2002 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate
Deep red in colour and showing none of its age at 14 years old, this is a big, bold, powerful wine that is drinking absolutely perfectly now. Wonderfully complex, we picked up dark and red fruits of black and red cherry, blueberry and plum, rounded out with mocha, earth and a hint of vanilla. A juicy acidity to this wine that also revealed a sweetness to it reminiscent of chocolate covered cherry and liquer. Made up of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, in a blind taste we think we would have guessed Merlot dominant because of its plushness. Very smooth mouthfeel with a superbly long finish.
Extraordinary
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We often get asked to make winery recommendations to friends or clients visiting various wine country regions throughout the Pacific Northwest. One of the first things we try and find out is whether the person going is looking for the best wine they can find in the area, or are more interested in a destination winery where they can sit and enjoy a glass of wine with a view. Once in a while you find a combination of both that really stand out: Daou Vineyards in Paso Robles, Soter Vineyards in the Willamette Valley and St. Francis Vineyards in Sonoma certainly come to mind. On a recent trip to Santa Barbara’s wine country we added Sunstone Vineyards and Winery to that list.
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2005 Pintia
Impossibly dark for an 11 year old wine. Very expressive nose that sends up blackberries, raspberries, baking spices and hints of vanilla. On the palate all of the dials are turned up: dark fruits galore are mixed herbs and spices that continually change as the wine evolves in the glass. Full body, with lots of everything: fruit, oak and tannin. This is big and muscular but wonderfully balanced which keeps it from feeling heavy. Comes across as very youthful with lots of drying tannins, that marry well with the fruit and are not at all harsh. Years, no, decades left in this wine. The finish is long and begs you back for another sip. Very sophisticated and utterly delicious.
Extraordinary – 2010 vintage available at BC Liquor Stores for *$73 ($84 including taxes -*This particularly good value, given the quality)
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Santa Barbara County is the southern half of California’s Central Coast wine region. It takes in almost 10,000 km2 moving north from Santa Barbara to Santa Maria and then inland from there. It combines stunning beauty, from gorgeous coastlines to beautiful interior rolling hills. And as we recently discovered, it is making some outstanding wines at very fair prices.
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2007 Walter Hansel “The South Slope Vineyard” Pinot Noir
A terrific example of a top Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Beautifully balanced with dark red fruits, specifically cherries and currants, combined with black pepper and earth and just enough vanilla to give it a little creaminess. Tons of complexity and expressiveness to this wine, a very smooth mouth feel and a surprisingly long finish for a Pinot Noir. Elegant and structured, this showed everything we love about this variety.
Excellent +
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2002 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate
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