Okanagan Valley
Okanagan Valley
Fairview Cellars 2011 The Bear Okanagan Valley
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian White
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
Canadian White
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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.
CheckMate Artisanal Winery 2021 Queen Taken Chardonnay
Canadian White
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian White
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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
Canadian Red
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.
Blue Mountain 2023 Blossom Slope Block 17 Chardonnay
Canadian White
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
Canadian 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.
Gehringer 2023 Minus 9 Ehrenfelser Icewine
Canadian Dessert
Concentrated apricot, honey, orange blossom and citrus appear in this icewine. Apricot jam accompanies lively acidity and a clean, persistent finish. Fruit comes from the Golden Mile Bench in the Okanagan Valley. Ehrenfelser grapes were harvested frozen at minus nine degrees Celsius. The analysis records 248 grams per litre of residual sugar, 10.9 grams per litre of total acidity and 11 percent alcohol.
Martin’s Lane 2023 Simes Vineyard Riesling
Canadian White
Apricot fruit sits with lemon and lime acidity in a light-bodied, off-dry Riesling. The finish is crystalline. Fruit comes from a cool, steep, north-facing East Kelowna vineyard on granite-based soils. After hand sorting, the juice receives twenty-four to forty-eight hours of cold maceration, then ferments in stainless steel and ceramic vessels before at least six months on lees.
Martin’s Lane 2022 Naramata Ranch Vineyard Riesling
Canadian White
Floral notes, sea salt, stone, mineral and lemon-lime detail accompany an opulent Riesling with freshness and texture. The own-rooted vines grow over red granite and granite bedrock on the Naramata Bench. After hand sorting, some berries remain whole for pressing without sulphur. Spontaneous fermentation and ageing take place in German oak casks. The finished wine carries 12.4 percent alcohol.
Ailm Estate 2021 Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Wine
Canadian Sparkling
Lively bubbles accompany yellow apple, brioche and subtle salinity in a bright Chardonnay sparkling wine. The grapes come from Westpoint Vineyard in the Okanagan Valley and were harvested in the first week of September after a hot growing season. Malolactic fermentation was completed, the wine spent twenty-eight months on its lees, and the final dosage was 6.5 grams per litre.
Painted Rock 2022 Malbec Skaha Bench
Canadian Red
Floral notes and purple fruit accompany blue and dark fruit with a savoury note. The palate is dense and rich, with black cherry, red cherry, blueberry and mocha. The acidity is lifted and the finish has a mineral character. Made entirely from Malbec, the dry red comes from Skaha Bench in the Okanagan Valley and carries fourteen and eight-tenths percent alcohol.
O’Rourke Family Estate 2020 Chardonnay
Canadian White
Crisp, refreshing apple and citrus appear with a little vanilla. White peach and melon accompany restrained toasted oak. The wine is midweight, textured, savoury and elegant, with fresh pastry, stony minerality and sage on the finish. Made entirely from Chardonnay, it comes from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The lightly oaked wine carries thirteen and a half percent alcohol.
La Stella 2022 Arioso Sangiovese Grosso
Canadian Red
Light red colour accompanies a medium-bodied profile. Bing cherry, red currant, leather and wild herbs appear with a linear shape, natural acidity and rustic, firm tannins. The wine is made from Sangiovese Grosso grown in the Osoyoos Lake District. Its chiseled, elegant character suits wild boar or mushroom ragù, two pairings suggested for this southern Okanagan release.
Mission Hill Family Estate 2021 Legacy Collection Perpetua Chardonnay
Canadian White
Crunchy lemon, yellow peach and golden apple accompany a refreshing mouthfeel and tangy finish. Stone fruit, citrus and flint appear with lemon acidity and integrated fruit, oak and texture. The Chardonnay comes from four vineyard blocks at Border Vista Vineyard in Osoyoos. Maturation lasts sixteen months in French oak barriques, puncheons and a concrete egg.