SOWF #10: Tinhorn Creek

Day two started off with a couple of false starts. From Penticton we headed south to do the Oliver / South Okanagan area. Our first stop was Hidden Chapel, but we were a little eager and got there before they opened. So then we drove up to Fairview, which was closed as well. Not wanting to waste any more precious tasting time, we headed over to the closest winery, which was Tinhorn Creek. We hadn't planned to stop there, and usually we give this winery a pass since it's definitely one of the big players and you can find their wines almost anywhere.

There is so much going on at Tinhorn I don't want to even get into it here. Apparently the restaurant Miradoro is very good if $17 for a grilled cheese sandwich doesn't bother you. Usually this place is busy, but at 11 o'clock on a Friday morning we had the tasting room to ourselves. Although Tinhorn is usually pretty reliable, I didn't find any wines that really impressed me.

• Pinot Gris 2011 ($18)

We are striving to make a fruity dry wine with aromas of citrus, crisp acidity with a good amount of body for added mouth feel. 100% of this wine is fermented in Stainless Steel with 30% fermented in Stainless steel barrels and undergoing Malolactic fermentation giving the wine some added texture (mouth feel).

89 points.

• Chardonnay 2010 ($18)

23% of this vintage was placed in new French barrels for 2 months and was stirred twice a week. This allows the wine to have contact with the lees and develop a silky mouth feel. The remainder of the Chardonnay was aged in stainless steel tanks to develop fruit characteristics.

89 points. Decent, mellow.

• Gewurztraminer 2011 ($18)

Our aim is to show case the varietal characteristics of the Gewurztraminer grape. This includes floral and Lychee aromas with hints of spice. No oak aging or Malolactic fermentation. 100% of this wine is cold fermented in Stainless Steel tanks. This wine is made in a drier fruity style.

88 points. I found this tasted soapy.

• Pinot Noir 2008 ($20)

The grapes were harvested in the early morning cool temperatures. This helps keep the fruit characteristics of the grape at their peak. The grapes then sat on their skins for several days in stainless steel tanks. The wine spent 10 months in older American oak and then two years in bottle before release on Canada Day!
 
87 points. Dry, thin, just sort of flavourless.

• Cabernet Franc 2009 ($20)

Our Cabernet Franc comes 100% from our Diamondback Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The 2009 Cabernet Franc was brought in at cooler temperatures and after sitting on its skins for several days, yeast was added to start fermentation. After fermenting, the Cabernet Franc spent 12 months in American oak barrels prior to bottling in May 2011.

The 2009 Cabernet Franc is a vibrant dark cherry colour and is elegant and aromatic. There are aromas of blackcurrant and stewed cherries with forest floor characteristics. The palate is elegant and soft with luscious blackberries and black cherry flavours with muted expressions of pine and moss. A finely balanced wine with soft tannins and a lingering finish.

87 points. Cough syrup, fruity.

• Oldfield 2Bench White 2010 ($23)

The 2Bench is a complex blend of 17% Semillon,  44% Chardonnay, 26% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Viognier and 1% Muscat. The crisp acidity of this wine compliments rich seafood dishes. The white peach, citrus, melon and mineral flavours beg to be enjoyed on a sun drenched patio.

87 points. Kris liked this one much more than I did.

• Oldfield 2Bench Rosé 2011 ($23)

This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Franc. It will be a dry wine with light salmon pink in colour and have strawberry aromas and flavours with a hint of black pepper. The grapes are pressed off their skins allowing for the right amount of colour to be released. Cold fermented in Stainless Steel tanks without ML ensures the fruity aromas and flavours are preserved. This wine is made in a style that can be enjoyed on its own or good with light summer foods. 

88 points.

• Oldfield 2Bench Red 2008 ($35)

The 2008 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red is the second vintage of this wine to be released. It is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 20% Cabernet Franc. The varietals for this wine are kept separate throughout harvest and fermentation. It spends approximately 18 months in new French oak barrels before being bottled and then aged for an additional 18 months in bottle before release.

The 2008 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red is densely extracted and ruby in colour. It is powerfully concentrated with black cherries, blackberries, black currant and notes of leafy tobacco, and menthol aromas. This wine has flavours of racy black fruit and delicate herbs. Firm tannins and refreshing acidity ensure that this wine will stand the test of time.

87 points. Lots of tannins, a little musty tasting.

