WEEKEND WINE PICKS
Road 13 Roussanne 2017, Similkameen Valley $25.22 | 88/100
UPC: 626990331834
Exotic, intense, complex, unctuous, mineral are all words you can use to describe this giant white wine. The nose is a mix of white florals that preview a fat sumptuous wine that is as big on texture as it is on flavours. The fruit is whole cluster pressed and fermented in various containers, including concrete eggs, stainless steel barrels and older French oak barrels. Look for rich honeyed pear, pineapple, creamy lees, and vanilla sprinkled with brown spices. Lobster, crab, or roasted chicken work here. Fasten your seat belts.
Mission Hill Terroir Collection Jagged Rock Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc-sémillon 2018, Okanagan Valley $29.99 | 92/100
UPC: 776545991416
From the southern Okanagan’s Jagged Rock Vineyard, this white Meritage is a 60/40 mix of Sauvignon Blanc/semillon, aged in a combination of stainless and French oak. There is exceptional intensity here, with a layer of texture and complexity. On the palate, there is a delightful mix of white fruits, honey, grapefruit, and a touch of Okanagan sagebrush and stony minerality. A superb wine with the ability to improve in bottle through 2021, and perhaps beyond. Seriously well done.
Martin’s Lane Naramata Ranch Vineyard Riesling 2014, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley
$65 | 93/100
UPC: 776545992932
We love the ultra bright and electric style of the Naramata fruit. Juicy, inviting and delicious, it is super fresh but doesn’t threaten to peel the enamel off your teeth. Naramata Ranch sits at the very northern end of the Naramata Bench before it runs up against the mountains on the way to Chute Lake. The site spans several elevations where the soils, or perhaps better said rocks, are a mix of red granite on the surface over granite bedrock with no grass or cover crop.
Cedarcreek Pinot Noir 2017, Okanagan Valley $26.99 | 89/100
UPC: 778913032523
The Cedarcreek estate Pinot is easy drinking, mixing soft round red cherry and strawberry fruit with earthy spicy undercurrents. A mix of sites and clones and flavours, it comes with unexpected complexity — or at least one more expected of reserve offerings. It’s made with uncertified organic fruit that is fermented in stainless steel and concrete before spending 12 months in French barriques. We love its purity and ease of drinking style. Think grilled pork chops, lamb skewers, chorizo pizza or a salmon burger.
Checkmate Artisanal Winery Opening Gambit Merlot 2014, Okanagan Valley $85 | 94/100
UPC: 776545800268
Opening Gambit — 90 per cent Merlot, 10 per cent Petit Verdot — is quickly becoming my favourite Checkmate Merlot thanks to a stunning nose. The fruit is wonderfully aromatic despite its warm Osoyoos East Bench site so neatly tucked up against the U.S. border. The hill is steep (1083 to 1437 feet above sea level) and undulating, pitching the vines over various expositions to the sun that, in the end, delivers a hedonistic red. Iodine, black cherries and blackcurrants spill from the glass, inviting you into the wine. Initially, the wine presents delicious dark, ripe fruits before the tannins begin to set in. Dense long and supple, they suggest time in the bottle is the message here. A very sexy Merlot with impressive texture and it is very food-friendly.