this Bench is made of Platinum in today's Okanagan tour entry

So we're on our way to Burrowing Owl, and we notice some flags on the side of the road.

"Platinum Bench Winery"

Hmm. Never heard of them.

"Tasting Room Open"

Damn, we are running out of time, have to catch them next time.

"Local Cheeses"

I do love cheese with wine, but still....we are in a bit of a hurry.

"Fresh Baked Artisan Breads"

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACH

You had me at Artisan.

So here we are, at a winery I've never even heard of, enjoying some freaking fantastic artisan breads, and tasting some darn good wine.

2013 Pinot Gris ($19.90)

Green apples, some minerality on the nose and palate. Long, fruity finish. Quite nice. 86.









2013 Gamay Noir ($19.90)

Some pepper and currants on the nose, with cherries and raspberry on the palate. Not my grape, but this isn't too bad. 83.






2012 Syrah ($30ish)

Berries, white pepper on the nose, with vanilla and some dark chocolate on the palate. Will only improve with some bottle time, and it's lovely now. 86.

2011 Meritage ($29.99 if I recall)

Lovely aromas of berries and a hint of vanilla on the nose and palate. Drinking very well now. 90.

2011 Merlot ($24.99)

Black Cherries, currants, plums on the nose and palate. Oak gives it some vanilla notes as well. Very nice. 88.

Excellent service, great bread and cheese, and terrific wine. What's not to like?

Well, one thing.....their website is absolutely atrocious. Spelling mistakes abound (Gammay, Merot), and the wine link is years old. It's awful. It's a small winery, I get that, but get that website updated to the level that your wines deserve!!

Part XI, Quinta Ferreira up next

Just up the road to Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery, another one I was pretty familiar with from other tastings of previous vintages. They boast to make Canadian wine with a Portuguese twist.

Been a BIG fan of their Rosé in the past (particularly the 2009 vintage), but although there was no rosé to taste today, there was no shortage of options: FIFTEEN wines were tasted (including three from their entry-level SQUEEZED line), with no tasting fee. Another winery that delivered top-notch customer service.

2011 Mistura Branca ($19.90)

50% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Muscat Ottonel and 30% Gewürztraminer. Perfume and roses on the nose, with tropical fruit, apple, and vanilla on the palate. 86.

2011 Sauvignon Blanc ($19.90)

Tropical fruit and peaches dominate the nose, giving way to apple and some melon on the palate. Crisp on the finish. 84.

2011 Unoaked Chardonnay ($19.90)

Clean and crisp, with strong apple notes on the nose and palate, where it's joined by melon and a hint of lemon and pear. 84.

2011 Oaked Chardonnay ($19.90)

This multiple award winner was barrel fermented and aged in French and American oak. Notes of apple, pear and peach mingle with the butterscotch that the oak brings. Coconut and caramel on the palate as well. Delightful. 86.






2011 Viognier ($19.90)

Tropical fruits, peach, coconut and a touch of vanilla on the nose and the palate. Pineapple all over the palate as well. Delicately balanced with a finish that is both smooth and spicy. Brilliant. 90.

2011 Squeezed White ($17.90)

Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. Tropical fruits and apple on the nose, joined by a touch of melon and pear on the finish. A nice reasonably priced white blend to pair with chicken or fish. 84.






2011 Squeezed Pink ($17.90) 

Strawberries and blackberries on the nose, with some raspberry and rhubarb thrown in for good measure. Nice, but a far cry from QF's excellent rosés of the past. 84.






2010 Squeezed Red ($19.90)

Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc. Fruit forward and approachable, with black cherry, raspberry jam and a touch of vanilla. 83.








2009 Merlot ($24.90)

Rich in colour and aroma. Vanilla and black cherry dominate, with just a touch of cinnamon lurking in the background. Plums and blackberries take over on the palate. Nice now and would only improve with a few years of cellar love. 89.

2009 Merlot Cabernet ($24.90)

Vanilla, black cherry and just a bit of clove on the nose, following through on the palate and being joined by just a touch of chocolate. Another one that will only get better. 86.

