Red tasting a great value
B.C. Iconic Reds, hosted in conjunction with Sutton Place Wine Merchant, presents its 12th annual competition Nov. 13 at the Sutton Place Hotel Vancouver.
You are invited to judge 18 to 20 of B.C.’s top blended reds that will likely include Black Sage Vineyards Meritage, CedarCreek The Last Word, Clos du Soleil Signature Red, Hester Creek The Judge, La Stella Fortissimo, Lake Breeze Tempest, Mission Hill Oculus, Painted Rock Red Icon and many more.
The single-bottle value of this event is well over $1,000. Nowhere else will you be able to taste such a complete array of B.C. red blends in one sitting at such a reasonable price. Past attendees know this event is unrivalled.
For more information and tickets ($89+ fees) go to eventbrite. com. In memory of John Levine.
■ The 2nd Annual 2019 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards kicked off the 39th Annual Fall Okanagan Wine Festival earlier this month.
After tasting more than 700 wines, the judges awarded medals to over 100 British Columbia wineries. The top one per cent was led by the 2019 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine of the Year: Deep Roots Winery 2017 Syrah.
The other platinum medals went to: Van Westen Vineyards Vulture 2016 Cabernet Franc, Sandhill Riesling 2018 Icewine, Moon Curser Vineyards 2017 Touriga Nacional, Black Hills Estate 2017 Roussanne, Lake Breeze Vineyards 2017 Aura Pinot Noir, Privato Vineyard 2016 Tesoro Pinot Noir, Road 13 Vineyard 2017 Syrah Malbec, Deep Roots 2016 Parentage Red, Nk’Mip Cellars 2018 Qwam Qwmt Riesling, Harper’s Trail 2018 Pioneer Block Riesling, Wayne Gretzky Okanagan’s Signature Series 2016 Shiraz, and C.C. Jentsch Cellars 2016 Syrah.
The full list of finalists is available at thewinefestivals.com.
B.C. WINE OF THE WEEK
Tantalus Pinot Noir Reserve 2016,
East Kelowna, Okanagan Valley $60.95 | 91/100
UPC: 626990189978
Year two for this reserve release — conspicuous by its gold Dempsey Bob mask label and black wax seal — mixes Dijon clones 667, 777 and 115. It is all handmade, including foot trodden fruit. We love the elegance that permeates the dry, plummy, dark fruit with light spice and silky tannins. The finish is long and warm perhaps accentuated by a savoury undercurrent; think of Nuit St. Georges. You can and should cellar this for five years or serve it now with a substantial bird dish. The reserve spends 16 months in French oak (30 per cent new) before being bottled unfiltered.
WINE FOR THE CELLAR Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 2013, Montalcino, Siena, Tuscany, Italy
$58.99 | 93/100
UPC: 662255010137
The ’13 Brunello is a savoury, floral, herbal, medicinal, forest-floor affair with notes of bay leaf, cedar, balsamic and menthol. The texture is silky smooth, and the fruit vivid with notes of plums and strawberries spiked with orange and spice. It was a cooler year, presenting more aromatics. The Sangiovese goes through a traditional ferment and four years of aging, with two years in oak barrels. Roasted meats are an excellent match.