Canada
Canada
Lariana Cellars 2023 Carménère
White pepper and savoury spice accompany blackcurrant and concentrated blueberry aromas. Well-integrated oak, gentle tannins and juicy fruit shape the palate. Made entirely from estate-grown Carménère, the wine matures for fifteen months in oak. The oak programme is seventy-five percent French, with twenty-five percent new barrels. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered and can develop for another five to ten years. Roast duck breast is a suggested pairing.
Lariana Cellars 2022 Carménère
Dried rose petals, wild berries and cherries shape the aromatic profile. Blackberry, grilled herbs and white pepper appear on the palate, supported by finely textured tannins that build toward the finish. The wine is made entirely from estate-grown Carménère. Harvest took place over October thirteenth and fourteenth. Three barrels were selected for bottling the following April.
Phantom Creek Estates 2020 Becker Vineyard Cuvée
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc form the blend. Kirsch, plum and spiced blackberry appear with dried sage, dark chocolate, cedar and oak. The profile is full-bodied and balanced, with fruit weight and a long finish. The historic vineyard lies on the Black Sage Bench. Higher spring rainfall and mild temperatures were followed by hot, dry conditions through harvest. Smaller berries contributed concentrated flavours and elevated tannins.
Hillside Winery 2017 Mosaic Naramata Bench
The blend is thirty-three percent Merlot, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc, eighteen percent Malbec, seventeen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and seven percent Petit Verdot. It matures for eighteen months in French oak, forty-two percent new. The tannins are mostly dispersed, leaving a silky, dry texture. The fruit comes from vineyards on Naramata Bench in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
Black Hills 2022 Nota Bene Okanagan Valley
Dewberry, black cherry, herbal notes and floral lift are joined by redcurrant, sweet mint and raspberry blossom. The palate is rich and fresh, with fine-grained tannins. The blend is forty-six percent Merlot, thirty-six percent Cabernet Sauvignon and eighteen percent Cabernet Franc. Wild yeasts conduct fermentation, and ageing lasts eighteen months in French-oak barriques and puncheons, forty-seven percent new. Alcohol is fourteen and a half percent.
CheckMate 2021 Silent Bishop Merlot
Red currant, raspberry, coffee, tobacco and floral notes join black fruit, mocha and dark chocolate. The wine is fresh and lively, with fine-grained tannins and a lengthy finish. Merlot comes from the cooler western benches of the South Okanagan. Wild fermentation is followed by twenty months in French oak. The palate also carries black cherry, blackcurrant and balanced acidity.
Fairview Cellars 2011 The Bear Okanagan Valley
Medium ruby-purple colour accompanies ripe cherry and liquorice. The wine is dry, with medium-plus acidity and full, ripe tannins. Cherry, plum, cassis, spice and tobacco appear, with a long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the blend, joined by Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Mint, blackcurrant and spicy cherry are also present. Production totalled three hundred cases.
CedarCreek 2013 Platinum The Last Word
Dark liquorice, black cherry, cooked plum and graphite appear across the profile. Cassis, wild blackberry, spice-box notes and anise are also present, with bright acidity, structurally sound tannins and a warm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec were co-fermented for one month. The blend then spent twenty months in French oak. The fruit comes from Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2019 Knight’s Challenge Chardonnay
Sagebrush, floral spice, cold tea and lychee are present, with subtle fruit and lifted oak. The palate is vibrant and textural, with honey, lime, mineral, sea salt, herbs and fruit. Chardonnay comes from Sunset Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The vines grow in gravelly sand on a southwest-facing slope. The wine matures for sixteen months in French oak, forty-seven percent new.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2021 Fool’s Mate Chardonnay
The aromas include brioche, Meyer lemon, orange blossom and flint. Crème fraîche, crisp stone fruit and freshly baked bread appear on the palate, with a long mineral finish. Orchard fruit, melon, pear, nectarine and vanilla provide further detail. Fifty-four percent of the Chardonnay was aged in French oak barriques, twenty-five percent in foudre and twenty-one percent in a concrete egg.
