2007 Stoneboat Pinot Noir

Last night I opened a bottle of 2007 Stoneboat Pinot Noir.  Stoneboat has been one of my favourite wineries to visit in the south Okanagan Valley.  And their wines are consistently some of my favourites.

One of the things that always catches my eye is their distinct labels and bottle shape.  The picture here doesn’t show the shape of the bottle very well, but it’s definitely unique.  The diameter gets larger as you move up the bottle, and just above the label it cuts back in to form the neck.

According to their website (click HERE), a stoneboat is a sled used to remove heavy stones and was “originally used to clear our home vineyard of its abundant river rocks.”  They chose the name because “a stoneboat is representative of qualities that we value: hard work, tradition and perseverance.”

I find their wines to be very smooth but with lot’s of flavour.  They always have a distinct oak flavour that is unique to their wines.  A couple of years ago, the wine that really caught my attention was their pinotage.  And this past year as well.

This pinot noir didn’t disappoint either.  I highly recommend either of these wines if you ever have the chance to pick one up.

2008 Therapy Vineyards Merlot

At my local curling club (Tunnel Town Curling Club in Tsawwassen, BC) there’s been a poster for Therapy Vineyards for the most part of the year.  I’m guessing someone affiliated with the winery happens to curl out there.  Before I noticed the sign, I was completely unfamiliar with Therapy.  However, some of the club members have commented that it is actually great wine.

So I’ve kept my eyes open for a while, but had trouble locating their wine.  A few weeks ago I visited Taylorwood Wines on Mainland Street in Vancouver.  I stumbled into Taylorwood Wines when I was downtown for the Olympics one time and was completely impressed by their selection; especially because it’s all BC wines.  And they have a knack for focusing on the great BC wines that are difficult to find.  Sure enough, they had three different reds from Therapy Vineyards (merlot, shiraz, and Freud’s Ego).  I opted for the merlot because I’ve been craving a wine with some punch.

I actually love the bottle design.  Nice to see something completely unique.  In particular, the back label gives some insight into that you should expect.  Although not exactly a unique practice, playing along with the image on the front, they coined the back “what do you see in this wine”.  I found the move quite clever.

So I cracked this bottle this past weekend and really enjoyed it.  I didn’t quite finish it so I put the twist-cap back on to save it overnight.  The following night I pulled the cap off and found the bottom completely thick with sediment.  Not sure if I just missed this the first night or if it turned overnight.

In any case, this wine was great the first night.  I’ll have to try another bottle shortly to get the full experience.  Highly recommended.

2007 Gehringer Brothers Private Reserve Pinot Noir

I bought this bottle last year at the winery when I visited in May.  Seems to be a bit of a trend, I know.  In any case, I have not had a lot of experience with Gehringer Brothers wines.  But I was impressed with this one when I visited their winery last year.  I have found some of their wines to be a little bit soft for my taste.  However, this one was different.

I found the wine very enjoyable and easy to drink.  When I’m excited to try a wine I haven’t had before, I tend to save it until after dinner so that nothing gets in the way.  For some wines, this isn’t they greatest idea (as the flavours sometimes need some accompaniment); however, this wine was great on its own.  Next time I’m up there,  I’ll be sure to pick up a couple more bottles of their Private Reserve line.

2008 Desert Hills Gamay

One of my favourite wineries on the Black Sage Bench is Desert Hills.  I’m not sure why exactly I like it, but I do.  I try to stop in every time I am in the area.  One of my favourite wines is their Gamay.

I think I partly like that the winery is a small, family run operation.  I also like that they make consistently excellent wines.  And the family is incredibly friendly.  It’s easy to visit for a tasting and end up in a conversation.  The first time I was there, around four or five years ago, a gentleman came in to taste some wine (which he had never tasted before).  He was on a trip through the valley to pick out wine for his son’s wedding.  He ended up buying a number of cases of their Gamay on the spot.  I guess from that point on, I always paid close attention to the wines I was tasting, even if they were lesser known wines.

Now Desert Hills has developed quite a reputation for themselves and recently won the SILVER Indy Int’l , Bronze Ok Wine Festival & Int’l for their 2008 Gamay (click HERE for their notes).

In any case, I shared this bottle with my wife tonight.  My wife does not drink many reds at all, but this one she likes.  Overall, this is an excellent wine.  I love this wine because it doesn’t need to be paired with anything.  Even as Desert Hills states on their website, this is a great sipping wine.  I agree.

2006 Jackson Triggs Proprietor’s Reserve Meritage

I was in Osoyoos a few weeks ago visiting some family, and wanted to visit at least one of the wineries while I was there.  Given that it is February, most were closed.  So, I picked one of the very few wineries in the Oliver-Osoyoos area that I had not already been to: Jackson Triggs.  When you first drive up, the winery looks like a warehouse (the facility houses the Vincor offices and distribution center for western Canada).  However, once you get up the driveway, it is actually quite a nice facility.  The lady who served us was incredibly friendly and quite knowledgeable.