2008 Obra-Prime ($34.90)

Hello, Mr. Bordeaux blend, where have you been all my life? Black cherries, pepper, mocha and cherry all mingle on the nose and palate. Vanilla on the long, spicy finish. Ready now but a few more years will truly make it a winner. 91.

(they also feature a RESEVE version of this, and several of their other wines, for $50. Although we didn't get to taste it, we bought one and I will report on it once we drink it).

2009 Alagria ($29.90)

The five Bordeaux blends again, with some Zinfandel thrown in for good measure. The Zin adds what you might expect Zin to add; a touch of sweetness and some jammy notes. Black cherry and raspberry on the nose and palate, with some dark fruit and black pepper on the long, luscious finish. 90.

2010 Syrah ($29.90)

Some violets intertwine with the black pepper and black cherry on the nose. Spicy and toasty notes with some coffee and hazelnut on the palate. Drinkable now but I would suggest giving this one some more bottle time to let it fully develop. 85.






2010 Cabernet Franc ($29.90)

Black cherry and blackberries on the nose, with some chocolate and vanilla entering the picture on the palate. Just the tiniest hint of cedar. Long, beautiful finish. A top notch Cab Franc. 88.

2009 Porta D'Ouro ($25.00)

This port-style dessert wine features black cherries and cinnamon up front, with some blackberry and cherries on the palate. 82.

Another terrific tasting experience, not a bad wine in the bunch and excellent service. Highly recommended!!

Wine Trip, Part Dix, oooh la la

We walked into the tasting room at Le Vieux Pin and were immediately greeted warmly by our host, Alex, who also happens to run their wine clubs; two different levels of wine club, one of which we will be joining shortly. If you would like to read about the clubs, go here.

We've long been a fan of their wine, especially their higher-end products; we currently own a bottle of their 2007 Merlot Reserve, aging gracefully in our cellar undoubtedly, and we've previously enjoyed their Equinox Syrah from previous vintages as well. Those both sell in the $75 range so they aren't exactly "everyday" reds, but they are sure worth the money.

On to their current portfolio!

2012 Sauvignon Blanc ($35.00)

Tropical fruit and grass on the nose. Excellent compexity and balance. If you are a fan of this varietal, this is about as good as it gets in BC. 87.







2013 Vaïla Rosé ($25.00)

100% Pinot Noir and if you like your rosé bone dry, this is for you. Rhubarb and grapefruit dominate the nose and palate. 84.







2012 Ava ($35.00)

61% Viognier, 21% Roussanne and 18% Marsanne. Floral and apricot aromas with a light minerality. Subtle and delightful with a long, beautiful finish. Would be the perfect pairing for some brie cheese and a nice patio. 88.






2012 Syrah "Cuvée Violette" ($29.00)

Putting your nose into this glass is like shoving roses and violets right up your nostrils. Just watch the thorns! Soft, supple and quite unlike most Syrahs. Raspberry and blackberry flavors wash across the taste buds. Drinking well now, but a few years of careful cellaring would likely pay off handsomely. 88.





2011 Syrah ($45.00)

From a very cool vintage (by Okanagan standards), the 2011 Syrah has notes of berries, white pepper, and kalamata olives. Cherry and blackberry on the palate. Medium bodied and very ripe; this one will really improve with age. I'm excited to see what this becomes in 4-5 years. 85.





2010 Syrah ($50.00)

This is what it's all about; a winery that knows how to treat it's guests. It's great to allow them to taste all your current releases, but go back into the library and give them a taste of something older; in this case, only one year older, but oh my, what a difference a year makes.

2010 brought record rain and exceptionally cool temperatures, but that didn't negatively affect this beauty. Pepper, herbs, tobacco, spice, leather.....I could go on and on. It's a treasure to drink now, and a few more years in the bottle will only enhance. This is a keeper. 91.


2012 Equinoxe Chardonnay ($60.00)

Citrus and apples on the nose. Ten months in French oak has added a touch of buttery notes to the finish without going overboard. Light and fruity. Although it lacks the big butter that I gravitate to in a Chardonnay, the artistry here is undeniable. Another great wine that will only get better as it is allowed to sit and mature. 88.




