Montes 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenere - 89pts

Montes 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenere (Apalta Vineyard) Colchagua Valley - Chile

Availability: BCLDB stores

Cost: $19.90

Alcohol: 14.5%

Date Tasted: January 21st, 2010

Tasting Notes: Loads of fruit concentration in this dark-ruby wine from top Chilean producer Montes. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Carmenere this read-to-drink pleaser has a medium intense nose of toasted oak, cassis and warm spice aromas with mineral notes.

The full-bodied palate offers flavours of concentrated cassis from the Cabernet with underlying spice from the Carmenere. Lovely texture from integrated tannins and good acidity makes this wine very easy to drink solo or match with BBQ'd red meats. Very balanced medium finish. Drink now through 2012. - LC

Sandhill 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah - 90-91pts

Sandhill 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah (Kelowna) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery. VQA Stores

Cost: $29.99

Alcohol: 14.5%

Date Tasted: January 28th, 2010

Tasting Notes: From Kelowna producer Sandhill's small lots program comes this fantastic and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon - Syrah blend (69% and 31% respectively). The intense nose of this inky-ruby coloured wine starts with Cabernet-cassis and finishes with Syrah-spice aromas with notes of smoky-oak . With 20 months of aging in American and French oak, the warm, full-bodied palate offers concentrated flavours of dark berries, vanilla and pepper with a long, balanced finish and excellent mouth feel.

This is a wine that can be enjoyed on its own but would pair nicely with either a savory, slightly sweet steak or with a desert course of peppered dark chocolate. Excellent tannin structure and good acidity will allow this wine to improve over the next two years, peaking in 2012. Enjoy now through 2016.
 - Liam Carrier
http://www.sandhillwines.ca/

Domaine Francois Villard 2005 Grande Grue Glacée - 87-88pts

Domaine Francois Villard 2005 Grand Grue Glacée (Vin De Pays Des Collines Rhodaniennes) Rhone Valley - France

Availability: Limited. Select fine wine shops. Marquis Wine Cellars (Vancouver)

Cost: $22

Alcohol: 13%

Date Tasted: January 26th, 2010

Tasting Notes: The name "Grande Grue Glacée" is a play on words and a bit of a slight to the ruling Rhone Valley AOC that does not allow the inclusion of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon into its "Grand Cru Clacée" wines.

This tasty, inky-viloet wine is full of old-world charm with smokey-oak, leather and dark-berry aromas. The full-bodied palate offers flavours of blackberries, cassis, toasted-oak and a touch of spice with powerful acid and tannins that could use another year or two to mellow. Drink now through 2014. - LC

Cedar Creek Estate Winery 2007 Chardonnay - 87pts

Cedar Creek Estate Winery 2007 Chardonnay (Kelowna) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: BCLDB stores, VQA stores

Cost: $17

Alcohol: 13.8%

Date Tasted: January 9th, 2010

Tasting Notes: I was happily surprised by this tasty Chardonnay from Kelowna producer Cedar Creek Estate Winery. I enjoyed the intense nose which was full of orchard fruits, vanilla and oak aromas. The palate offered good fruit concentration with creamy butter, citrus and melon flavours.

The "Estate Select" series is Cedar Creek's entry-level wines, but there really was nothing low-end about this Chardonnay. It doesn't show the complexity or individuality that a top single-vineyard or reserve Chardonnay can offer when done right but it is a solid wine for the price. Look for the 2008 vintage to be available soon. Drink 2010-2011. - LC

Innocent Bystander 2006 Shiraz-Viognier - 89pts

Innocent Bystander 2006 Shiraz-Viognier (Victoria) Australia

Availability: BCLDB stores

Cost: $23.99

Alcohol: 14%

Date Tasted: January 9th, 2010

Tasting Notes: Select grapes from five Victorian vineyards were used to create this excellent Australian wine. A blend of 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier (whose characteristics primarily show-up in the profile of aromas on the nose), this inky-garnet coloured wine is full of flavour and character.

Aromas of chocolate, dried fruit, dark berries with floral perfume notes on the nose. The palate offers good fruit concentration of mixed berries with medium-plus tannins and medium acidity. The finish is balanced but a bit short for such a fine wine. Drink 2010-2013. - LC

Hendry 2007 Pinot Gris - 87 pts

Hendry 2007 Pinot Gris (Redwood Creek) Napa Valley - CA

Availability: Private wine shops

Cost: $23-27

Alcohol: 13.8%

Date Tasted: January 19th, 2010

Tasting Notes: Light gold with a touch of brass in appearance, this tasty Pinot Gris from Napa Valley producer Hendry delivers elegant floral notes and crisp, refreshing tastes.