SOWF #6: Crowsnest Vineyards

Well, you knew the hot streak couldn't last forever. Just around the corner we found Crowsnest Vineyards on Surprise Drive. It was a surprise all right, but not a pleasant one. Actually, the wines weren't all that bad. The winemaking is definitely Germanic, and reminded us of Gehringer Brothers in style. The Rieslings and the Gewurz were true to form although drier than their German cousins. If you like German wines then I think you would enjoy a visit to Crowsnest, but it's not really my cup of tea.

Crowsnest is also heavily into other activities. They run a restaurant, bakery and guesthouse, and even host a Harley Davidson riders' club. The website seems out of date (although there are recent events posted), so I didn't reproduce their wine notes as they don't correspond to the wines we actually tasted.

• Chardonnay  ($18)

88 points. Unoaked, nice crispness.
 

• Gewurztraminer  ($19)

88 points. 1 on the sweetness scale. Pretty good, dry Germanic style, honey.
 

• Riesling 2011 ($20)

88 points. Apple cider taste, tart.
 

• Riesling 2009  

88 points.

• Pinot Noir  ($23)

87 points. Stewed strawberry.
 

• Merlot 2008 ($21)

87 points. More strawberry, definitely not Kris' favorite.
 


 

SOWF #5: Eau Vivre

Our next stop on our Similkameen journey was Eau Vivre. This is a very unassuming little winery, presumably a husband and wife operation although I have very little background on this place. I think they only make four wines, and we got to try them all. Holy smoke - what a find! And for around twenty bucks these were some of the very best value wines we came across.

Our rule of thumb is to try to purchase one bottle per winery, since they all have to be brought back on the plane. We bought three here, everything but the Gewurz (I just can't bring myself to call it "goo"). We have a family vacation planned for the Okanagan in July; we may just have to drag the kids out to Cawston to scoop up a few more bottles.

• Gewurztraminer 2009 ($17)

Light in colour, with intense nose of white flowers, orange blossoms and candied fruit.  The palate is equally balanced with soft acids and lush fruit mouth feel that is produced in the classic dry but fruity style.  Designed with medium body and plush rich fruit this wine has the profile of a much sweeter wine.  This small lot production of 2009 Gewurztraminer is made from 100% Similkameen grapes.  With only 200 cases produced, this very popular wine is building a following of fans and will surely sell out.

89 points. Floral but not syrupy. Fresh.

• Chardonnay 2008 ($18)

A nice pale straw colour shows that this wine has a great aging potential. The nose smells of honey, with a baked pastry component, leading to apple pie and pear. Hints of citrus and stone fruit on the nose as well. The palette is intense and balanced, with apple and lemon curd, white peach and nectarines, showing a full round mouth feel but enough acidity to give it good length and freshness. Very versatile food wine, that can pair well with seafood, but has the acidity to cut through creamy dishes as well. 

90 points. Complex, sweet and tart, bright, good acidity balance.

• Pinot Noir 2008 ($19)

On the nose it is constantly developing, starting with typical cherry and cranberry before leading into more earthy tones and the darker side of this wonderful variety. The longer this is open the more complex it becomes as the fruit nose subsides and the leathery and soy notes come forward. Built with some considerable structure, despite having very little oak on nose or palette. The wine has great intensity and length, tannins taking the fruit and acidity long into the finish. Great balance. Drinking well now and will age wonderfully for years to come. 

91 points. Only two other wineries had a 91 point wine on our tour - Fairview and Laughing Stock. That's pretty exclusive company for Eau Vivre. "Warm, smooth, chocolate and sweet tones. Wow." (That's a direct quote from my notes.) A preposterous value.

• Cabernet Franc 2009 ($22)

Fermented on the skins for 18 days to extract deep dark color, this wine was aged in French Oak barrels. The aromas boldly convey the grape variety's floral and herbal character, in this case suggesting tobacco and spice. On the palate spice and pepper enhance those characteristics and finish dry. This wines style has serious charm and complexity and will excite fans of cool-climate Cab Franc fans. Only 270 cases produced in 2009 from 100% Okanagan Valley grapes.

90 points.
      

