During my first ever live wine blogging session yesterday (whites and sparklings) I was completely overwhelmed by the speed of the barrage of information, the incredible level of noise in the room and of course the fact that the wifi was not cooperating with the iPad I borrowed from J for the duration of the Wine Bloggers Conference. I resorted to simply tweeting about the wines instead. Today I’m a bit more prepared and I’m hoping that I don’t have any further technical issues.
Today’s live wine blogging session is featuring the red wines of British Columbia and l am looking forward to some diversity!
***Please be aware that all my notes below are simply my shorthand that I quickly typed while listening to the winery representatives and while tasting the wines – all done within a five minute presentation per wine. I did not edit anything in these notes, showing purely what came up with iPad autocorrect (such a silly, frustrating thing) as well as just a flow of thoughts. I have added in (after the fact) a few bottle shots that I took during the event.***
black sage 2010 merlot, black sage vineyard, 1989 purchased by Harry mcwatters. 3-5 punch downs daily through fermentation. Malolactic fermentation, barrel aged. Cherry, plum, tobacco, cedar, sage, cocoa. 1000 cases produced. They hang onto the wines to allow aging prior to release. Recommended cellaring another 5-7 years.
Upper bench winery 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon. Gavin and shana miller purchased the winery and opened the winery and creamery. Deep purple color, with fascia tinge. 141 cases at $35/bottle. Cassis and plum nose on palate, spice, medium plus acidity, full tannins, rich flavours. Grippy tannins. Offer the curds & corks club, pairing wine and cheese. Gavin makes his wine in the vineyard.
Perseus 2010 tempus Syrah, blended with 3.5% viognier which deepend the color. Dark fruit, spice, rich flavours, cherry, blueberry. Grapes sourced from black sage bench. Winery located just on the fringes of downtown penticton, vineyards in assorted locations, just over 100 acres.
D’angelo estate winery 2007 sette coppa. All five Bordeaux varietals, all estate grown. Sal has been producing wines for 30 years, in Naramata for the past twelve. Wine name means seven measures in Italian. Red fruit nose, med plus acidity, med plus tannins, cherry, rasp, plum, spice, cedar. Oak in thirds for French Hungarian and American. Have five b and b suites on site. 1500 case production.
2009 Zinfandel from mt boucherie winery, west kelowna on the slopes of mt boucherie. Largest privately owned vineyards in bc, over 300 acres. Zin done in the primitivo style, more restrained than California. Cropping at 1-2 tons per acre. Berries, spice, med minus body, med ruby with pale rim.
summerhill pyramid winery 2006 Cabernet franc. Old vines 1-2.5 tons per acre. Plum and spice nose with a hint of graphite. Eric loves cab franc. This wine will last another ten to fifteen years. 100% organic. Dry, med acidity, med ruby. No sign of age on color. Cherry, plum, spice, savoury. $29.95, pulled from library. Little bit of funk on the nose, in a good way.
lisa and Gina from hillside winery 2009 Cabernet franc. Lots of fruit extraction. Combination of Naramata and oliver fruit, from Stoneboat. Kathy Malone is the winemaker. Embracing the fruit style 14 months in older oak. Cherry, minerality, lavender, spice.
Mcwatters collection 2009 meritage. 24 cab sauv 32 merlot remainder cab franc. Vineyard planted in 1994 on black sage bench. Annual production of 500 cases. Showcased in top stores and restaurants. “Wine is food.” Darren mcwatters presenting. Dark fruit, spice, med plus acidity and tannins. Needs food right now. Nice grippy tannins, well balanced. Pair with grilled meats.
2010 portfolio from laughing stock vineyards. Cynthia and David enns, owners. Most known for this wine. One third of their production. Gravity feed winery, built into the hillside. Cab sauv, merlot, cab franc, Malbec, petit Verdot. Vineyards in Naramata and Osoyoos.. Bottle labeling is screen print of the grape stats the day they’re picked.. Deep dark fruit, silky tannins, spice, med plus acidity, tannins. Delicious! 2000 cases.
Bench 1775 2011 Cabernet merlot. 30 acres, private beach access, Naramata bench. 20% cab sauv 80 merlot. cassis, cherry, cinnamon, smoke, meaty, med plus acidity and tannins, silky tannins. Music and pizza on Saturday afternoons. Rich flavours. high calibre wines at approachable price points, is the aim of the winery.. Upgrading the cabin on the beach and access to it, for VIP guests. Silky.