Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Try This, Cellar That - Tinhorn Cabernet Franc


Long a signature variety for the Golden Bench winery, Tinhorn produces three Cabernet Franc wines, one a rosé, but for the purpose of this comparison, we'll focus on the two reds. We're going against convention with the reserve-tier wine suggested as the "drink now" bottle, but since Tinhorn have done the work for you by keeping the Oldfield Series Franc back an extra year and treating the wine to added time in oak where the tannins matured, the choice is made easier.

Try This...

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2013 Oldfield Series Cabernet Franc - $30
An uber smooth and elegant Cabernet Franc with the classic, dried flowers and brambly fruit you've come to expect from a BC Cabernet Franc but presented with the refinement and texture of a high-end Cabernet Sauvignon. Notes of pipe tobacco, light cola, wild berry, plum and a medley of corned beef characters: cloves, juniper berries, allspice and black pepper, grace the comforting nose and the mellow, smoky-tannin palate. As with all of the Oldfield Series wines, this Cabernet Franc has been released when it is ready to be enjoyed but will also feel at home in your cellar for another 2-3 years.
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Cellar That...

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Franc - $24
A brooding Cabernet Franc from the excellent 2014 vintage, full of dark berry fruit, intense earthy-herbs and meaty-metallic aromas and flavours but not without a few feminine touches like candied fruit, mocha and floral notes on the otherwise masculine nose and palate. Well structured with dusty tannins and fleshy, berry acidity. Length is moderate, but well balanced. Enjoy now or over the next 3-4 years with some further development likely.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2017 IconWines.ca

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Try This, Cellar That - OK Falls Chardonnay

BC Chardonnay come in a variety of different styles; from lean and mean, to big and buttery, and everything in between. The best are vehicles for their terroir and find the sweet spot on the winemaking decision spectrums which measure vineyard management and vinification manipulation. Here are two options who managed the feat admirable, both from the same vintage and geographical area: Okanagan Falls/ Skaha Bench, in the Southern Okanagan. One for now, one for later.

Try This...
Liquidity Wines 2015 Chardonnay - $26
An elegant Chardonnay, nice and tidy with nothing out of place. Avoids the pitfalls of tasting forced with regards to winemaking decisions like so many others do. Subtle oak and partial malolactic fermentation notes frame the characteristics of the estate-sourced fruit nicely; medium intense, pear, peach and papaya fruits, light herbs and macadamia nut aromas and flavours with crisp, citrus acidity. Drink now-2020.
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Cellar That...

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2015 Chardonnay - $35
As complex as it is ever-evolving, multifaceted, production recipe with aromas and flavours of honeydew, pear, tangerine, lemon/lime, vanilla, stonefruit, spice and brioche. Pure, refined and elegant with a harmonious balance of its core elements: fruit, acid and texture. An effortless intensity which will help the wine hold for many years and develop further over time as the intensity is slowly dialled back to reveal layers of dried and candied fruit aromas and flavours. Drink 2017-2022+
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