Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2019 Meritage - 92pts

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2019 Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from the winery here
Cost: $53 + taxes
Alcohol: 14%
Date Tasted: May 28th, 2023
@BurrowingOwlBC

Tasting Notes: The assemblage of Burrowing Owl's hand-harvested and barrel-aged 2019 Meritage is consistent with the 2018 with just a little more Cab Franc and a little less Merlot and Petit Verdot. The final blend is made up of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec all sourced from the winery's Oliver and Osoyoos vineyards. 

True to its lineage, this vintage of the winery's flagship wine is powerfully feminine with excellent intensity on the bold, black fruit and mint-scented nose and on the smooth, yet, mouth-watering, dark fruit and spice-infused palate. Approachable in its youth, enjoy with nicely salted, leaner cuts of beef or with your best dark chocolate for an after-dinner treat. Drink 2023-2027.

- Liam Carrier ©copyright 2023 IconWines.ca

Gold Hill Winery 2016 Grand Vin - 89pts

Gold Hill Winery 2016 Grand Vin (Golden Mile Slope) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here
Cost: $65 + taxes
Alcohol: 14.4%
Date Tasted: October 6th, 2022

Tasting Notes: Marketed as the winery's 'flagship wine', the Grand Vin is meant to represent Gold Hill's highest achievement in winemaking but sometimes the individual parts shine brighter than the whole and that is the case with this Meritage blend when compared to some of their single-varietal bottlings of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. 

Overall, there's lots to like from the layers of red and dark berry fruit on the nose and palate to the lovely, smokey notes that show throughout. Palate sweetness is mostly balanced by the plentiful, wild berry acidity and the dusty, fine tannins, but not entirely. Lacking complexity and longevity for the price point, this wine has already peaked and should be consumed by 2023. Drink now.

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2022 IconWines.ca

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2018 Meritage - 90-91pts

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2018 Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from the winery here
Cost: $50 + taxes
Alcohol: 14.5%
Date Tasted: March 4th, 2022
@BurrowingOwlBC

Tasting Notes: Burrowing Owl's 2018 Meritage is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec sourced from the winery's Oliver and Osoyoos vineyards. Hand-harvested and barrel aged for 15 months prior to the assemblage whereupon the wine is then aged a further 3 and a half months in oak before bottling. The resulting wine is big, yet, supremely approachable, with a rounded nose and palate offering bold, red and dark fruit characters, supported by savoury, spicy notes of wild herbs, dried earth, anise and toasty, aromatic wood.

A pretty and elegant wine to open now or to put away for a rainy day within the next 3-4 years. Enjoy with nicely salted, leaner cuts of beef or with your best dark chocolate for an after-dinner treat. Drink 2022-2026.

- Liam Carrier ©copyright 2022 IconWines.ca

Gold Hill Winery 2014 Grand Vin - 90pts

Gold Hill Winery 2014 Grand Vin (Golden Mile Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here
Cost: $64.99 + taxes
Alcohol: 15.9%
Date Tasted: November 3rd, 2020

Tasting Notes: An intense, mature, Meritage blend featuring fully integrated, black and blue fruits, pretty aromatics and smooth, savoury notes. There is impressive, long-lived, lively acid on the lightly tannic palate which offers similar flavours as the nose. At already 6 years old and sealed with a synthetic cork, this wine won't likely develop further and should be enjoyed over the next 12-18 months. Drink now-2021.

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2020 IconWines.ca

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2014 Meritage - 91+pts

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2014 Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from the winery here
Cost: $50 + taxes
Alcohol: 14.9%
Date Tasted: September 21st, 2018
@BurrowingOwlBC

Tasting Notes: A ripe and extracted blend of five Bordeaux varieties, each vinified separately and aged in barrel for 18 months prior to forming an assemblage of 31% Merlot, 21.4% Cabernet Franc, 21.4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10.7% Malbec and 10% Petit Verdot; each contributing their unique characteristics to the wine from mid-palate, juicy berry fruit, to seductive aromatics and flavours and to peppery spice on the finish.