SOWF #4: Seven Stones

I can't remember the last time we visited the Similkameen valley, but it's been a few years. It's seems like a long way to go but it's only 20 minutes west of Osoyoos on highway 3, and not much longer to drive from Keremeos up to Penticton. There are maybe ten wineries out here, including two fruit wineries. Some of the best wines we tasted the entire weekend were from Similkameen, and I suspect they might be growing grapes that are as good or better than the Okanagan. If you've never been out here, or it's been a while, you won't regret taking the extra few minutes drive to check out the wineries in Cawston and Keremeos.

A quick travel note: if you're driving west from Osoyoos, you have to check out Spotted Lake about ten minutes along the Crowsnest. This is a small lake with high concentrations of minerals and salt in the water that somehow form large circles on the surface. It's truly unique and worth a stop for a picture or two.

Seven Stones was the first of our six stops on our loop. There is a whole story about the seven stones of the Similkameen, but the winery website is down right now so I don't have the details. Something about glaciers and native legends. Instead of doing any serious research, I stole a photo from another website of the mural in the Seven Stones wineshop showing the seven stones on a map of the valley. Now then, on to business: the wines we tried here were mostly outstanding. I can't explain why but I got the feeling that the terroir here produces some outstanding fruit. The combination and complexity of flavours here was quite amazing.

• Pinot Rosé 2010 ($19)

Intense strawberry aromas; a delicate balance of citrus and exotic fruit flavors on the palate along with a pleasing natural acidity and minerality and a soft dry finish. This wine is reminiscent of the Rosés found in the south of France. Perfect for the deck!

88 points. I found this one a bit musty, with some grapefruit in addition to the strawberry.

• Chardonnay 2009 ($25)

The 2009 vintage is a bit softer and creamier than the 2008 vintage yet it retains the same vivid mouth-feel and delicate balance of citrus and tropical fruit flavors permeated with an earthy minerality that had become the signature of our Chardonnays. Sur-lies aging and barrel fermentation give this wine a luscious toasty and buttery finish.

90 points. If I recall there were two different yeasts involved in the making. I thought I tasted some pineapple. Long, lingering, creamy finish. Beautiful. We brought back this one.

• Row 128 Merlot 2009 ($25)

Aged for 17 months in French and American oak barrels Row 128 Merlot offers seductive aromas of cherry, mint, olive and leather followed by a soft mouth-feel and flavors of plum, chocolate and blueberry .The finish is smooth and long lasting. 

90 points. Wish we'd bought this one too. A very unique and interesting Merlot. I did indeed taste most of the flavours listed above, including olive.

• Cabernet Franc 2009 ($28)

The nose features fragrances of plum, black pepper, raspberry and toasty vanilla. Layers of elegant and well structured flavors of  raspberry , chocolate and coffee on the mid-palate are followed by a soft spicy finish.  Aged 17 months in new French oak barrels.

89 points. Feisty, peppery, lively, bold.

• Meritage 2008 ($32)

This blend consists of 58% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot aged 17 months in new and 1 year old French oak barrels. The 2008 Meritage has round juicy flavors, a soft velvety mid-palate and an elegant finish that is prolonged by fine grained tannins and reveals hints of chocolate, espresso and raspberry. 

89 points.

• Syrah 2009 ($35)

Enticing aromas of smoked meat and white pepper on the nose; layers of ripe blackberry, spicy licorice and bittersweet chocolate on the palate; well integrated tannins and a long smooth finish. 17 months in new French oak barrels. Small lot production 

88 points. Kris liked this more than I did, likely the pepper. I remember it tasting like tart cherry juice.
           

SOWF #2: Nk'Mip

Nk'Mip (pronounced in-ka-meep) is a desert cultural centre, luxury resort and spa, golf course, winery and an aboriginal success story all at once. We'll focus on the wine, but the Nk'Mip Resort website has lots of interesting info. We even looked into investing in one of the Spirit Ridge strata suites a while back.

Nk'Mip manages to win a fair bit of recognition for their wines. Overall I find them good but nothing that has ever knocked my socks off. Generally at Nk'Mip, the more unpronouncable the name the more expensive the wine. We hadn't been here for a few years and things change, so it's a good idea to go back to the source once in a while to see (and taste) what's going on. Again, winemaker's comments in regular text, my notes and scores in italic.

• Pinot Blanc 2010 ($17)

This wine is bright and lively with an explosion of citrus and orchard notes followed by a crisp, racy finish. Generous notes of apple with an underlying mineral nuance complete this well-balanced wine.

88 points.