Martin’s Lane 2020 Simes Vineyard Pinot Noir
Black, spicy fruit meets a silky palate, with bright acidity and a dense profile. Two parcels of a cool, north-facing East Kelowna vineyard supplied the fruit. Granite-based soils sit over fine silt. Wild fermentation used 70 percent whole bunches for 28 days, followed by 17 months in extra-tight-grain Austrian and French oak. Organic certification began with this vintage.
Burrowing Owl 2018 Merlot 1.5 L
Black plum, ripe raspberry and brambly berries appear with violet, lavender, cocoa, marzipan, vanilla, cedar and baking spice. The palate is full bodied, with firm ripe tannins, refreshing acidity and a velvety texture. Plum pudding, black cherry, hazelnut, dark chocolate, paprika, dried sage and graphite are also present. The finish is long. Merlot fruit is harvested by hand from estate vineyards in Oliver and Osoyoos.
Averill Creek 2018 Barrel 24 Pinot Noir Cowichan Valley
This Pinot Noir comes from fifteen-year-old vines in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. The vineyard occupies a south-facing slope of Mount Prevost, where four Pinot Noir clones are planted. The property is located just outside Duncan, and the site is cropped at low yields. The bottling was offered to CRU Society members. Cowichan Valley holds recognition as a British Columbia sub-geographical indication.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2021 Queen Taken Chardonnay
Rosewater, ginger and Asian pear appear in the aromas. Grilled pineapple, rosemary and ripe apricot are present on the palate. The wine is tense and textural, with a savoury finish. It comes from the Dekleva Vineyard southwest of Oliver, where Chardonnay vines approach fifty years of age. The vineyard sits beneath Mount Kobau and the Thompson Plateau and includes the distinctive Dekleva clone.
Osoyoos Larose 2010 Le Grand Vin Okanagan Valley
Cassis and vanilla appear with bright blackcurrant, blueberry and cherry flavours. Fine tannins and a generous texture are present in an ample, rich palate. The blend is sixty-seven percent Merlot, twenty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, six percent Petit Verdot, four percent Cabernet Franc and three percent Malbec. This red comes from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and carries 13.8 percent alcohol.
Le Vieux Pin 2022 Equinoxe Cabernet Franc Okanagan Valley
Bell-pepper dolmatas, Bing cherry, spicy cigar and rawhide leather appear with complex aromas. The same flavours are present on the palate with focus and clarity, and the finish lasts for more than a minute. Lush fruit intensity, structure, natural acidity and complexity are also present. This Cabernet Franc from the South Okanagan spent twenty-six months in new French oak and carries 14.5 percent alcohol.
Henricsson Vineyard 2017 Première Pinot Noir Magnum 1.5 L
Pinot Noir from Naramata shows body and a generous palate, with cherry, strawberry and spice. The wine spends time in barrel. The estate follows a hands-off approach: fermentations use wild yeast, sulphur additions are minimal, and maturation uses large puncheons and neutral oak, with only twenty to twenty-five percent of the wine seeing new oak.
Mission Hill Family Estate 2004 Oculus
Merlot accounts for seventy-four percent of the blend, joined by Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Cedar, cassis and savoury black fruit appear alongside mint, liquorice, black raspberry and bitter chocolate. The wine is medium-bodied, with firm tannins and powerful character. This Bordeaux-inspired red comes from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and is presented in a 750 mL bottle.
Osoyoos Larose 2011 Le Grand Vin 1.5 L
Merlot accounts for forty-eight percent of the blend. The balance is thirty-three percent Cabernet Sauvignon, ten percent Petit Verdot, six percent Cabernet Franc and three percent Malbec. Cassis and spice appear with blackcurrant, mulberry, espresso and dark chocolate. Tannins are polished and firm, and cedar appears on the finish. The listed alcohol is fourteen percent. This red comes from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley.
Laughing Stock 2021 Portfolio 3 L
Merlot accounts for half of the blend; the balance is twenty-nine percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twelve percent Cabernet Franc, five percent Malbec and four percent Petit Verdot. Cassis and blueberry appear with cedar box and fresh tobacco. Red fruit, cocoa powder, smoked cherry and tobacco leaf are also present. The wine has structure, texture and a long spicy finish.
Daydreamer 2023 Marcus Ansems Chardonnay
Chardonnay grows on the Naramata Bench in exposed granite high above Okanagan Lake, where the plot has particularly little organic matter. The grapes are destemmed before pressing into barrels, thirty percent new. The family-run Canadian winery farms sustainably in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Its wines are crafted by a holder of the Master of Wine qualification.
Poplar Grove 2016 The Legacy
Cabernet Franc leads the blend at thirty-three percent, joined by twenty-five percent Malbec, fifteen percent Merlot, fourteen percent Cabernet Sauvignon and thirteen percent Petit Verdot. Savoury cedar, lead pencil and red fruit accompany fresh red cherry, dried herbs and dense, sweet tannins. Estate-grown grapes were hand-picked and sorted. Production included extended maceration, twenty-one months in French barriques and two years in bottle.
Burrowing Owl 2013 Malbec
Deep purple-ruby colour accompanies Bing cherry, Damson plum, blackberry, vanilla, liquorice and cocoa. The wine is medium to full in body, with silky texture and ripe, round tannins. Sweet black cherry, baked plum, pepper and wet earth are also present. Grapes were hand-harvested from the Eva Vineyard, and maturation lasted twenty-one months in mixed oak barrels.
Black Hills 2006 Nota Bene
Cabernet Sauvignon makes up forty-seven percent of the blend, with thirty-seven percent Merlot and sixteen percent Cabernet Franc. Tobacco leaf, green olive, sage, tomato leaf and menthol sit beside coffee, pepper, cassis and saddle leather. The palate is round, dry and moderately smooth, with light tannins. Smoky, meaty and savoury notes are also present. Alcohol is fourteen-point-seven percent.
Black Hills 2001 Nota Bene
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for forty-six percent of the blend, with thirty-five percent Merlot and nineteen percent Cabernet Franc. Dry cedar, peppery leather, green bean and bell pepper sit beside mint, tobacco and smoky vanilla. The wine has ample extract and fourteen percent alcohol. Production totalled 1,800 cases. Root vegetable, smoky liquorice and peppery olive are also present.
Black Hills 2002 Nota Bene
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for forty-eight percent of the blend, with thirty-seven percent Merlot and fifteen percent Cabernet Franc. Black pepper, roasted bell pepper, roots, leaves and saddle leather sit beside smoky vanilla, green bean, olive, cassis, black cherry, stewed tomato and resin. The entry is rich and smooth, with ripe tannins. Alcohol is fourteen-point-five percent.
Black Hills 2007 Nota Bene
Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for forty-six percent of the blend, with thirty-nine percent Merlot and fifteen percent Cabernet Franc. Black cherry and cassis sit alongside savoury espresso, pipe tobacco and roasted tomato. A dusty finish is also present. The texture is soft, with rich fine-grained tannins and a warm, smooth finish. Alcohol is fourteen-point-seven percent by volume.
Township 7 2017 Seven Stars Sirius
Pale straw colour and a fine bead accompany apple, brioche, peach stone, baker’s yeast and honey. The palate is creamy, with yellow apple, lemon and lively acidity. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from a South Langley vineyard form the blend. The wine is made by the traditional method. Toast and lees notes sit alongside pear, tangerine and a lingering citrus finish.
Blue Mountain 2023 Blossom Slope Block 17 Chardonnay
Lemon curd, white flowers and wet stone accompany a focused, textural Chardonnay with a long mineral finish. Block 17 has westerly exposure, coarse loamy sand and thirty-three-year-old vines. The site is planted to clones 76, 95 and 96. Stone fruit and vanilla join apple in the glass. The wine spends eighteen months in French oak.
Garnet Valley Ranch 2016 Traditional Method Sparkling
Red berry aromatics accompany mouthwatering acidity, creamy texture and a savoury edge. Apple, almond, brioche, dried apple and sagebrush add further detail. The sparkling blend combines Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Garnet Valley in the Okanagan. Traditional-method production includes seventy-two months on lees. Alcohol is 12 percent, with 2.93 pH and 9.1 grams per litre total acidity.