A beautifully layered and complex, full-bodied Meritage that wears its cloak of oak like haute couture. Accessible in its youth with plenty of upside after a few more years in bottle. Drink 2018-2024.

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2018 IconWines.ca

Stag's Hollow Winery 2015 Renaissance Meritage - 91-92pts

Stag's Hollow Winery 2015 Renaissance Meritage (Okanagan Falls) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from the winery here
Cost: $43.50
Alcohol: 14.4%
Date Tasted: February 16th, 2018

Tasting Notes: A youthful, feminine Meritage blend of 76% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc all sourced from the Okanagan Falls winery's home vineyard. The nose is delightfully fruity and sultry with ripe, red and black berry aromas supported by sweet and savoury licorice, vanilla, oak and a plethora of spice notes. 

The dry, medium-plus bodied palate is bursting with sweet, blackberry and red cherry fruit, dusty, fine tannins and a medley of oaky-spicy flavours and subtle notes of smoky chocolate and herbs through to the long finish. Ready to go now with a long decant, but at this price it would be best to wait until the wine begins to peak in another two years. Drink 2020-2026.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2018 IconWines.ca

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2014 Meritage - 89pts

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2014 Meritage - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and VQA stores
Cost: $23.99
Alcohol: 13.3%
Date Tasted: December 20th, 2016

Tasting Notes: A true "BC Blend" with grapes sourced from Southern Okanagan, Similkameen and Lillooet vineyards combining ripe, berry and cassis fruit with smoky, sage and clove characters to form a food-friendly, masculine Meritage with medium-plus body, mannered tannins and cool-berry acidity. Ready to go now. Drink now-2019.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2016 IconWines.ca

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2013 Meritage - 90pts

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2013 Meritage (Lillooet) Fraser Canyon - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and VQA stores
Cost: $22.99
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 1246 cases
Date Tasted: November 28th, 2015

Tasting Notes: A blend of Bordeaux grapes sourced from the winery's home vintage in Lillooet and from the Sundial vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The 2013 is made up of 
60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, creating a masculine Meritage with classic red berry and dark fruit aromas and flavours plus intriguing notes of smoky, cured meats, coffee beans and charred oak. Dusty tannins and wild berry acidity frame the palate nicely. The finish is long with lingering spice, minerals and a touch of orange peel. Ready to be enjoyed now with a spicy, Korean BBQ dishes. Drink 2015-2017.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2012 Meritage - 92+pts

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2012 Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from the winery here
Cost: $45
Alcohol: 14.5%
Date Tasted: November 25th, 2015
@BurrowingOwlBC

Tasting Notes: The style of the 2012 edition of Burrowing Owl's flagship wine is a product of the hot growing conditions of the season. It's a warm, inviting, aromatic blend following a Right-Bank recipe of 43% Cabernet Franc, 28% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Petit Verdot. Layered and complex, but innately accessible with ripeness in the red and dark fruit aromas on the sensual nose and in similar flavours on the dry, full-bodied palate. Licorice, vanilla, dried-herbs, saddle leather and toasted oak notes add depth while fine tannins and well-balanced, berry acidity add structure.

Ready to go now after 18 months in oak and a year in the bottle prior to release, though, this beauty is built for the cellar and should age gracefully for another 4-5 years with further development likely. Drink now-2020+. (Sweet spot: 2018)

 Drink now-2022.

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca

TIME Estate Winery 2012 Meritage Red - 89pts

TIME Estate Winery 2012 Meritage Red (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Select VQA and BCLDB stores
Cost: $29.99
Alcohol: 13.7%
Production: 400 cases
Date Tasted: May 4th, 2015
@TimeWinery

Tasting Notes: Has a little more bite than its vineyard and vintage cousin, the Cabernet Sauvignon-driven McWatters Collection Meritage, with more tannins and acidity creating an engaging mouth feel to ground the juicy, berry-infused palate. The Time Estate version is a Right Bank inspired blend of 60% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc with intense, blue-fruit purée aromas supported by dry herbs, mocha and warm oak notes. Still an early-to-mid-range drinker to enjoy while your other blends incubate. Drink now-2018.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca

McWatters Collection 2012 Meritage - 88pts

McWatters Collection 2012 Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Select VQA and BCLDB stores
Cost: $24.99
Alcohol: 13.5%
Date Tasted: May 2nd, 2015
@McWattersWine

Tasting Notes: A drink-now, fruity, New World Meritage which emphasizes its sweet smelling and palate pleasing blue and red fruit aromas and flavours and offers unmistakable Black Sage Bench terroir notes; dry herbs and fresh sage.

French oak notes and soft tannins structure the easy-going, juicy palate and make this blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc a Meritage to enjoy while you wait for your meatier, age-worth wines to develop in your cellar. Drink now-2016.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2012 Meritage - 90pts

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2012 Meritage (Lillooet) Fraser Canyon - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and VQA stores
Cost: $29
Alcohol: 14%
Production: 844 cases
Date Tasted: December 17th, 2014

Tasting Notes: Once again for 2012, the Fort Berens Meritage is a blend of fruit from the winery's home vintage in Lillooet and from the famed Sundial vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The components follow a Right-bank recipe of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, delivering a masculine wine with firm, blue fruit and underlying layers of savoury notes like toasted oak, cured meat and coffee grinds. Field berry acidity keeps the palate fresh and mouth watering with a touch of citrus peel on the long finish that is otherwise dominated by Christmas cake spices. Drink mid-2014-2017.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2014 IconWines.ca

Gold Hill Winery 2012 Family Reserve Meritage - 90pts

Gold Hill Winery 2012 Family Reserve Meritage (Golden Mile Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here
Cost: $34.90
Alcohol: 14.3%
Date Tasted: September 20th, 2014

Tasting Notes: A nice entry into the popular 'big-blend' category for the Golden Mile-based winery from the Southern Okanagan. A sweetly scented, feminine nose billows from the glass with engaging, blackberry, cassis, raspberry seeds, pine needles, sweet pipe tobacco, vanilla-mocha and French oak aromas. The blend is 33% Merlot and equal parts Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented to a nearly dry level where just a kiss of residual sugar lingers and helps enhance the fullness of the palate where the focus is on robust, dark fruit flavours with light savoury notes playing 2nd fiddle. Tannins are ripe and supportive but could use a little more bite. Enjoy now and over the next 3-4 years. Pair with BBQ'd sticky ribs. Drink now-2017.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright Icon Wines 2014

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2011 Meritage - 90-91pts

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2011 Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from the winery here
Cost: $45
Alcohol: 14.5%
Date Tasted: September 17th, 2014
@BurrowingOwlBC

Tasting Notes: A dense, masculine blend of Bordeaux varieties that opens with a complex nose of cool blackberry, wild red currant, menthol, black cherry, coffee grinds, cardamom and baking spice aromas. The medium-plus bodied palate is loaded with brooding, dark fruit and toasted oak flavours, with light, savoury notes adding depth. Fine tannins, though a tad green, structure the palate nicely, adding texture and length. Finishes dry and dusty with smoky spice lingering for a good long while. Would benefit from another year in the bottle to round-out the broodiness on the palate. Drink mid-2015-2019.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2014 IconWines.ca

Church and State Wines 2009 Coyote Bowl Series Meritage - 91pts

Church and State Wines 2009 Coyote Bowl Series Meritage (Black Sage Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here 
Cost: $34.90
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 975 cases
Date Tasted: April 13th, 2014

Tasting Notes: Another excellent Bordeaux-inspired blend from the Southern Okanagan's hot 2009 vintage. Church and State's Meritage follows the Left Bank recipe of a Cabernet Sauvignon-leading blend with Merlot and Cabernet Franc adding backbone and approachable fruit to the otherwise, smoke-infused nose and palate where French-oak influence is prominent and appealing.

