A BC favourite, the Burrowing Owl Merlot presents voluptuous aromas of ripe cherry and rich chocolate, vanilla, sweet spices and mint tea. The palate is fresh and smooth with plenty of juicy fruit and fine, espresso, mocha flavours and bittersweet cocoa flavours lingering on the finish.
Wine Diva reviewed - February 3rd, 2010

This is a concentrated Syrah for those who like to sink their teeth into their wine!
Gobs of blackberries and rich black cherries swimming in chocolate, a suggestion of dried fruits, tobacco leaf and sweet, lifted herbal notes. The palate is dense, thick and chewy with smoky cocoa, loads of chocolate, espresso and dark berry flavours, savoury, peppery spice rub and meaty hints - the finish grabs hold with dry, firm tannins.
A forthright wine, not for the meek.
Wine Diva reviewed - January 21st, 2010

A chic, powerful and complex Champagne, the 2000 vintage Cuvee has plenty of crisp orchard fruit - apple, pear and citrus aromas - sweet spice and ginger with a doughy/yeasty core. On the palate you'll find fantastic vibrancy, a super fine texture, creamy mousse and nutty/toasty flavours bound tightly in bright tree fruit. The finish is clean and elongated.
Pairs extremely well with creamy cheeses and sweet, fresh shellfish.
Wine Diva reviewed - December 15th, 2009

It's hard not to gush over such a fantastic bottle of wine but the Dom Perignon Cuvee Rose,1998 is worthy.
It's a lovely pinky-salmon colour and is a fragrant potpourri of cedar, summer berry and crushed floral aromas followed by peach stone and sweet anise spices. The texture is seductive, creamy and weighty with fantastic complexity and mixed berry, citrus peel and spice flavours. The finish is almost unending...
This is the kind of elegance that draws fans of great Champagne to pay for wine of this stature.
Wine Diva reviewed - December 15th, 2009

One of the new release from Mission Hill's Legacy Series is primarily Merlot with 19% each Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon with 10% Petit Verdot. It has bold, juicy aromas of wild berries and plums dark flowers, mocha and vanilla with savoury herbs and grilled bell pepper undertones. There is plenty of ripe berry fruit and bittersweet chocolate on the palate. Expect good concentration and balance with a powdery texture throughout and a long dark finish.
Wine Diva reviewed - December 7th, 2009

This titled 'pretty' Pinot Noir from Le Vieux Pin releases savoury, rustic notes of cherries and sadlle leather, sunbaked earth and cigarbox with undertones of forest floor and fine spice. the palate is silky, the flavours echo the aromas - leather and cherries, cedar and spice. It's a concentrated Pinot with fairly dominant tannins on the finish.
Old world in style but very masculine.
Wine Diva reviewed - December 3rd, 2009

This "made and cellared in Canada from USA grapes" (clearly stated on the front label) Cabernet has the addition of 18% Merlot to flesh it out.
Spicy blackcurrent aromas take the lead followed by rich dark earth, chocolate and a hint of prune. The palate is powerful and focused but still bright, it has plenty of cedarbox and spice flavours with firm, chewy chocolate tannins on the finish.
Despite the age, this wine could still use some cellar time, or decant and serve with some hard aged cheese or dense protein dishes.
Wine Diva reviewed - November 17th, 2009

A well-made blend of 41% Syrah, 32% Merlot, plus equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc this premium will impress.
On the nose expect assertive black cherry and briary berry aromas, vanilla and clove a hint of crushed flowers and allspice with savoury and herbal undertones. The palate texture is quite supple. Expect plush cherry and plums, vanilla and espresso with spicebox flavours lingering on the finish. The tannins are ripe and still chewy, the finish is long and chocolaty...
You could drink now, but it would benefit from 6 months to a year more in the cellar.
Wine Diva reviewed - November 5th, 2009

Savoury, rich aromas with plenty of old-world character - brooding dark fruit and cocoa, espresso and smoked/meaty notes with herbal/garrigue undertones. The fruit on the palate is sweet with wonderful intensity, the texture supple and laden with berry fruit, sweet spice, chocolate and cherry-cola flavours. It's balanced between vibrant acidity and power. The tannins have softened since my last review, it's silky and elegant.
Wine Diva reviewed - July 22nd, 2009

The Herder "icon" wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The fruit is dark, plummy and brooding initially but at this stage is slightly hidden under the earthy, meaty, smoky, chocolate and roasted coffee aromas. Savoury herbal notes, toasted spices and cherry appear beneath the intial layers of aromas, the palate is chcocolate and sweet cherries, mocha and roasted spices. The acidity is balanced, the structure good and the ripe tannins will soften with time.
Wine Diva reviewed - December 10th, 2008

This IGT blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Picolit is one of two of celebrity Chef Lidia and restauranteur son Joseph (business partner with Mario Batali) Bastianich's white wines currently available in BC Liquor stores.
It's a complex wine, golden in colour with loads of mineral, green pear and melon, honey, caramel and citrus. It has a nice weight on the tongue with plenty of caramel, oak spice and citrus flavours. The finish is crisp and minerally.
Wine Diva reviewed - July 21st, 2009

Concentrated espresso, cherry and dried plummy aromas with cocoa and undertones of savoury herbs. On the palate, expect juicy dark fruit on the entry and flavours of mocha, toffee and sweet spices. This is a big Merlot with fine, mouth-coating tannins.
Wine Diva reviewed - July 20th, 2009

