We are thrilled with a recent article that appeared on the website of internationally acclaimed wine writer Jancis Robinson at jancisrobinson.com. The article is a summary of a trip taken by Richard Hemming, MW late last summer. Along with comments about his impression of the BC wine industry in general, Hemming also posted his tasting notes for many of the wines that he tasted during his visit. We are pleased to note that our wines were among those that scored the highest points during his trip.
He particularly enjoyed the wines that occupy the top echelon of our portfolio – the Estate Reserve Red and Estate Reserve White.
Hemming had the opportunity to taste two vintages of the Estate Reserve Red – 2012 and 2013, both of which impressed him enough to give them the same score – 17.5. This puts both of these vintages among the top-scoring BC wines in this article. Hemming commented that the 2013 was “exciting and utterly delicious”. Hemming noted that the 2012 vintage had “a canny balance of fruit power with lovely savoury olive character to finish” among other wonderful comments.
On the Estate Reserve White, Hemming commented that it was “really attractive – subtle yet complete, with lovely grapefruit bitterness to finish”. He gave it a score of 17/20.
The full article can be viewed by clicking here. The full reviews of our wines from the article appear below.
Whites
Growers Series Pinot Blanc 2016 Similkameen Valley
TA 7.1 g/l, RS 5.7 g/l.
Pear juice, peach and green apple – plenty of fruit for this often neutral variety. Attractive bitter-almond note on the finish. Lovely restraint on the finish without any lack of flavour, and lovely fluffy grain to the mouthfeel. Great persistence too. (RH) 12.2%
Drink 2017-2019
17
TA 8.3 g/l, RS 1.9 g/l. 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Smillon. Fermented and aged in barrel (55% wood, 45% steel).
Graphite, smoke, lemon curd. Waxy texture on the palate, but the overall impression is quite light. Tight palate with plenty of core fruit – and apparently, it can mature for many years. (RH) 13%
Drink 2017-2020
16.5
Capella 2014 British Columbia
TA 6.6 g/l, RS 1.8 g/l. 88% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Smillon.
Waxy, intense lemon fruit with some crystallised ginger. Plenty of body and weight on the palate – yet finishes with nimble delicacy and well-integrated acid. (RH) 12.5%
Drink 2016-2020
16.5
Estate Reserve 2015 Similkameen Valley
TA 6.98 g/l, RS 2.5 g/l. 96% Sauvignon Blanc, 4% Smillon.
More oak influence than on their Capella cuvée, and lovely creamy richness to the palate. Honeycomb and caramel notes on the finish. Really attractive – subtle yet complete, with lovely grapefruit bitterness to finish. (RH) 13.3%
Drink 2017-2022
17
Reds
Estate Reserve 2013 Similkameen Valley
TA 6.6 g/l, RS 2.1 g/l. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec. Aged for 17 months in French oak barrels.
Tremendous purity – absolutely ripe blackcurrants with a touch of red fruit too, and a lovely violet scent. Leather and liquorice notes – this is very Bordelais, but without the austerity. The tannin is very supple and yielding. Great pencil lead and smoke persistence. Exciting and utterly delicious. (RH) 13.2%
Drink 2018-2033
17.5
Estate Reserve 2012 Similkameen Valley
TA 7.1 g/l, RS 2.3 g/l. 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc. Aged 17 months in 100% French oak barrels.
More black fruit than the 2013, but with great balance of flavour giving spice and dark chocolate on the length. Great core fruit without over-extraction – this has a canny balance of fruit power with lovely savoury olive character to finish. (RH) 13.2%
Drink 2018-2032
17.5
Signature 2013 Similkameen Valley
51% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec.
Perhaps less fruit definition than their Estate Reserve, and a bit more tannin on the palate. This is a young and slightly raw wine at present, and should improve with a few years of maturation. Even so, the perfume is already promising and bodes well for the future. (RH) 13.8%
Drink 2019-2029
17++
Signature 2008 British Columbia
Includes a small percentage of Okanagan fruit – hence not labelled Similkameen.
Deep garnet colour. Beetroot, earth, black cherry and violet. Still quite grippy tannin on the palate and loads of aromatic perfume with tobacco smoke and spice giving lovely long persistence. (RH) 14.5%
Drink 2013-2028
17.5