Okanagan Trip, Part X, a terrific lunch and tasting at Burrowing Owl!

In the last few years, this winery has transformed for us from a "we'll go there if we have time" to a "must do" every trip to this area. I'd recommend everyone go and have a tasting there; if not for the great wine, do it for their conservation efforts: All of the money raised on tasting fees goes directly to the Burrowing Owls Conservation Society of BC.

How could you say "no" to this face??

Here is a link to their website which goes into further detail on their relationship with these fantastic creatures.

As if that wasn't enough to get you up to this winery, their restaurant, The Sonora Room, is always a great place to eat. Great food, great wine (and very reasonable prices on back vintages), and a great view. You can't go wrong there, and we had a fantastic lunch during this trip.

We tasted a total of six wines on this day, but three of them had been tasted and reviewed before, so I'll bring you the remaining three here:

Burrowing Owl 2015 Chardonnay ($30.00)

Aromas include hazelnut, melon, peach and lemon. Light notes of oak and minerals. The palate is nutty and herbaceous, with hints of oak lingering among the bright flavors of lemon zest and stone fruit. Pair this with halibut or basically any dish where butter is key. Delicious.

Burrowing Owl 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon ($50.00)

Man, the 2014 season produced some stellar Cabernet Sauvignon from the Okanagan and this one is no exception. Blueberry, blackberry, cassis, sage and cigar box on the nose. The palate gets almost overwhelmed by baking spice, vanilla, oak, espresso, baked plum, cherry and caramel flavors. Looking forward to seeing what this becomes in a few years when the flavors totally marry. It is already a winner.

Burrowing Owl 2014 Meritage ($50.00)

31% Merlot, 21.4% Cabernet Franc, 21.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.7% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot

Complex aromas of cold cuts, tobacco, earth, vanilla and mocha. The palate is rich, round and juicy and features orange zest, blueberry, tobacco, violets and crushed black pepper. Tremendous structure, showing potential for long-term aging.

Next up: Just down the road is a winery known as much for their artisanal bread as they are for the wine, Platinum Bench!!