After a terrific tasting, we bought a bottle of the Ava and the '10 Syrah, and as we were getting ready to leave, Alex called us back for a special treat; he popped open a bottle of this baby that I don't think has even been released yet:

2011 Equinoxe Syrah ($75 I believe, maybe $80)

Unmistakable notes of violet and pepper on the nose. Very complex and well balanced, this is what a Syrah should taste like, and it's still SO young! The fruit just explodes in your mouth. I cannot imagine how good this will be in 5-7 years, but I'm going to make sure I find out. 93.


We were obviously very blown away by that last tasting that we left the shop without the wine we had already paid for! Quelle stupide!

Even worse, we didn't notice until we were home the next day and pulled out all our purchases. I sent them an Email, and Alex responded immediately with a solution; they have an office in Vancouver, and he could arrange to have my wine waiting for me. It just so happens I have a friend who lives about 3 blocks away, so I arranged for her to pick it up for me, and about 3 days later I had my wine. Excellent customer service, excellent wine, excellent winery. One of our favorites.

Thanks again to Alex for taking excellent care of us on our first visit to the winery. It won't be our last.

Epic Trip continues at Stoneboat Vineyards

Not sure why you would want a boat made of stone....but I'm no sailor, what the Hell do I know....

$4 tasting fee, refunded with purchase.



Piano Brut, N/V ($24.90)

A blend of Pinot Blanc and Müller Thurgau (c'mon, you've heard of it, right?) brings citrus to the nose and nectarine and pear to the palate. Light and refreshing. 83.







2012 Pinot Gris ($18.90)

Lovely hints of orange and grapefruit on the nose. Citrus and minerality on the palate, with a crisp acidity. 85.







2011 Pinot Noir ($24.90)

Red fruits, violets and earth mingle on your nose. Cassis and plums on the palate, featuring silky tannins and long finish. 86.







2011 Duet ($23.90)

An intriguing combination of Pinot Noir and Pinotage (close to 50/50) combines the earthiness of their Pinot Noir with a fruit burst from the Pinotage. Berries and a touch of vanilla on the palate. 87.

We picked up one of these, and enjoyed it over dinner last night. Just as good as it was at the winery!




2011 Pinotage ($24.90)

Pinotage is a hybrid grape of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. Mocha and berries on the nose and black cherries with a hint of vanilla on the palate. 86.






2011 Verglas Ice Wine ($54.90)

Honey and citrus on the nose and palate, joined by some orange and caramel. Just a hint of raisins as well. 87.







2012 Pinotage Ice Wine ($74.90)

Not unlike the regular Pinotage (except sweeter...duh). Bright fruit flavors, notes of honey and raisins. 87.







All in all, a very successful tasting. Our clerk was very friendly, and the wines were all excellent. We'll be back!

Tinhorn Creek and Miradoro Restaurant in part VIII

As we get to Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek for dinner, we notice one thing we hadn't expected: it's so windy we have to walk like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in order to not get blown over. We are hoping to sit outside so we can enjoy the view, and we are lucky to get the last table on the side of the restaurant that is somewhat sheltered from the wind. This is the view we were hoping to enjoy:

So yeah, it's worth a little bit of wind.

For our wine choice, we decide to splurge, and go deep, deep, deep into their library for this little gem:

2004 Oldfield's Collection Syrah. Their first vintage of Syrah, only 40 cases produced. One very disappointing thing about this wine: we had their last bottle. We will never, ever, get to enjoy this again, and enjoy it we did.

It started like a lot of Syrah; berries and pepper on the nose and palate. The decade in the bottle smoothed it out beautifully and added some meaty, chewy characteristics. It was a truly sublime bottle of wine, the best Syrah I have ever tasted. 95.

Our entire dinner was fantastic, and the service was out of this world. We literally had FOUR servers taking turns making sure our wine and water glasses were always full and we had everything we needed.

I cannot recommend Miradoro highly enough; it has become a "must-do" for every visit to this area.

We returned to Tinhorn Creek the next morning to taste their wines; the tasting room was closed by the time we arrived for dinner the previous evening.

On a related note, I'm confused by the hours of a lot of the tasting rooms. There is one (Nk'mip if I recall) that is open 9-5. Who the heck is tasting wine at 9 AM?? Why not have them open 11-7 or 12-8? Seems like there would be a lot more wine tasting business at 7 PM than 9-10 AM. Anyway, I digress.

No tasting fee at Tinhorn's tasting room. One characteristic of most Tinhorn wines is that they are already aged for you; they hold them longer than a lot of wineries. For example, their reserve Merlot is from 2010.



2012 Chardonnay ($18.99)

Lightly oaked (just two months), it lacks the big buttery flavors I am really drawn to in a BC Chardonnay, but it's fruity, smooth, and very nice. A bit more pineapple than you often see in a Chardonnay. I am all for pineapple. 88.





2013 Gewurtztraminer ($16.99)

Beautiful floral nose, with pineapple and lychee as well. Slightly off-dry. Pineapple, spice and a touch of grapefruit on the palate. 87.









2013 Oldfield Series 2 Bench Rosé ($22.99)

100% Cabernet Franc. Bone dry with notes of strawberry and rhubarb on the nose and they continue through to the palate, where they are nicely joined by some raspberry. 85.







2010 Oldfield Series Merlot ($29.99)

Big berry notes on the nose, with a hint of coffee and chocolate. Tannins are big and chewy; drinking nicely now but will certainly improve greatly with a few more years in the bottle. Food friendly; would pair well with big red meats or stew. 85.






2011 Merlot ($19.99)

Interesting comparison to it's big brother above; less complex and less aging potential, but I actually preferred this one right now. Also less dependent on food; drinking nicely right out of the bottle. 86.








2010 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red ($29.99)

45% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot. Plums, mint and berries on the nose and palate. Full-bodied and already drinking well; I can only imagine how good it will be in 5 years. Big, bold, and an excellent value at this price point. 90.





As always, Tinhorn delivers high quality wine and excellent bang for your buck. I'd say the Oldfield Series is underpriced by $5-$10 compared to what you get from a lot of other BC wineries. Nobody tell Sandra I said that :-)

Wine Tour Part Seven, Cassini Cellars

Down the block to Cassini Cellars, another winery that we have tasted many times, but of course not these particular vintages. Anticipating some good stuff, let's see if we were right.....


2012 Sauvignon Blanc ($19.00)

Aromas of pear and passionfruit, with tropical fruit and citrus on the palate. Lovely finish of citrus and residual acid. 85.







2012 Reserve Chardonnay ($25.00)

Tropical fruit and a bit of apple on the nose. The palate is greeted with a hint of vanilla, spice and butterscotch. Very nice now but would only improve with a few years in the cellar. 87.







2012 Viognier Roussanne Marsanne ($25.00)

Done in the Rhone style, this appealing wine brings notes of tropical fruit. Very dry and high acidity. 85.







2013 Mamma Mia! ($19.00)

Last year's version of this wine was Pinot Gris; this year, it's a blend of that grape with Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Orange Muscat. Fruit salad in a glass: peaches, pears, pineapple. Lovely. 89.






2010 Syrah ($29.00)

Your nose will be treated to blackberries, pepper and a touch of licorice. Full bodied with medium to firm tannins. Could do with some more time in the bottle to really hit it's full potential, but it's already excellent. 90.






2011 Cabernet Franc ($29.00)

Black currant, raspberry and a hint of spice on the nose. Blackberries and a touch of chocolate on the palate, with a very long finish. Another one that will certainly improve with some careful cellaring. 86.






Much to our delight, no disappointments here; everything was top-notch as usual!

A truly delightful Okanagan wine tasting experience!

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, we were in a hurry to get to our scheduled tasting at a winery I had virtually never heard of: Culmina (pronounced CUL-min-a, not Cul-MEE-na) Family Estate Winery. This wasn't on our radar when originally planning our trip, but after I had sent out a tweet to a few wineries that we planned on visiting, Black Hills responded that we HAD to also check out Culmina; so I pulled their website up and made an appointment.

Owned by Don Triggs (yes, THAT Triggs) and family, Culmina came to be a few years ago when Don "tried to retire" but wasn't all that successful at retirement. On a side note, I can GUARANTEE I will be successful when I try to retire....I'm just sayin'.