In the past, I have avoided the big wineries for the reason that I can always find their wines back in the lower mainland.  In other words, I usually focus on the small wineries and the wines that I won’t be able to find anywhere else.  But this trip was worth the effort.  I enjoyed every wine I tasted and bought two bottles, including the 2006 Jackson Triggs Proprietor’s Reserve Meritage.

I opened the bottle this past Saturday and shared it with some friends.  As expected, I greatly enjoyed the wine.  It was not as strong as I expected, but a very smooth wine.  Overall, excellent.

2006 Nk’Mip Merlot

I was in Osoyoos for the weekend visiting some family and during our Saturday night dinner we all shared a bottle of 2006 Nk’Mip Merlot.  Until last year, I wasn’t very familiar with Nk’Mip wines, but I’ve gotten to taste quite a few of them this year, and have been pleasantly surprised.  Their winery is actually just down the street from my mother-in-law’s place, so it’s an easy stop-off when we’re pressed for time.  Their facility is actually quite incredible.  They have an executive 9-hole golf course, campground, Patio restaurant, resort & spa, and a cultural centre.  You can read all about it HERE.  If you’re in the area, it is definitely worth stopping by.  I fully intend to play a round of golf there this summer, if I can find the time.

The wine was quite good.  Generally, I prefer their reserve wines (Qwam Qwmt), but this one was good.  Quite a wet wine and not too sweet.  We had it with a pot roast, which it complemented quite well.  Enjoyable for sure.

2006 Fork in the Road Oliver Block 249 Red

My wife found this wine a couple of months ago.  We were heading to a house party, and thought we shouldn’t arrive empty handed.  I admit, I had never heard of Fork in the Road Vineyards before.  However, we ended up not opening the bottle that night, and so it sat in our wine rack until last night.

I have been looking for more information on Fork in the Road Vineyards; however, as they don’t seem to have a website, it’s been difficult to find on the internet.  I did find a posting on the Appelation America website that says that Fork in the Road is operated as a virtual winery by Mission Hills Family Estates (click HERE to read more).

In any case, I would definitely recommend this wine.  It was a great wine.  A real surprise for a wine I knew so little about.  I would definitely recommend this wine and will try it again.

Summer Road Trip to California Wine Country

My wife and I are currently planning a summer road trip down to California wine country.  We’re planning to drive down, spend around 5 days exploring, and then drive home.

Our big decisions for now are when to go and where to spend our time.  For timing, we’re looking at May or June – better to get there early, beat the crowds (and the heat), and try to get some first tastes on new wines.

We’re considering the Calistoga region and Howell Mountain area in the Napa Valley and the Russian River area of the Sonoma Valley.   However, we have been told by a few different people that stopping for a night in Mendocino is an absolute must.

While down there, we also intend to hit a couple tours, and hopefully, a wine festival.

While I’ve been to California many times, this will be my first time going north of San Francisco (or even crossing the Golden Gate Bridge at all for that matter).  I don’t know a whole lot about this area or about California wines (I have my favourites, but that’s about it), so this entire process is going to be a real learning experience.  I’m looking forward to expanding my wine knowledge and to exploring one of the world’s most renowned wine growing regions.  And what better way to learn about something than to completely immerse yourself in it, even if it is only for a week.  I can’t wait!

As we plan and learn more, I’ll be sure to post updates here.

2007 Road 13 Merlot

Last night a friend brought over a bottle of 2007 Road 13 Merlot.  I am quite fond of Road 13 wines, so I was quite excited to give this one a go.  I do have a couple of these exact bottles in storage myself, so it was good to see how this one was coming along.  Road 13 is working hard to define BC wines and what makes them unique, and this wine is a great example of their efforts.

This was a good, fresh tasting wine.  Another 6-12 months perhaps, and this one would have been perfect (based on my storage conditions anyway).

Update Jan 31, 2010: I had another bottle of this wine that I’ve been holding on to.  In my efforts to taste more of the wines that I’ve been saving, I opened this bottle tonight and had a couple of glasses.  I did find this wine to be much smoother this time around, and I actually enjoyed it a little bit more.

Overall, it was a great wine.  The flavours have come together nicely.  Good medium body wine.  Not too strong, and has some great flavours.  This wine, to me, is a great representation of what BC wines can be!

2006 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Meritage

Last night, I cracked a bottle of 2006 Nk’Mip QwAM QwMT Meritage with some friends. My mother-in-law, who lives in Osoyoos, gave us this bottle in the summer after she had visited the winery, which is walking distance from her place. My wife and I had visited Nk’Mip back in May, but picked up the pinot noir instead of this one. For those of you who don’t know, QwAM QwMT is their version of reserve.

According to Nk’Mip, this meritage consists of 50% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon, and 10% cabernet franc. And this is their reserve label. In any case, I think we all enjoyed this wine.

Overall, good wine. Definitely enjoyable and well received by a group with quite varied tastes. Would definitely try it again.