FALL REDS TO REMEMBER
Savour standouts from the past while awaiting the verdict on the 2019 harvest
As the 2019 harvest winds down across the province, many wineries are struggling to get to the finish line.
Rain, rot and freezing temperatures have conspired to turn an excellent summer into a disastrous fall for late-ripening reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The best way to describe the situation is tense, as growers evaluate the probability of their fruit ripening before the leaves fall off the vines or rot sets in; either way, September and October have been tough on B.C. wineries.
Experienced producers have been dropping fruit and spraying for diseases for a while, but it does not make it much fun. Most certainly, volumes will be down across the region. It’s not all bad news: White wines and earlier ripening reds like Pinot Noir are showing exceptional promise. In the end it is farming, and that means just about anything can happen until that fruit is inside the winery.
While we wait for a final verdict on the 2019 harvest, we have decided to share some of our favourite fall reds from a new breed of B.C. labels that are quickly becoming flagship reds. In the face of an expensive, smoke-shortened California red crop (2017), just coming to market this fall, now may be the time to stock up on local offerings released in 2015 and 2016.
I can’t say enough about the quality of the 2016 vintage, and while 2015 was abnormally warm, some labels profited from the kind of heat we seldom experience in B.C. Here’s a personal top-10 list that will serve you and or your cellar well over the next five to 10 years.
Prices are winery direct unless the wine is sold in B.C. Liquor stores.
In alphabetical order they are: Blue Mountain Reserve 2016 Pinot Noir, $39.90. A consistent performer in an understated manner, it is “B.C.” Pinot Noir you can drink at release or hold for two to five years.
C.C. Jentsch 2016 Syrah, $31.90. Look for a bit of black pepper, licorice, plums and leather; you can drink it now with rich dishes or cellar a decade.
Checkmate Artisanal Winery 2015 Silent Bishop Merlot, $85. Silent Bishop is made with cooler western bench fruit in the south Okanagan under Mount Kobau. Merlot for doubters.
The Hatch 2016 Dynasty Red, $46.99. Dark, dense and ultraripe plummy flavours dusted with Syrah’s cracked black pepper, pipe tobacco fragrance from Malbec and roundness from the Merlot.
Hester Creek 2016 Garland, $55.99. Unheralded, yet, this may be the best wine they make at Hester Creek. Sleek, dry and age-worthy with stylish black fruit and polished tannins.
Lastella 2016 Fortissimo,$29.99. A riot of black and red fruits, the latter adding a juicy aspect to a classy red that finishes dry with nutty, umami note — Merlot, Sangiovese, Sab Sauv and Franc.
Meyer Family Vineyards 2017 Pinot Noir Micro Cuvee, $60. Winemaker Chris Carson’s take of his best barrels loaded with Bing cherries, plums and a hint of stony minerality and sweet tannins.
Moon Curser 2017 Touriga Nacional, $39.99. One of a handful of platinum award winners at the 2019 Winealign National Wine Awards of Canada, and should age effortlessly through 2027.
Painted Rock 2016 Malbec, $44.99. A blockbuster Skaha Malbec that is awash in black fruit and spice. Big, boisterous and ready to go, we suggest a leg of lamb or another decade in the cellar.
Phantom Creek Estates 2016 Cuvee No 21 Phantom Creek Vineyard, $100. Phantom Creek picked a great year to release a blend containing all the red grapes it grows. It is collector worthy.