We pulled up to the gate, which was closed; we needed to buzz them to let us in (which we knew in advance). We arrived at their beautiful tasting room to find their wines already poured, just waiting for us. We were warmly greeted by our hostess Trish, who immediately made us feel like family. It was a private tasting, scheduled for 45 minutes, which I thought was going to be too much time given that we were actually only tasting four wines; boy was I wrong.

Trish, who I have decided is my new winery crush (if there is anything sexier than a beautiful young woman who seriously knows her s**t when it comes to wine, I don't know what it is), started by explaining their vision for the winery, and how they plan to go about achieving perfection in their wines. Now, if you know anything about wine you've heard the word "terroir" and probably understand a little bit about what it means; but Trish went into far more detail than simply explaining the terroir of the area. From the shadows created by the mountains to the type of grass planted between the vines, and everything in between, absolutely no detail, no matter how minute, was overlooked. I'm not a winemaker and I don't know much about horticulture, but it's tough to imagine they missed anything.

They currently have five wines in their portfolio, but their Chardonnay was so close to being sold out that we were not going to be able to taste it. The fee for this private tasting was a whopping $10. I actually told Trish they should charge more for this (but to wait until we left to raise the price of course).

So up to this point, we were very impressed, but it was time to taste the wine; ultimately, if the wine isn't any good, the rest of it wouldn't be much but smoke and mirrors. Sorry I didn't include the prices below, I forgot to make note of them; there was nothing out of the ordinary, though.

2013 Unicus

This is a first; the Okanagan's only (to this point) wine made from Gruner Veltliner, Austria's most famous grape. I had never tasted this varietal until a few weeks ago in Vegas, so it was interesting to compare.

This one begins with strong flinty notes, with a floral touch on the nose. Beautiful mid-palate gives way to light minerality with stone fruits and a light citrus finish. Absolutely lovely. 90.




2013 Decora

Not unlike the Unicus, minerality abounds on the nose as this varietal often does. The palate gives way to some peach and a hint of citrus. There is some minerality on the finish, but not as overpowering as this varietal often shows. This is about as good as a BC Riesling gets. 90.





2013 Saignée

This rosé features aromas of orange peel and strawberries. A blend of Merlot (51%), Cabernet Franc (33%), Cabernet Sauvignon (16%). Intense berry flavors, but bone dry, and I mean BONE dry. If you are a fan of dry rosés this may really knock your socks off. 85.






The suggested food pairing for the one above features one that caught my eye: "Portuguese-style suckling pig grilled and charred fava bean salad". Damn, I had that three times last week......

2011 Hypothesis

40% Cab Franc, 36% Merlot, 24% Cab Sauv, 100% delicious. The nose knows, and it knows that the beautiful floral, mint and dark fruit aromas are a sign of what's to come. Tannins are velvety, with notes of toasted oak, dark chocolate, and black currant. Finish is long and luscious. I would imagine this would only improve with 3-5 more years of careful cellaring. 92.




After we finished the tasting, I looked down at my watch to see we had been there well over an hour. We asked a lot of questions and got a lot of interesting information. A very special tasting, and perhaps a preview of the kind of experience we are going to get at some of the better wineries we will be visiting on our Napa Valley trip in September.

We picked up a bottle of all of the whites, including the Chardonnay that we didn't get to taste; the other whites were so good, we just assumed this one would be good too. We opened it up last night, and we were correct.



2011 Dilemma

Full bodied, elegant; some minerality mixing in with the fruit and spice on the nose. Oaked for 12 months in mostly new French barrels, the palate will not be overwhelmed with oak but the buttery, caramel flavors are there if you let them develop on your palate. Beautiful, long finish. 88.




This was our very favorite tasting of the trip, with the exception of Black Hills (which featured a tasting, a brunch, and a party). Trish did everything she could to make us feel at home, and make us feel valued. She succeeded, and Culmina is lucky to have her represent their brand. And it's a pretty damn good brand to represent.

This should be a "must do" for any of you who are planning to visit Oliver/Osoyoos.