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.

Gehringer Brothers, and a former NHL coach, in today's entry

As we moved across the street from Hester Creek (yes I screwed up the order of Hester Creek and Silver Sage) to Gehringer Brothers, we had a bit of a time crunch, as we had an appointment for a tasting in about a half hour so we didn't have time to lollygag. Yes, I said an APPOINTMENT for a tasting; kind of rare in BC (my first one ever, in fact). More on that tasting in tomorrow's blog.

As we waited to get near the very busy counter at Gehringer Bros to taste their wares, my wife nudged me and pointed out that the man standing next to her was none other than former NHL head coach Marc Crawford! He seemed just like he does on TV; very nice and polite, but quiet and unassuming. I told him I didn't think Dallas should have fired him, to which he replied, "I agree". Well said, sir.

Gehringer Bros features a few wines you don't see much, if at all, in BC, and it's always nice to taste some varietals that are a bit off the beaten path.

2013 Auxerrois ($14.99)

This grape, sometimes called Pinot Auxerrois, features a mellow fruit profile, with just a touch of sweetness to enhance the flavors. 85.







2013 Ehrenfelser ($14.99)

Peaches, apricots and citrus on the nose and palate. Slightly off-dry and very nice. As is the Auxerrois, an excellent buy for the price. 84.







2013 Gewurtzraminer-Schoenberger ($15.99)

The only one of these in BC. Very floral nose, with some lychee and passion fruit and a touch of spice on the palate. 85.







2012 Optimum Pinot Noir ($20.99)

Plums and cherries dominate the nose. Plums continue on the palate in a very full-bodied Pinot, with a touch of pepper on the finish. 86.









2013 Minus 9 Ehrenfelser Ice Wine ($49.99)

Rich and viscous, less acidity than in some other dessert wines. Honey and white fruit dominate the palate. Beautiful. 91.







2013 Cabernet Franc Ice Wine ($49.99)

Cab Franc is rare in an Ice Wine, with concentrated berry flavors rolling over your tongue. Sweet, decadent, and delicious. 89.







Nothing but good stuff here, wish we had enough time to really savor the tasting rather than rush through it, but c'est la vie. Make sure you join me tomorrow when I report on a truly special experience.

Wine tour, part four, up the road to Silver Sage

One of my friend Bob's favorite wineries, and we have never been here and never tasted anything from them; you see this winery isn't part of VQA, which is fine in and of itself. When we got there, we found out WHY they aren't VQA: a lot of their wine doesn't actually qualify as wine! It is infused with berries or other stuff that doesn't qualify for VQA status. OK, that doesn't mean it won't be good, though. Let's see.\

Oh, and the winery itself was gorgeous. So many flowers you could almost be overwhelmed by the floral smell as soon as you arrive.

The staff was excellent, and they provided cheese and pretzels to cleanse our palates as well.

Tasting fee by donation, for as many wines as you like. We tasted all 12 they were offering.


2013 Gewurztraminer ($17.95)

Roses and honey on the nose and tropical fruit on a VERY sweet palate. This was our favorite. 85.

2013 Pinot Blanc ($15.95)

Lots of citrus, lots of apples. Slightly off-dry with a pleasant finish. 83.

2013 Sage Grand Reserve ($26.95)

Here's where it gets.....odd. This is their Gewurztraminer infused with Sage. Yes, sage. It's supposed to be a perfect pairing for turkey, and it just might be. Of course, they didn't have any turkey for us to sample it with, so on it's own, it's just a bit strange. Not bad, though, just very different. 83.

2011 Merlot ($17.95)

Blackberries and plums on the nose and palate. Medium-bodied with a soft finish. Could probably use some more bottle time. 80.

2012 Pinot Noir ($21.95)

Cherries and currents are the word of the day here; just a tiny hint of pepper on the finish. Another one that would only improve with a little time in a cellar. 81.

2013 Sunset ($16.95)

A rose-ise blend of white wine and berries. Very pleasing at first, but after a few sips I found the cranberry and strawberry flavors to be a bit much. Think of strawberry Kool-aid. 80.

Then we get into the Dessert wines which are all (I believe) infused with other fruits.

2009 Merlot (Raspberry/Blackberry) ($24.95)

The raspberry reallly shines through here; not as sweet as you might expect. 79.

2013 The Pearle (Black Currant/Blackberry) ($24.95)

A light port-style wine with intense berry aromas. 76.

2012 Blueberry ($24.95)

Natural blueberry aromas and flavors. 77.

2012 Pinot Blanc (Peach/Apricot) ($24.95)

They said this one would pair well with pancakes. Finally a breakfast wine! :-) It tastes just as you would expect; like peach and apricot juice. 79.

2013 The Flame ($24.95)

OK so you are probably not going to believe me, but this is true; you can't make up s**t like this.

It's a late harvest Gewurtzraminer, with peach/apricot fruit, and a hot pepper. Yes, a hot pepper....IN THE BOTTLE! They actually had two versions; a "hot" version, which we tried, and an "OH MY GOD CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT" version, which we did not.

It's a conversation piece for sure. I was tempted to buy a bottle just to put it on display. So very intriguing, and so very strange. 76.

2012 Raspberry ($24.95)

Just like most of the others, it's very much like drinking berry juice. If you like that sort of thing, this winery may be your Nirvana. 78.

So there you have it; we very much enjoyed our experience at this winery, more than we enjoyed the actual wine itself I think, but we took home a couple bottles anyway. I'm still intrigued about the Sage wine with turkey I must confess....

Wine trip part trois, as usual, I'm up the Creek......

...Hester Creek to be exact. Interestingly, this was the first winery we left without buying anything, but it wasn't an indication of the quality of the wine; but most (if not all) of the stuff we tasted is readily available in our local VQA store, so there was no urgency....and let's face it, there is only so much room in the car!

No tasting fee for up to 5 wines. They were not tasting their big red, The Judge, on our visit.



2013 Trebbiano ($22.95)

Light and fruity with a hint of minerality, tropical fruit and some grapefruit on the palate. BC's only Trebbiano is a good one. 88.






2012 Chardonnay ($24.95)

Butterscotch and a touch of honey on the palate, leading to a lovely caramel and citrus palate. Nice long finish. 86.







2012 Late Harvest Pinot Blanc ($17.95)

Peach and apple notes roll longingly over the tongue. If you are one who likes their dessert wine a bit on the less-sweet side (unlike me!), this is an excellent choice. 86.






2012 Merlot ($18.95)

Cherries and plums dominate on the nose and palate. Silky mouthfeel, tannins are not quite softened yet. Another year or three in the bottle would only improve. 85.








2012 Cabernet Merlot ($18.95)

Blackberries with some blueberry on the nose. Flavors are a bit weak, with some plums and berries, but this could use a little more time to develop. 84.





2011 Reserve Cabernet Franc ($28.95)

Plums and raspberries dominate the nose. Some strawberry and a hint of dill join in on the palate. Drinking well now but would only improve with up to a decade in your cellar. 85.

the Church of great wine is where I choose to pray.....

Shortly after we arrived and started tasting at Church & State, I get a tap on the shoulder, and notice it's my friend Bob and his lovely wife. Neither of us knew the other was going to be there. Freaking small world.

2013 Cuvee Blanc ($19.90)

To paraphrase Seinfeld's George Steinbrenner, "you can put orange Muscat on an old shoe and it would taste pretty good to me".

A blend of 49% Pinot Gris, 20% Riesling, 17% Orange Muscat, 14% Gewurztraminer, this lovely wine features floral notes on the nose, with stone fruits, pineapple and a touch of coconut on the palate. 88.





2013 Viognier ($20.00)

Peaches and apricots on the nose, and they continue through to the palate. Just the tiniest hint of honey joins them. One of my favorite of this varietal. 88.








2012 Chardonnay ($20.00)

More minerality than this varietal often exhibits; some apple, vanilla and a touch of butterscotch on the nose. The flavors are intense and the buttery notes are welcome. It's not as buttery as my favorite BC Chardonnays, but it's lovely nonetheless. 88.







2011 Cabernet Sauvignon ($25.00)

Blackberries and a hint of tobacco on the nose, dark fruits, tobacco and a hint of vanilla on the palate. Good now, could probably age and improve for another 3-4 years. 88.






2010 Coyote Bowl Cabernet Franc ($35.00)

Blackberries and cherries on the nose, a touch of tobacco on the palate. Long, silky mouth-feel. Seems like it is a bit closed still, and will only improve with a few more years of careful cellaring. 87.








2010 Coyote Bowl Merlot ($25.00)

A beautiful example of a top-end BC Merlot at a very reasonable price. Currents and herbs on the nose, with strong flavors of dark fruit and a bit of vanilla on the palate. Will only improve with a few more years of loving attention, but it's already great. 90.






2011 Coyote Bowl Syrah ($35.00)

Black pepper. Pepper. Pepper. Ah-chooooooooo...... if you like pepper, you are going to love the nose on this one (and I do). The pepper continues on the palate and right through to the long, lovely, lingering finish. Terrific. 91.






One of our favorites from this trip; we took home four bottles and they are going to be a treat to enjoy, now or in the future.