Road 13 Rockpile 2009, VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada

 

 

This wine is a blend of mostly Merlot and Syrah at 45% each with the remaining 10% is Cabernet Franc at 5%, Lemberger at 3%, Cabernet Sauvignon 1% and Dornfelder at 1%. Maturation took place in a combination of French and American oak for 16 months and alcohol arrived at 14.9%. The Lemberger and Dornfelder are rarely seen in this country but are commonly grown in Württember, Germany.

 

I had previously enjoyed this wine in a restaurant in Victoria, BC last May and decided to purchase a bottle to add to my cellar for enjoyment later. This wine opened up with aromas of cherry, plum, vanilla spices, black pepper, bittersweet chocolate, espresso and savoury notes. On the mouthfeel, medium-full bodied, quite well structured and complex with flavours of ripe berry fruit, peppery, cedary and savoury spices, balance acidity and fine grained tannins. My favourite part of this blend was the finish, very smooth, very rich concentrated fruit and vanilla spice flavours lingering. Definitely much better than in May, the flavours and all elements are starting to blend nicely together with better days to come. I must admit here that I really like this wine label, I know that you shouldn’t buy a wine because you like the label but in this case, for me, its represents what a good wine should be about. There is little chance of making a great wine without great fruit, great wines start in the vineyard and farming is a very important part of wine making process. Very enjoyable and strongly recommended. Score 90 points.

 

Purchased at Spinnakers in Victoria, BC on May 5, 2012 for $22.99