It's been far too long since I've posted about wine - because I've been busy wine touring!

At the beginning of summer, in June, I actually got my business license from the city of Kelowna. July was a fairly quiet month. 

And then August exploded. 

I was busy from the beginning of August right until the middle of October. I had initially thought that I would be happy if I had one tour a week - it turned out that I sometimes had three in a week - way more than I thought!

Every single tour has been enjoyable and, even when I was pretty busy, it did not feel like a job at all. Because I'm driving the clients' vehicles, the groups are always small and private - and I look forward to getting to know the clients. 

My WSET 3 knowledge has been indispensable but it has also helped that I have done a lot of research and reading about the local area -Valleys of Wine: A Taste of British Columbia's Wine History(Luke Whittall) has been an indispensable resource.

But now that the tour season is winding down, it's time to look at some of the wines that I tasted with my friend, Keith, over the summer. 

Two Whites

First were two whites - even though it is fall, white wine is still the go-to wine when you have chicken, fish, and other lighter meals - which I still like in fall. Both happened to be from the big boy in the Okanagan, Mission Hill.

First up is the Mission Hill 2019 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc ($22 BC Liqour). This was a bright and refreshing wine which was fairly enjoyable to drink. Here's the tasting notes:

Appearance: Clear, lemon, pale

Nose: Medium intensity, clean, aromas of grapefruit, peach, apple, apricot and honey.

Palate: Flavours of grapefruit, lemons, underripe peach and underripe apple. A dry wine with high acidity, medium alcohol, medium minus body, medium plus intensity of flavours, and a medium finish. 

Evaluation: This was a good, crisp wine that would be good with a variety of lighter meals such as chicken, fish, and soft cheeses. It had OK balance, OK length, strong intensity and was not overly complex. This was rated as a Good wine. Drink now. 

Just a reminder - overal ratings are based on balance, length, intensity and complexity. A wine can be Unacceptable, Acceptable, Good, Very Good, or Outstanding depending on how the wine performs in the four different aspects. 

Next is the Mission Hill 2018 Reserve Chardonnay ($22 BC Liquor).  This wine was fermented mostly in oak (75% with 11% being new) and the remainder in a concrete egg or in stainless steel. 

Appearance: Clear, medium, lemon

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of peach, apricot, vanilla, butter, popcorn, lemon and apple. 

Appearance: Dry with medium alcohol, medium plus acidity, medium minus body, medium plus intensity of flavour, and a medium finish. There were mostly similar tastes as the aromas with lemon, peach, apricot, vanilla, apple, toast, butter, and pineapple. 

Evaluation: This was a balanced wine with acceptable length, strong intensity, and very good complexity,. Overall, this is a Very Good wine that is good with food or on its own. Drink now.

Two Rosés

Patio pounding and Thanksgiving turkey may be just a memory but rosé is good to drink year round - especially with turkey, duck, chicken, and charcuterie. It's also nice to sip on those days when you wonder when Covid will end. 

The first one we tried was the 2019 Narrative Rosé ($16 BC Liquor). This was a crisp and refreshing wine that would be good with a variety of foods.

Appearance: Clear, medium, salmon

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of lemon, lime, grapefruit, roses, pear, raspberry, cranberry, watermelon, and, possibly, asparagus.

Palate: This dry wine had high acidity, no tannins, medium alcohol, light body, medium plus flavour intensity, and a medium finish. Not as many flavours were apparent as on the nose - just grapefruit, lime, watermelon, and sour cherry. 

Evaluation: This wine was not overly balanced, had OK length and complexity, but had very good intensity of flavours. This is a rosé that would be at home with some food (rather than on its own). This wine is rated Good. Drink now. 

The other rosé was supposed got be from Hester Creek. They make some really nice wines (their Syrah Viognier is excellent) so I was eager to try the 2019 Cab Franc Rosé. Unfortunately, since we've done the tasting, it has sold out. That's a real shame because it was a lovely wine - think charcuterie and cheese - and was a good price at $22. 

So what can I share instead? This is one I've already reviewed - the 2019 Leyda Rosé from Chile ($15 BC Liquor). I saw this recently in a wine column and it was on sale for $12 at the time - a killer deal. I suggested to my friend that we taste this one. It seemed rather familiar but we went ahead. Today, while reviewing my blog, I realized that we already tasted this in April or May - but I thought I'd revisit it.

Appearance: Clear, medium, salmon.  (same as in April)

Nose: Clean, medium intensity, cranberry, strawberry, cherry, raspberry jam, violets. (I also got gooseberry and lavender in April). 

Palate: Dry with medium acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity, and a medium finish. (pretty close to April). Tastes of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, grapefruit, watermelon, lemon, and strawberry lemonade. (I got candied fruits and pepper as well in April but not nearly as many fruits).

Evaluation: The balance was OK - a bit acidic - while the length was good and both intensity and complexity were excellent. Similar to April, I rated this as Very Good. A food wine to drink now. At even the regular price, I would stock up on this wine. 

It was interesting to compare my notes on the same wine but six months apart. They were definitely not identical but similar. 

Two Reds

Ah, fall. The beginning of the red wine drinking season. With comfort food and roasted meats being featured this time of year, red wines come to the fore. 

The first in one we tried in April, a 2016San Fabiano CalcinaiaBoschino Organic ($20 BC Liquor). This is a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, and Colorino and is a wine to consider for food - maybe.

Appearance: Clear, deep, ruby,

Nose: Clean, medium intensity, aromas of red cherry, red plum, blackberry, tomato leaf, leather, cedar, barnyard, meaty, and pepper.

Palate: A dry wine with high acidity, medium tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus intensity but only a medium minus finish. Flavours included cherry, plum, blackberry, leather, cedar, smoke, peppery and meaty. 

Evaluation: This was fine. It's a food wine. It had OK balance and length but was fairly complex and had some really good intensity of flavours. Overall, I gave it a rating of Good. 

The last wine is a Cru wine from Beaujolais. Beaujolais red is always Gamay Noir, There are generic Beaujolais wines, better wines that are Beaujolais Village wines, and named villages which are Cru wines. 

This wine is from the village of Brouilly and is a 2018 Pierrieux Brouilly ($22 BC Liquor). I was very excited about this wine when I bought it but ended up being a little disappointed.

Appearance: Clear, ruby, medium

Nose: Clean, medium plus intensity, aromas of red plum, raspberry, red cherry, cranberry, bubble gum, lavender, cherry jam, and leather.

Palate: This dry wine had medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, a medium finish and a medium plus intensity of flavours. There were tastes of red cherry, plum, raspberry, toast, cedar, leather, tomato leaf and an earthiness. 

Evaluation: The balance and length were just OK. This was an intense wine and complex so I would rate it as Good. This would be a good food wine. I think I am still looking to find a Cru Beaujolais that I really like.

And that's it. Now, I'm mostly caught up! Time to study Spanish, drink and taste wine, and think about next year's wine touring season...

Cheers!