saborinho, Agronómica, Aragonês, Castelão, Touriga Nacional, and others from the volcanic soils of Pico. This was 30% whole cluster, and native fermented for 1 month on skins before aging in a split of stainless and barrels for 30 months. Pouring a very light hue, this charms with perfumed cherry blossoms, wild strawberry, subtle scrubby herbs, and ample flake salt woven throughout. Tannins are lithe, giving the slightest tug to the sides of this lifted, fresh red. A real charmer, especially with a slight chill. 3400 bottles.Prices:| ON | $58.00 | 750ml |
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88PTS
Tommasi Arele 2021
Veneto, ItalyAs with other wines from the Veneto region, including Amarone, the appassimento process was utilized in here. In appassimento, a portion of the grapes harvested are placed in lofts or drying chambers for weeks or months to dehydrate and concentrate the components of the grapes. Arèles are the name for the traditional wooden or bamboo racks employed in the process. Approximately 30% of the corvina, rondinella, oseleta, and merlot grapes were dried for around 45 days. A triptych of lightly enriched, groomed, cherry, raspberry, and red plum feature here, along with sweet baking spices and vanilla. The granular, highly polished tannins along with well calibrated acidity ferry it soft, easy, pleasing and mostly changeless from front to back. A nice ride.Prices:| BC | $29.99 | 750ml |
| AB | $25.99 | 750ml |
| MB | $27.95 | 750ml |
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86PTS
Quinta Vale do Armo Vila Jardim Tinto 2023
Tejo, Central and Southern Portugal, PortugalThis blend of aragonez, touriga franca, and touriga nacional was destemmed and fermented in stainless, where it remained 6 months until bottling. Roasted wood, dark earth, bitter cassis open the nose and continue on the palate, with pasty tannins leading to a brief, warming, baking spice finish. Rustic and earthy overall, and best taken with equally hearty foods.Prices:| BC | $18.00 | 750ml |
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92PTS
Azadhi Pardis 2022
CanadaPale as a pinot noir with a slightly garnet rim, this shows integrated notes of cherry confit, mulberry, plum, strawberry, charcoal, and a tease of ripe berries, as well as an unusual impression of precision and balance. Though structurally very much on the lighter side, the palate includes clear, pure cherry, bramble, red plum, vanilla, mulberry, and chestnut. The finish is refined, supple and drifting. Fine grained tannins match well with the savoury fruits. This was aged for 22 months in French, American, and Hungarian oak, 37% new. The winery has deliberately withheld the Okanagan Valley grape blend here, but overall it brings to mind a lighter, balanced St. Julien.Prices:| BC | $85.00 | 750ml |
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