What's in Your Cellar, Glenn?

Photo courtesy of Black Hills Estate Winery

Glenn Fawcett
Black Hills Estate Winery
President
blackhillswinery.com

When Glenn Fawcett became the president of Black Hills Estate Winery in 2006 he began a program to upgrade the equipment and slowly expand the portfolio of wines which now includes a second label called Cellar Hand. He believes in the quality of the wines of British Columbia and this is reflected in his cellar selections which includes 11 vintages of the winery's flagship wine Nota Bene and other local blends and Syrah. His general advice on building a collection is to "Save what you love!" Good advice to follow considering you will likely end-up drinking it all as private wine sales between collectors is still illegal in BC.

Q - What are your favourite wines to cellar/collect?
Typically Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Bordeaux Style blends

Q - What are your favourite wine regions to cellar/collect?
Black Sage Road, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, Russian River, Santa Lucia Highlands, Rioja, Bordeaux and Tuscany.

Q - What is the purpose of your wine cellar/collection?
If we go on a wine tour or wine buying trip, we often buy bottles that we want to save for a special occasion to share with friends. Having a cellar allows you to save those wines for those special moments

Q - Is there a jewel of note or a favourite wine in your collection?
Tensley Syrah. (From Santa Barbara California)

Q - Any particular duds or disappointments of note?
As a general rule I have found that Merlot has not aged that well for us

Q - What inspired you to hold onto that first bottle or case beyond when it was ready to drink?
The passionate recommendation of a Winemaker, who told me it would only get better with age

Q - Was there a particular bottle or region of wine that was the impetus of starting your collection?
Sandhill Phantom Creek Syrah.

Q - What causes you to actually pull the trigger on a special bottle from your cellar?
The realization that we have a group of friends together that have not been together for a long time

Q - What have you learned about wine from starting your collection?
How much we love wine!

Q - Would perusing your wine cellar offer any insight into you as a person?
How incredibly passionate we are about Canadian Wine from a variety of producers.
Q - What advice would you share to anyone wanting to start a collection of wine?
Do as much research as possible to determine the age ability of the wine.

 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

Monthly Picks: August 2012

With an updated list of Summer Sippers posted here we devote this month's wine picks to light and medium bodied red wines to enjoy in the fading evening sun of summer.

M. Chapoutier 2010 Les Vignes de Bila-Haut - $15
Not the effortlessly balanced wine of its 2009, yet, the wine remains ever an easy-drinking, feminine, fruit-forward, soft-tannin blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan that boasts of the hot, Mediterranean coastal region terroir from where it originated.
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Hillebrand Winery 2010 Trius Cabernet Franc - $15
Not overly complex, but tasty and satisfying with good concentration and moderately intense tannins. The finish is long and balanced with lingering clove spice and a touch of minerality.
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Stag's Hollow Winery 2011 Syrah Rosé - $19
The cheerfully sublime nose of this rosé from Okanagan Falls producer Stag's Hollow offers strawberry, rose petal and light rhubarb notes with the comforting aromas of Peek Freans' Fruit Cream cookies. How can you resist that?
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SynchroMesh Wines 2011 Pinot Noir Rosé - $20
Ever-so-slightly off-dry on the rhubarb and strawberry infused palate adding texture and body - but not a girlie, sweet rosé and certainly far from being a push-over. This is a well-made, refined rosé worth attentive exploration.
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Haywire Winery 2010 Pinot Noir - $27
This Pinot from Summerland's Haywire Winery uses fruit sourced from Oliver which was endowed with a healthy dose of natural acidity and plenty of raspberry, cranberry and cherry-cola characters on the gorgeous nose and watery palate.
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Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2008 Oldfield Series Pinot Noir - $30
This is an excellent Pinot Noir with a classic BC combination of earthy notes with red fruit and plum characters that emphasizes drinkability and food pairing.
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12 Summer Sippers for 2012

Aromatic white wines, both single varietals and blends, make for excellent sunny-deck-socializing and picnic pairing. Ideally, to beat the heat and compliment the long evenings we get up north in August, you'll want a wine that has the ratio of sugar-to-acid balanced to favour a touch of sugar to keep you energized and just the right amount of acid to keep your mouth refreshed and ready for more.

The following 12 wines, arranged by price-point, manage the balance of sugar-to-acid well and qualify as a Summer Sipper. Enjoy.

Mezzacorona 2011 Pinot Grigio - $10

To be sure, there is nothing complex or terribly unique about this wine but is it a good drink with some decent typicity for the variety that will make for a happy addition to any sunny deck. Yes. Clean, crisp and loaded with citrus fruit zest and light mineral notes- well worth the ten $ it will cost to open.

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Graham Beck Wines 2010 The Game Reserve Sauvignon Blanc - $10

Clean, crisp and focused, this South African Sauvignon Blanc has a lot going for it with good varietal expression of lemon/lime and kiwi fruit with typical grassy notes wrapped within a tart, mouth watering embrace of green apple acidity.

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Intrigue Wines 2011 "11" - $15

At $15 bucks a pop this wine may be the best valued Summer Sipper for 2012 from BC. An effortless blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat Canelli that delivers good fruit expression and mouth-watering acidity without ever feeling "hot" despite its light bodied structure.

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Chateau Des Charmes 2010 St. David's Bench Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc - $15
The acid is high and a tad sharp, but when paired with a hot deck and fresh oysters, you'll be thankful it's there. The moderate finish lingers with cool minerality and tart, green apple flavours and just a hint of spice.
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Cellar Hand 2011 Free Run White - $16
An easy-going, well-priced blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Light bodied with a good amount of acidity, but nothing that will tire-out your palate - only leave it refreshed for more. Perfect pair for summer salads.

Oyster Bay Wines 2010 Sauvignon Blanc - $17
Classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with loads of gooseberry, green apple, sweet grass and lemon drop aromas and flavours without pungent cat's pee notes. Dry, with a touch of residual sugar to offset the mouth watering acid.
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Fairview Cellars 2011 Sauvignon Blanc - $20
The driest selection of the bunch, this Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and citrus-y is a perfect match for oysters and hot decks.
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Young and Wyse Collection 2011 Amber - $20
A lively and cheerful blend of 43% Viognier, 37% Pinot Gris and 20% Gewurztraminer with apple crumble, papaya and sweet citrus aromas on the pleasant nose. The crisp palate follows with intense green apple acidity, lemon/lime flavours and cool minerality.
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Summerhill Pyramid Winery 2010 Riesling - $20
This is an ultra-low alcohol, off-dry example of the Germanic variety with a concentrated, vibrant nose of apples, nectarines, flowers and steel aromas. The sweet and tangy palate follows with intense apricot, gooseberry and fruit cup flavours with green apple tartness.
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La Frenz Winery 2011 Sauvignon Blanc - $22
Year-in, year-out the La Frenz Sauvignon Blanc is a top medal contender in every competition it enters. The 2011 release may be the winery's best yet with a rich offering of citrus and tropical fruit flavours and aromas. The balance of residual sugar-to-rich fruit-to-crisp acidity is nearly perfect and makes for a lovely, mouth-watering mouth feel.
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Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2011 Oldfield Series 2Bench White - $23
Both opulent, with rich orchard fruit by the bushel, and light with delicate, aromatic notes'a'plenty. Melon, grapefruit and minerals round out the flavour profile with a touch of lingering spice on the long finish. Just delicious!
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JoieFarm 2011 A Noble Blend - $24
For the second year in a row the blend for the JoieFarm flagship wine remains a Riesling-Gewurztraminer leading concoction of exotic fruit characters and well-balanced, refreshing acidity.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca