WEEKEND WINE PICKS
Cedarcreek Home Block Sparkling Brut N/V, Okanagan Valley
$19 I 87/100
UPC: 778913800528
Cedarcreek has a fizz. It's another charmat method (Prosecco-like style), but this one is made from a native ferment Muscat Ottonel that spent about 60 days on its lees. The nose is aromatic and floral with orange, licorice, and bitter almond notes on the palate. Soft and ready to sip, and I think this will be better with food than serving solo. Not quite the elegance we see from the Italian version of Moscato d'asti, but there is time to get there.
Hillside Heritage Series Pinot Gris 2019, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley $28 I 89/100
UPC: 626990019176
The Heritage Gris is all Naramata fruit grown at Umoya and Davies Vineyards. The nose is floral and full of orchard fruit with orange blossoms and vanilla for support. Winemaker Kathy Malone says the “Vineyard blocks were chosen for tropical characters to complement the spicy, floral oak flavours of the Tokay (Hungarian) wood.” I like the wine and the twist of richness that suggests this would be a fine wine for the dinner table. Think creamy pesto dishes, most vegetarian casseroles, and a B.C. favourite, grilled halibut. Winery direct, private wine shops
Wolf Blass Maker's Project Pinot Three Reserve Project 2018, Adelaide Hills, Australia
$17.99 I 88/100
UPC: 9312088008733
The project range is exploratory, a what's new, or do something different from Wolf Blass's wines. The focus is on wines people like to drink, and that's pretty much what you get with the Makers' Project Pinot Three. The play is Pinot Noir, fermented with a percentage of whole berries and blended with Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier. The result is a mid-weight, pure fruited raspberry and cherry red with just a hint of spice. It was a fun wine we drank with a Margherita pizza. It's bottled under a screwcap and showing a hint of reduction, so splash-decant, or get it into your glass for a few moments before drinking — back up the truck.
Sea Change Malbec 2019, Vin de Pays d'oc, Languedoc, Southern France $19.49 I 87/100
UPC: 5060137516671
Not all wines are created equal. Sea Change is a brand dedicated to sharing its profit to protect the oceans, the Earth's key life support system. The folks at Chateau Canet make this Malbec from the Languedoc region and the tony appellation of Minervois. The style is soft and round, the fruit juicy and spicy with just a light riff of tannin. It's ready to drink and easy to sip, and affordable.
Catena Cabernet Sauvignon High Mountain Vines 2017, Mendoza, Argentina $23.99 I 90/100
UPC: 7794450002570
Pure Cabernet with a cedary nose, spicy plums, cherries and a savoury aftertaste, it is well-balanced with enough tannin to age gracefully for three to five years in bottle. Dependable and affordable, “High Mountain Vines” is a blend of four vineyards picked at a different time to reflect each unique site and story. The mix is 90/7/3/ Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink or hold.