Township 7 Vineyards and Winery 2008 Viognier - 84pts

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery 2008 Viognier(Penticton) Okanagan Valley - BC Wine

Availability: Direct from winery
Cost: $19.99

Alcohol: 13.5%

Date Tasted: October 17th, 2009

Tasting Notes: This dry Viognier from Naramata Bench producer Township 7 offers aromas of honey-dew and lemon on the nose. The pale-gold-straw wine displays flavours of citrus, minerals and tropical fruit with moderate acidity and finish on the palate. Drink now. - LC

http://www.township7.com/index.php

Township 7 Vineyards and Winery 2006 Merlot - 87pts

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery 2006 Merlot (Penticton) Okanagan Valley - BC Wine

Availability: Direct from winery, BCLDB stores

Cost: $24.99

Alcohol: 13.9%

Date Tasted: October 17th, 2009

Tasting Notes: Naramata producer Township 7 Vineyards & Winery have produced a Merlot that is both a cheerful, fruit-forward charmer and a structured, smokey sex-kitten. Aromas of dark fruit, plums and baking spice followed by flavours of black cherry, smoke, cigar box and dark chocolate on the palate.

Visit the firm at two BC locations: Naramata and Langley. While visiting the winery, treat yourself to a bar of "Salt & Pepper" dark chocolate to match with this Merlot. The pairing makes for a fantastic desert. Drink 2009-2012. - LC

http://www.township7.com/index.php

Blackwood Lane 2005 Chardonnay - 88pts

Blackwood Lane 2005 Chardonnay (Southern Okanagan) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Direct from winery

Cost: $19.00

Alcohol: 13.9%

Date Tasted: October 17th, 2009

Tasting Notes: Blackwood Lane will only make a couple of wines each vintage: their fabulous Bordeaux blends "Alliance" and their flagship "Reference". To produce their other wines they use whatever grapes they can secure that meet their very high standards. As the quality of the source grapes and availability changes each year they are not able to offer the same flight of wines each year. Such is the case for their 2005 Chardonnay which has yet to see another vintage.

The 2005 Chardonnay is a butter-bomb tour-de-force. On the nose you get an intense bouquet of butter and oak with some orchard fruit notes and minerality. On the palate this gold-straw hued wine offers more oak and butter flavours with good acidity and pear, apple and slate notes.

Pair with butternut squash and ricotta ravioli with pesto sauce (add a bit of the Chardonnay to the sauce, yum). This wine is peaking now and should be enjoyed within a year. - LC

Wild Goose Vineyards 2006 Merlot - 87pts

Wild Goose Vineyards 2006 Merlot (Okanagan Falls) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: VQA Stores and direct from winery

Cost: $17.99 (The Wine Emporium)

Alcohol: 14.5%

Date Tasted: October 17th, 2009

Tasting Notes: A smooth-talking, fruit-forward Merlot from Okanagan Falls producer Wild Goose Vineyards. The firm is perhaps best known for excellent white single-varietal and blends, but this Merlot proves they are very capable at making reds as well.

This wine has typical Merlot aromas of plum and cassis aromas with flavours of dark-berries, chocolate and plums with medium acidity. Where this wine excels, especially at the under-$20 price point, is with its impressively smooth tannins that speaks to its refinement and quality. Drink 2009-2011. - LC

SKU: 497305
http://www.wildgoosewinery.com/

Peller Estates Private Reserve 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - 85pts

Peller Estates Private Reserve 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (Southern Okanagan) Okanagan Valley - BC

Availability: Widely available at private and BCLDB stores

Cost: $19.99 (BC Liquor Stores)

Alcohol: 13.4%

Date Tasted: October 9th, 2009

Tasting Notes: This wine requires 3 hours+ of decanting to open-up. Once it has decanted, the nose becomes quite lovely and complex. With 2+ years already in the bottle the aromas are developing nicely with scents of licorice, dark fruits, pencil shavings and a hint of leather. The palate offers good tannins and acidity which have preserved the flavours of cassis, bitter chocolate, graphite and dark berries nicely.

Look for the 2006 vintage to be marked-down at some BC Liquor Stores to the bargain price of $13.99 to make way for the 2007 vintage which was release earlier this year. Drink now. - LC