Developing aromas of apples, lime zest, slate and delicate, perfumed flowers on the nose. The palate has crisp, clean acidity with flavours matching the nose. A lovely texture and medium-plus finish complete the experience.

This wine may be hard to get a hold of in BC, but seek it out and enjoy side-by-side with a great local Pinot Gris (one of the Province's signature wines) to compare their unique expression of terroir. Serve chilled with shellfish salad and lighter foods or let it warm up a touch to enjoy alone and fully appreciate the lovely nose. Drink 2010-2013.
 - Liam Carrier

Stratus Vineyards 2007 Ice Wine Red - 93pts

Stratus Vineyards 2007 Ice Wine Red (Niagara-on-the-Lake) Ontario

Availability: Direct from winery
Cost: $40.00
Date Tasted: January 1st, 2010

Tasting Notes:  Holy doodle this is good.  If you have been following Icon Wines you will know that I am a fan of Stratus wines in my home town of Niagara Falls.  This offering solidifies that Stratus is a super premium Canadian wine.  If ever in the area I highly recommend this winery.  You will not be disappointed by the ultra-modern tasting room.

The appearance has a strawberry/garnet core.  The nose had amazing strawberry, rhubarb, and concentrated vanilla.  The palate had concentrated strawberry, rhubarb and really good acid.  The finish was very very long.   If you do get your hands on this, when you are tasting it hold in your mouth for a while and see what happens.  You will be pleasantly surprised.
 - Hugh Carter for Icon Wines ©copyright 2010

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2004 Cabernet Franc - 88pts

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2004 Cabernet Franc (Oliver) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery

Cost: $39.00

Alcohol:  14.1%

Date Tasted: January 1st, 2010

Tasting Notes:  An excellent Cabernet Franc with a surprisingly short finish.  The appearance was concentrated ruby almost opaque.  The nose was concentrated and complex with notes of candied fruit, graphite, blueberry and vanilla.  The palate exhibited green pepper, blueberry, and vanilla.  This wine had an amazing nose with a wall of aromas, great concentration and good tannins.

This was a great wine but I think it has reached its peak and maybe getting on the tired side.  If you do have this sitting in your cellar.  I say drink it now.  The nose will keep you at it for a while guaranteed.  HC

Stoneboat Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir - 90 pts

Stoneboat Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir (Oliver) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery 

Cost: $23.90

Alcohol: 14.2%

Tasting Notes: Wow.  A fantastic BC Pinot Noir.  The more I drink the wine of Stoneboat the more I am impressed.  With this offering Stoneboat has broken my top five BC wineries of the past year.  Value, quality, great wine making, and taste are the what make this winery a winner.

The appearance was ruby with a garnet rim.  The nose had light cedar and some woodiness, vegetal and cherry.  The palate had red berries, with spice and cedar.  There are great tannins and acid and this wine is smooth.  The finish was long and silky.  Overall this pinot is balanced, complex, with great body and a fantastic finish.  A great wine. HC

Ravenswood 2006 Vintners Blend Cabernet Sauvignon - 88 pts

Ravenswood 2006 Vintners Blend Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma California) USA

Availability: BCLDB

Cost: $18.99

Alcohol: 13.5%

Tasting Notes: Very Nice California Cabernet Sauvignon.  The appearence was garnet/ruby and concentrated.  The nose had aromas of dark berries, vanilla, pepper, and plum.  The berries continued onto the silky smooth palate with tight tannins and decent acid.  The finish was long with spice.  This is a full bodied wine.


Ravenswood is world renowned and a quality producer.  The Vintners Blend Cab Sauv. is the entry level of a deep roster and does not disappoint.  One surprise was the alcohol level of 13.5%.  Considering the full body and typically high levels in American Cab Sauvs; this was an interesting note.  Great food wine and does well on its own.  HC

Fairview Cellars 2007 Madcap Red - 89pts

Fairview Cellars 2007 Madcap Red (Golden Mile Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery. Private wine shops. The Wine Emporium
Cost: $27-30
Alcohol: 14.6%
Date Tasted: January 17th, 2010. Re-tasted on September 17th, 2010 (updated score)

Tasting Notes: Another fantastic wine from Oliver, BC producer Fairview Cellars. The "Madcap", which is a nickname for the Fairview Cellars' owner/winemaker Bill Eggert, is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Heavy on the Merlot, this blend offers beautiful, sweet and seductive aromas of black berries, black cherries, nibs and licorice with dark chocolate and mocha notes. The palate offers impressive fruit concentration and complexity of flavours with medium tannins and acidity.

Bill's reds are always exquisitely textured on the palate and deliver a long, smooth finish. This wine, although lighter than the flagship Meritage "Bear", is no different. Sealed in a Stelvin cap, it is ready to drink now but will hold for many years due to its excellent structured tannins. Search out this wine and hold on to it to enjoy over the next 5 years. Drink now through 2015.
 - Liam Carrier

Chateau Roquetaillade 2005 La Grange - 88pts

Chateau Roquetaillade 2005 La Grange (Graves) Bordeaux - France

Availability: Widely available. BCLDB stores

Cost: $25.99

Alcohol: 12.5%

Date Tasted: January 1st, 2010

Tasting Notes: This dark garnet coloured wine offers great value for those interested in Bordeaux wines but are intimidated by the price of many of the more famous Chateau. Produced in the outstanding 2005 vintage, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc delivers old-world subtlety with cassis, blueberry aromas and floral notes on the nose.

The medium-plus bodied palate offers developing flavours of cassis, leather, pencil shavings and vanilla with well integrated, medium-plus tannins and medium acidity. A good wine to pair with roasted, savory meats and hearty vegetables. Drink now through 2013. - LC

Root One 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon - 85pts

Root One 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon (Colchagua Valley) Chile

Availability: BCLDB stores

Cost: $14.99

Alcohol: 14%

Date Tasted: January 14th, 2010

Tasting Notes: This Root One wine is unique to North American wine drinkers as it is made from grapes grown on original, un-grafted Cabernet Sauvignon rootstock. This feat is simply not possible in North America where European vines must be grafted on to the roots of native varietals due to their susceptibility to the dreaded phylloxera pest.

Unfortunately, this unique growing condition does not translate into unique aromas or flavours in the wine. The nose of this food friendly wine offers medium intense aromas of stewed meats, cassis, mocha and tomato stalk. The medium-bodied palate lacks fruit concentration and complexity but does offer good texture and a balanced medium finish. Drink now through 2011. - LC

Inniskillin 2007 Pinot Noir - 84pts

Inniskillin 2007 Varietal Series Pinot Noir (Niagara-On-The-Lake) Niagara Peninsula - Ont

Availability: BCLDB stores, LCBO stores

Cost: $17.99 (BC)

Alcohol: 12.5%

Date Tasted: January 2nd, 2010

Tasting Notes: This is a surprisingly muted Pinot Noir from the outstanding Niagara vintage of 2007. Unoaked with malolactic fermentation and ageing in stainless steel, this wine should offer so much more in the intensity of fruit aromas and flavours but fails to deliver. However, it does improve drastically with food where flavours of raspberries, plums and vanilla show on the palate. The nose offers light aromas of red berries, nibs and floral notes. Drink now. - LC

UPC 620654030019

Chateau Des Charmes 2007 Cabernet Franc - 87pts

Chateau Des Charmes 2007 Cabernet Franc (Niagara-On-The-Lake) Niagara Peninsula - Ont

Availability: BCLDB stores, LCBO stores, Direct from winery

Cost: $18.99 (BC) $13.95 (Ont)

Alcohol: 13%

Date Tasted: December 31st, 2009

Tasting Notes: This dark ruby charmer from Niagara producer Chateau Des Charmes makes debut its into the BC market and offers a pleasant alternative for lovers of BC Cabernet Franc. More earthy and mineral than its BC cousins, this Cab Franc offers medium-intense aromas of dark berries, wet stone, forest floor with subtle pungent cheese notes.

The aromas continue on to the medium-plus bodied palate, adding a touch of cooking spice to the flavours. High tannins and medium-plus acidity could allow this wine another year of improving in your cellar but this is not necessary. Drink now through 2012. - LC

Undurraga 2008 Sibaris Carmenere - 86pts

Undurraga 2008 Sibaris Carmenere (D.O. Colchagua Valley) Chile

Availability: BCLDB Stores

Cost: $13.99

Alcohol: 14%

Date Tasted: January 4th, 2010

Tasting Notes: A fun and unpretentious wine from excellent Chilean producer Undurraga Wines. This Carmenere is inky-ruby in colour and full of spicy and cassis aromas and flavours. The high-minus acid makes it a perfect, if nontraditional, pairing for acidic foods like fresh tomato-based pasta sauces.

This wine offers excellent value and is most recommended to those wine lovers who are not as familiar with regional grape varieties like Carmenere. Drink now through 2011. - LC

Blackwood Lane 2005 Merlot - 91pts

Blackwood Lane 2005 Merlot (Langley) Fraser Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery. Select private wine shops

Cost: $35-40

Alcohol: 14%

Date Tasted: January 2nd, 2010

Tasting Notes: At five years of age this excellent and exotic Merlot from Fraser Valley producer Blackwood Lane is peaking now yet shows little sign of slowing down imminently. A lovely aged medium garnet colour in the glass, this Merlot flirts with your senses offering developed aromas of cherries, tobacco, licorice and toasted oak on the nose.

