And the winner is ...

At the MoCool British Columbia table this year, I had a contest asking people to choose their favorite wine out of 4 BC Bordeaux blends and 1 red blend that was a Bordeaux wannabe.

Unfortunately, one wine was badly corked when opened, the 2005 Quintessential from Church and State Winery.

1. 2006 Quatrain from Mission Hill Winery
Hand harvested from Oliver and Osoyoos Vineyards in October 2006 Syrah 41%, Merlot 32%, Cabernet Franc 14%, Cabernet Sauvignon 13%Fermentation & extended maceration in small French oak fermenters Aged in French oak barrels for 15 months, with 45% new oak 13.0% abv Total Acidity: 6.1 g/l
Medium garnet. Shy nose when first opened but developed with air time. Nice dark fruit on nose. Midpalate was quite expressive and complete with juicy acidity, solid tannins and dark plum and cassis fruit. Medium to long finish of dark fruit. Good balance, in fact several voted for this wine because of its wonderful balance.

2. 2006 Portfolio from Laughing Stock Winery
61% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot Aged 20 months in French oak barrels, 40% new, 60% second and third 14.5% abv Deep garnet color. Expressive nose of spice and fruit with some oak. Luscious midpalate with blackberry and cassis, integrated tannins and balancing acidity. Medium to long finish of acidic dark fruit. I voted for this wine as I really liked its overall taste and it had a nose that just spoke to me.

3. 2007 Nota Bene from Black Hills Winery
46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Franc at 14.7% abv. Deep garnet, perhaps the darkest wine of the group. Solid nose of cassis and some pepper. Midpalate had really grippy but nice tannins (perhaps the most structure of the group) with mostly blackberry fruit and balancing acidity. Solid finish of tannins and fruit with a bit of tannic bite at the end. My second choice wine of the group.

4. 2007 One from Sandhill Winery Phantom Creek Vineyard Small Lots Program
Mix of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and malbec 14.9% abv Deep ruby red, nice cassis nose, smooth midpalate showing good sweet fruit, nice acidity and round tannins. Perhaps the softest wine of the group. Nice balance on the finish of acidic dark fruit.

Voting results:

11 votes for Portfolio The Winner!

8 votes Nota Bene
7 votes Quatrain
6 votes One

Most people said they liked all of the wines and quite a few said voting was difficult.

[James Roscoe]

Thank you! I wonder what JB's take on this was? She and I tend to have similar palates.

How were the rest of the wines?

[David M. Bueker]

I will look for the Portfolio while I am in Canada this fall.

Portfolio got my vote too but it was close with the Quatrain. Interesting to see what British Columbia is capable of producing.

Somehow, I missed this. I did manage to snag a few of the ones from Joel's vertical.

Thank you! I wonder what JB's take on this was? She and I tend to have similar palates.

How were the rest of the wines?

The Portfolio was my choice as well. For me it came down to the oak; I prefer it be more integrated and subtle. While I don't know if this was completely "subtle", it did complement, not overwhelm, the fruit. I also thought it evolved quite a bit from the time you opened it in the cabin until I tasted it at the picnic. A little air time was a good thing with this one.

Thanks for that fun addition to the tasting... which is a Noland Brother signature!

JB,

Tom, any thoughts on the drinking window for the Quatrain? I have a couple of bottles in my cellar and am wondering when I should pop one. Your notes seem to suggest that it is drinking well now.

Thanks.

Tom, any thoughts on the drinking window for the Quatrain? I have a couple of bottles in my cellar and am wondering when I should pop one. Your notes seem to suggest that it is drinking well now.

Thanks.

Hi Bruce,

The Quatrain was the tightest wine when I first opened them up. It took about two hours of air time for it to open up. If you want to drink your wine right after I would wait 2-3 years on the Quatrain. Otherwise, just decant it a couple of hours before serving. The Quatrain had really nice balance and other than being tight at opening was a very nice wine.

Thanks for the advice.