• Riesling 2010 ($18)

Classic granny smith apple and crisp, fresh citrus notes give way to a gentle layering of luscious orchard fruit and honeydew melon. Dry in style, the flavours are well balanced and are supported by a crisp, refreshing finish. 

88 points.

• Chardonnay 2010 ($17)

The Chardonnay grapes were stainless steel fermented and 40% of the vintage was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months while 60% remained in stainless steel fermentors to retain a crisp, fruit forward flavour with a smooth finish.

Fragrant granny smith apple and summer fruit are joined by fresh pineapple and melon layers that lead into a rounded expression of butterscotch and vanilla bean.

88 points.

• Pinot Noir 2010 ($20)

The inviting nose displays elements of luscious Okanagan black cherry and plum with a hint of rosemary spice. The soft tannic structure is very approachable with substantial berry and spice flavours despite its delicacy. A liquid silk texture leaves a soft finish on the palate.

88 points.

• Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2009 ($25)

Extended lees contact gives depth and complexity with rich and nutty flavour, offering lots of caramel, marzipan and pear. Enticing and aromatic with subtle layering of citrus is followed by a lingering mineral finish. 

89 points. The best wine I tasted here, almost a 90 - delicious!

• Qwam Qwmt Meritage 2008 ($30)

This Meritage is a blend of 69% Merlot, 28.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2.5% Cabernet Franc grapes. This wine exhibits an intense ruby colour with aromas and flavours of mint, chocolate, tobacco and cassis with a well-structured palate and a long toasty finish.

89 points.

• Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($30)

Rich with dried black fruit and cassis wrapped in toasty spicy cedar, this fully structured Cabernet Sauvignon leads the palate to contemplate complex flavours of berry, vanilla, coffee, capsicum and cherry.  

88 points.

• Mer'r'iym 2008 ($50)

Mer’r’iym is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot epitomizing balance, respect and dedication. The 2008 Mer’r’iym Meritage is the result of our tireless pursuit of excellence at Nk’Mip vineyards. We combined only the best blocks of grapes with some of the finest French and American oak barrels in an effort to produce a wine of genuine elegance and finesse. 

89 points.

Santa Rita 120 Chardonnay 2008

Very nice, not great but no real weaknesses and quite drinkable. This is a slightly buttery, medium oaked chardonnay with a sort of musky melon and fruit (pear?) character. I find the acidity a little out of balance but not overpowering. I can see how the muskiness might turn some people off. It's not a subtle wine.

This would be perfect with shellfish. Use it to cook mussels mariniere with garlic, and serve it cold along side. It would probably go equally well with blue cheese, or even a coconut curry. Decent value, good to have in the bottom of the fridge.

86 points. $11.

Golden Mile Cellars Chardonnay 2006

Golden Mile Cellars is one of the first places we visited years ago, and we happened to show up in the first week the winery was open. The building looks like a medieval castle for some reason. It's been sold since then. The new owners must be a little embarrased about the castle thing, since there isn't a single photo of the building out of a couple dozen on the website. I dunno, I think it's kind of cool.

This winery is now called Road 13. There's a good radio show with Terry David Mulligan called The Tasting Room which just happens to air on the local sports talk station for some reason. Anyway, the former mountie and Good Rockin' Tonite host did a full hour from the rebranding party from the winery a few months ago. Long story short, "golden mile" is the name of the geographic region roughly between Oliver and Osoyoos, but the local winemakers weren't able to market the region a la Naramata Bench since there was some confusion between the area and the winery. So the winery, Golden Mile Cellars, gave up the name. I expect we'll see some Golden Mile Region tourism pamphlets next time we visit.

This wine won a couple of medals in Okanagan festivals. I definitely get a buttery but fairly crisp dry (grapefruit?) flavour. The wine is high in alcohol. Drinkable on its own, it will be great with any seafood and has enough backbone to stand up to a strong curry. All in all, pretty much what you want in a good chardonnay.

87 points. Under $20 from the winery.

Red Rooster Chardonnay 2006

OK, very briefly: what sticks with me is the pear flavours and the balanced acidity. This one has no oak (not that I mind some oak) nor does it have that buttery character - it's more like a sauvignon blanc than a chardonnay. It would go well with brie cheese or maybe even sushi, but would be just fine with any typical white-wine food I would guess. Just finished the last glass (well, ONE of us did), wish I had more.

88 points. Bought at the winery for about $18 if I remember.