The medium-plus bodied palate offers developed flavours of vanilla, cherries, plum, lipstick, nibs and pencil shavings. The fully integrated and mellowed tannins help create a seductive texture and add to the very long finish that rests confidently in your mouth. If you can get your hands on a bottle do so and sit down for a meal of mesquite flavoured grilled red meat and braised veggies. Drink now. 2010-2013.
 - Liam Carrier

http://www.blackwoodlanewinery.com/

La Frenz Winery 2006 Shiraz - 91+pts

La Frenz Winery 2006 Shiraz (Naramata Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery (sold out)

Cost: $28

Alcohol: 14%

Date Tasted: January 2nd, 2010

Tasting Notes: A wonderful BC Shiraz that despite its Oz-born winemaker (Jeff Martin) and name ('Shiraz' vs 'Syrah') is made in the more subtler Northern Rhone style. Youthful aromas of dark fruits, mocha chocolate and white pepper on the nose of this dark-ruby coloured charmer.

On the palate this wine offers youthful flavours of red berries, white and black pepper with light minerality and earthy notes. Excellent acid and tannin structure will allow this wine to age and improve over the next two years yet it is drinking comfortably now with proper decanting, a year after release. Drink 2010-2014.
 - Liam Carrier

Edge Wines 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - 91+pts

Edge Wines 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) California

Availability: BCLDB stores

Cost: $32.99
Alcohol: 14.4%
Date Tasted: January 1st, 2010

Tasting Notes: An excellent full-flavour and full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon (with a touch of Merlot blended in) from Napa Valley producer Edge Wines. You'll find youthful aromas of raspberry, cassis and plum with toasty oak notes on the nose of this American and French oaked wine (16 months).

On the palate this deep, deep ruby coloured wine offers youthful, intense fruit flavours of dark berries with smooth, fully integrated tannins. Pairs beautifully with beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and braised vegetables. (See New Year's Day Dinner Wine Pairing Challenge)

High acidity and tannins make it an excellent candidate for aging however, the wine is sealed with a synthetic cork which can sometimes affect aging negatively.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2010

Laughing Stock Vineyards 2006 Blind Trust - 90+pts

Laughing Stock Vineyards 2006 Blind Trust (Naramata Bench) Okanagan, BC

Availability: Direct From Winery (sold out). Private wine stores

Cost: $29-33

Alcohol: 14.3%

Tasting Notes: Deep purple appearance. The nose has white pepper, blackberry, graphite, and tobacco. The palate was young with vegetal, mixed berries, pepper and high tannins. The finish was spicy and long. Overall this was a well balanced and well structured blend with strong tannins and good acid. This wine will age well for 3-5yrs.

Laughing stock has a neat concept for their Blind Trust. They do not advertise the varietal blends for the wine, instead you have to find out what it is under the capping. Unfortunately for this particular bottle it was missing so it is a bit of a mystery still. I would surmise that it is heavy Cabernet Sauvignon(65%?) with Merlot(30%?) and Malbec (5%?). HC

K.W.V Cathedral Cellar 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - 88pts

K.W.V. Cathedral Cellars 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Paarl) South Africa

Availability: BCLDB stores

Cost: $19.99

Alcohol: 14.0%

Tasting Notes: A really decent South African Cabernet Sauvignon. The appearance was concentrated purple. The nose had heavy cassis and light smokiness with notes of leather and chocolate. The cassis continued on the palate with notes of nibs. The tannins were medium plus and the finish was medium minus. Generally this cab sauv. is smooth with good fruit concentration and a beautifully complex nose. I would have liked to have a longer finish but the overall this wine was very nice.

South Africa is making some very nice cab sauv. but we see only a few decent ones in the BCLDB. SA is also getting a good reputaion for their bordeaux style blends. I've only seen a few but think I need to dig deeper. I've read a lot about the wine maker Eben Sadie and would really like to try some of his wines as he is getting a reputation as an innovator. Hopefully I come across some. HC

St. Hallett 2007 Shiraz - Grenache Gamekeepers Reserve - 89pts

St. Hallett 2007 Shiraz - Grenache Gamekeepers Reserve (Barossa) South Australia

Availability: BCLDB stores and private wine shops

Cost: $14.95

Alcohol: 14.5%

Tasting Notes: A great value Australian blend. The appearance was deep purple and opaque. The nose offered notes of coffee, raspberry, and black licorice. The palate was jammy and continued with raspberry, tar, and expresso. The finish was long and peppery. Overall this wine was smooth and bold, very fruit forward and very new world. If you like jammy wines this would be for you. Generally well balanced.

- Hugh Carter for Icon Wines ©copyright 2010