Accolades

Wholly engrossing sauvignon blanc of great pungency and perhaps a kiss of barrel here. Grassy and in a sense a crossing of Casablanca with Marlborough though just for a fleeting cerebral moment. Some mango to pear fruit sweetness through texture. Ambitious and reminiscently woolly style but B.C. knows how to make this happen and considering the expressiveness, why not? Dry extract and tannin come across on the finish. Drink 2020-2024. Tasted blind at NWAC19,

This estate-grown sauvignon has all kinds of lift and energy, yet remains nicely dry, even a touch austere. Expect generous aromas of juniper, lime/grapefruit citrus, kiwi, cut green pepper. It is mid-weight, tart-edged and very brisk with a stony, lime-peel finish. Excellent length, and certainly stands among the best sauvignons made in Canada.

This continues to be one of the better value syrah’s of the Okanagan, especially for those who like the northern Rhone styling – with ample pepper, smoked meat, roasted herbs and that core dark cherry fruit. It rings with authenticity. And although youthful and tight now it carries this solid acid-mineral core, with tannins in low brush. Not the richest syrah out of BC, but nicely focused in a leaner, linear style, and a bit greener in this vintage. The length is excellent. Best 2020 to 2026.

This is compilation of merlot, syrah and cabernet franc aged 13 months in neutral French oak. There is a nice berry, peppery and herbality lift to the nose… not so ‘petit’ but it delivers well for the price. Very good length.

This blends every white grape on the property including Rhone varieties, sauvignon and pinot gris. It hasa lot going on for the money with quite complex aromas of pineapple, citrus, mint and fennel. It is medium weight, fairly creamy yet nicely fresh with very good flavour depth. More here than I expected, and not all that ‘petit’.

This wine is inspired by the masters of the northern Rhône, and takes the route of a blend of sub-appellations rather than a single vineyard expression. Hedgerow and bramble notes are joined by savoury, mulchy scents. Delicious and pure, it has an intensity of undergrowth, tobacco, cedar and black fruit in the mouth which comes across with freshness and length. Aged in French oak barrels and puncheons, 56% new.

Drinking Window 2018 – 2024

Languedoc-raised winemaker Severine Pinte has made a speciality of Rhône grapes at Le Vieux Pin, with resounding if discreet success. This 53% Viognier, 27% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne blend is everything it should be and more, in florality, flavour and finesse.

Drinking Window 2018 – 2021

When you see mention of Rhône luminaries such as Jamet, Chave and Clape as Le Vieux Pin’s inspiration for this wine, produced from four sub-appellations in the Okanagan Valley, you know they mean business. This is their flagship wine, aged in oak for 18 months – although no new oak is used and the majority is completely neutral, adding texture without the vanilla and spices that might mask the purity of the fruit. It’s a rich and deep Syrah with a splash of Viognier, à la Hermitage, showing tons of blue and black fruit on the nose. There is a Rhône-like white pepper note infused in the plummy hedgerow fruit. A smooth and opulent red which showcases the potential of this region.

Drinking Window 2017 – 2024

Une syrah toute en finesse avec des tannins fermes et élégants et une acidité qui fait saliver. Et que dire de ses arômes enivrants de prune rouge, poivre blanc, violette et cassis. Un autre millésime très réussi!! Un partenaire idéal pour le gibier et les grillades.

Tasted blind by a Panel of wine critics spanning Canada’s coast to coast. Platinum Medal Winner

Open, and heavily violet – perfumed off the top, clean, and inviting, full of crunchy black fruit and pepper. The palate is fleshy and dense, with great length.

From the third warmest year in BC history this is quite finely-chiseled and elegant for its size and depth. Expect fairly lifted, cedary, licorice, vanillin, black pepper, dark cherry and chocolaty aromas. It is full bodied to be sure, but quite elegant as well, which creates a lighter ambiance. The firm tannins tend to tone down the fruit on the finish. In short it is not really showy at the moment, so I would wait another two or three years. Excellent length.

Cuvee Violette is the least expensive, and less grand of Severine Pinte’s stellar syrahs, but there is an edge and vibrancy I really like. And make no mistake – the aromas and flavours are authentic and appealing northern Rhone. Expect lifted violet, black cherry/currant fruit, pepper, smoked meat, oak vanillin and spice. So complex and expansive on the palate – full bodied, dense and dripping with black fruit, licorice and pepper. Yet there is firmness and some tannin as well. The length is excellent. Best now to 2025.

56% new oak here, but the wine swallows it well. Lush, fresh, floral black cherry fruit with some olive tapenade and some peppery notes. Has ripness but also some muscle, as well as some oak. This should age really well. Impressive, although the oak sticks out a tiny bit. Superb, given a bit more time.

basil and bay note and a sour, taut black fruit on the finish. It’s a formidable, powerful style but it really works, and still has loads of compact fruit – this is a wine to age for decades. (RH)Drink 2020-2040

Tar, granite and pepper on the nose – very traditional Syrah with a European sensibility. Very savoury and spicy on the palate – this is real Rhône-inspired wine, with excellent violet and spice on the long finish. (RH)12.7% Drink 2014-2021

A pretty dress tinged with a salmon color. A fresh nose with an average intensity of notes of rhubarb, pink grapefruit, orange peel and a pleasant tip of salinity that repeats in the mouth. Slightly rustic, but gives a lot of happiness to the aperitif or with a smoked salmon bagel.

Un assemblage style Rhône composé de viognier (50%), roussanne (32%) et marsanne (18%). Distinctement viognier avec des parfums de pêche, miel, rose, poivre blanc et gingembre. Une bonne acidité en bouche mais aussi une texture ample avec une longue finale.

My blind notes start like this: Gorgeous nose! All grapes show! Bodacious. A blend of marsanne, roussanne, and viognier with classic aromas of peaches, beeswax and apricot. The palate is a complex arrangement of stonefruit, honey and pungent, sticky herbs. A nuance of new oak shows on the creamy spicy finish. Give plenty of air and a huge glass now, or save for a few years. Very special wine.

Le Vieux Pin is, in my view, the leading “Rhone varieties” producer in the Canada. Two vintages ago this named Gold Medal Plates Wine of the Year, and the 2016 follows nicely. It is a blend of 50% viognier, 35% roussanne and 15% marsanne displaying very refined, clean nose of mirabel plum, starfruit, apricot, jasmin, pepper and anise. Just a touch herbal as well. It is full bodied, rich, leaner and a bit less blowsy than some. Some heat here on the finish, but some minerality as well.