An exceptional and elegant offering from one of BC's newest wineries. A Meritage blend (60/22/18) of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc it presents bright red fruit and leather, crushed flowers and herbs with cedarbox notes. It is very stylish on the palate, medium to full-bodied with a fine grained texture and plenty of juicy fruit. The production on the 2007 vintage is limited to 450 cases, so grab a couple when you see it!
Wine Diva reviewed - July 8th, 2009

Is this the best Pinot Noir in British Columbia? I think it might be.
Superb aromatics, sweet cherries and violets, warm raspberries and cedar chips with undertones of leather and forest floor. The palate is supple, absolutely silky in texture, layered with tart red fruit and berries, leather, cedar and fine spices. Elegant and quite voluptuous yet juicy with a smooth finish.
It's a very young wine, under direction of my friend John Schreiner I decanted it and let it breath for at least an hour, but you can drink it now. I think I'll put a couple bottles away for the short term.
Wine Diva reviewed - June 19th, 2009

This vintage, a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc comprises the iconic Nota Bene...
At nearly 15% alcohol it's a big boy with plenty of extraction...
Aromas of black currents and wild blueberries, chocolate cherries, vanilla and toffee with lots of black pepper. Intense on the palate with ripe dark fruit, pepper, coffee liqueur and vanillin oak flavours. Excellent structure and power with ripe tannins and a substantial finish.
Young, but drinkable now, or give it to dad for a father's day cellar keeper.
Wine Diva reviewed - June 18th, 2009

A plush wine featuring aromas of dark plums, dried cherries, leather, toffee with warm spice, white pepper and savoury herbs. The palate is smooth, flavours of juicy forest berries, sweet spice and pepper with a decadent and supple finish.
Another impressive vintage for winemaker Randy Picton...
Wine Diva reviewed - June 10th, 2009

La Stella is the sister winery to Le Vieux Pin. Le Vieux Pin is located in Oliver, La Stella is in Osoyoos. So, to compare Le Vieux Pin’s flagship Apogee to La Stella's Maestoso was quite intriguing, especially when they share their winemaker and the vineyard manager. The main difference is the vineyard sites.
The Maestoso is earthier, quite savoury on the nose with aromas of dried fruit, leather, dill, oregano and tomato paste with rich, almost stewed dark fruits. The palate is very impressive - lifted, bright concentrated fruit with lingering spice and fine tannins.
Wine Diva reviewed - May 14th, 2009

Expect a dense Merlot with plush aromas of blackberry and raspberry, crushed dark flowers and spiced chocolate with earthy undertones and a pinch of white pepper. The palate is potent, laden with flavours of spiced cherries and chocolate. The tannins are encompassing but fine, and they linger long after you've put your glass down.
Wine Diva reviewed - May 14th, 2009

This is a heady Pinot Noir with aromas of spiced cherries, sweet cedar box and loads of violets. The entry is silky but it's surprisingly assertive on the palate showing red fruit and a potpourri of cedar chips and dried floral flavours. It has lots of acidity and aggressive tannins that need to soften. I suggest cellaring for a couple of years or decanting at least an hour prior to serving.
Wine Diva reviewed - May 13th, 2009

A powerful wine, at moments brooding and intense and then supple and seductive....
Chocolate covered cherries and cassis liqueur waft out of the glass followed by spice and leather, sage and sweet menthol, pencil shavings and rich dark earth. The palate has a smooth entry, it's dense and forward with ripe fruit, tobacco, mocha and spice to elevate the heat. The finish is long and the spice lingers....
Tasting pretty good right now, but if you are a cellar fiend a few years won't hurt.
Wine Diva reviewed - April 16th, 2009

Who ever would have thought that we would see the day when a BC Chardonnay sold for $65? Well that day has come and Meyer Family Vineyards created quite a stir with the launch of this wine a year ago. Now they are opening a new tasting room/cellar door near Okanagan Falls so you can buy this single vineyard, small lot Chardy directly from them.
You cannot deny it's an elegant, complex wine - more Burgundy than BC. Golden yellow in colour the aromas are flinty, creamy and nutty - think praline and a hint of vanilla, minerals and smoke with excellent oak integration. Golden fruits and snappy citric flavours are layered on the palate - pear, nectarine and a hint again of vanilla. It has a slick rounded texture, lovely balanced acidity and spiced, lingering finish.
Wine Diva reviewed - April 8th, 2009

Gorgeous typical Syrah aromas - pepper, pepper, pepper, savoury herbs and cherries with undertones of mocha. Expect a full-bodied wine with a dusty texture and flavours of spiced black berries, rich dark earth, savoury meaty suggestions and dry, firm tannins on the finish.
Wine Diva reviewed - March 15th, 2009

Decadent and concentrated, this wine has chocolate and cherries, sun warmed berry, floral and cedar box, fresh aromas - as well as earthy and juicy. The palate is plush, the flavours dense, with smoky, meaty and savoury tones with a spice flavours on the finish. Great acidity, firm ripe tannins and a substantial finish...
Wine Diva reviewed - March 15th, 2009

Crushed berries and dark flowers, saddle leather and cedar box with earthy tones and iodine. The aromas follow through onto the palate - rustic, with prominent acidity, spice cedar and cherry flavours. The tannins are fine but mouth-filling and this wine has a lot of life left in it yet...
Wine Diva reviewed - March 3rd, 2009