At 5 years of age, the dusty tannins are beginning to mellow and round, yet, the acid and dark fruit core remains youthful and vibrant. Will easily hold for another 5-6 years with proper cellaring, though, its peak will come sooner. Drink 2016-2020.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2014 IconWines.ca

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2011 Meritage - 89-90pts

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2011 Meritage (Lillooet) Fraser Canyon - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and VQA stores
Cost: $28
Alcohol: 13.4%
Production: 743 cases
Date Tasted: October 15th, 2013

Tasting Notes: For 2011, Fort Berens' Meritage starts a new chapter for the Lillooet-based winery with the inclusion of estate grown fruit for the first time. Grapes from both the Fraser Canyon home vineyard and from the famed Sundial vineyard along the Black Sage Bench were sourced for this year's blend of 47% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Cabernet Franc which delivers warm, mixed-berry, plum, crushed violet and mineral aromas enveloped by complimentary oak and light spice notes. (nailed it!)

The dry palate is alive with wild berry acidity and flavours. Fine, forgiving tannins frame the fruit nicely and linger through to the spicy, long and well-balanced finish. 6 more months in the bottle will do wonders for this wine, but I don't anticipate a lengthy cellar life due to the youthful Lillooet vines and synthetic cork enclosure. Enjoy this blend as you're waiting for other wines to mature. Drink mid-2014-2016.
- Liam Carrier ©copyright 2013 IconWines.ca

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2010 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red - 90pts

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2010 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red (Golden Mile Bench) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and private wine shops
Cost: $29.99
Alcohol: 14.3%
Date Tasted: October 11th, 2013

Tasting Notes: Signature sweet tobacco and dark blackberry aromas are complimented nicely by ample toasted oak and spicy vanilla notes on the nose of this consistently excellent Meritage blend from Oliver's Tinhorn Creek Vineyards. The 2010 blend consists of 41% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot aged for 18 months in French oak creating a complex and smoky textured palate endowed with blue fruit, light mineral and toasted oak flavours supported by fine tannins and well balanced acidity.

Thanks to an extra year of aging in the bottle, this tasty blend is ready to go now and will hold for many years. Drink now-2018.
  - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2013 IconWines.ca

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2010 Meritage - 90pts

Fort Berens Estate Winery 2010 Meritage (Lillooet) Fraser Canyon - BC

Availability: Direct from winery here and VQA stores
Cost: $26.99
Alcohol: 14.5%
Production: 475 cases
Date Tasted: November 1st, 2012

Tasting Notes: What do you do when nature takes away heat units throughout a cool 2010 Summer and Fall? Well, for starters, you don't try and make the same wine you made the previous year when Summer heat waves sent brix levels soaring and delivered ripe, ripe tannins. You try and make the best wine you can with what nature provided and focus on the unique qualities of the vintage. For 2010, that was a longer than normal harvest period with mild Fall conditions allowing berries to hang on the vine into November, in some parts, contributing complex, savoury aromas and flavours like clove, pepper, apple seed and steely minerality. This blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc has plenty of classic dark berry and plum characters to compliment the austere elements making the 2010 Meritage is an intriguing contrast to the winery's ripe 2009 edition, and, equally impressive. Drink 2012-2016.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery 2006 Terroir Cache - 89pts

Hidden Bench Vineyards and Winery 2006 Terroir Cache (Beamsville Bench) Niagara Peninsula - Ontario

Availability: Sold Out. Visit winery for library release info here
Cost: $35-40 est
Alcohol: 13.1%
Date Tasted: August 28th, 2012

Tasting Notes: From the cellar. This Meritage blend from Hidden Bench has gained some international press being entered into the likes of the Decanter World Wine Awards and fairing well. An assemblage of 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon with a gorgeous bouquet of cassis framed by light earth and cinnamon notes followed by a muted and slightly sharp-edged palate with mellowed tannins and flavours of dark fruits and oak.

Though the nose is still enchanting, sadly, this wine has peaked and already begun its inevitable decline losing some cohesion on the palate. Drink now.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca