Tasting the 2006s Eight Years After #12

Wines from the Okanagan and Cowichan Valleys, a “guest pinot” from Ontario

“Blueberry, cinnamon. well balanced mid-body, longish finish” – LC
“a wine that pulls you to it, wonderful balance, layered fruit/forest/touch of caramel” – BG

#1 Blasted Church Pinot Noir 2006 13.8%

Quality Rating: C+ ~ 88    Value Rating: C to C+
Price: $23.00

Eye
LC: Garnet,brick    JG: Clear, nice garnet colour,watery rim    BG: Light, fairly even throughout, garnet    AKG: Brick    EU: Garnet    Jacquelin G: light & lively, suggestive of some age

Nose
LC: Volatile Acidity, buttery after open for awhile then BBQ meat    JG: Clean, cherries & blackberries, cooked, spicy notes, cloves cinnamon    BG: Plum, slight herbal, strawberry    AKG: Prunes, spicy, butter    EU: Complex, light spice, plum    Jacquelin G: Lots of bright cherries and wild strawberries

Palate
LC: Cherry, acidic, sour, thin body, longish finish, burnt caramel, BBQ ribs    JG: Well integrated, a bit green, stalky, medium finish. Good drinking but an interesting degree of complexity, interesting to know age. Later, after 2 hours in the glass, became uninteresting    BG: Some caramel, not classically pinot noir, , long taste, but hot, mostly mid palate, wood, lost fruit the longer it was open.    AKG: Long flavour, vanilla, stewed fruit, peppery, acidity is strong    EU: Distinct bright acid, light cherry/pomegranate, lightly spicy on finish, syrup  caramel fruit    Jacquelin G: Great acidity, softish tannins, medium finish

Notes:
Closure – Stelvin screwtop

#2 Godfrey Brownell Pinot Noir 2006 12.4%

Quality Rating: C- ~ 84    Value Rating: C-
Price: $24.00

Eye
LC: Garnet, brick    JG: clear, a few sediments, garnet    BG: Medium light, bricky    AKG: Brick-quite rich   EU: Garnet    Jacquelin G: Clean & bright, lively = some age

Nose
LC: Something chemical almost musty but it blew off , cinnamon    JG: Clean, compote plums, not what I expect from pinot noir.  Farmish & hayish, touch of vanilla    BG: Menthol, mint, herbal, bark/cut wood/oak/plum    AKG: Mineral baths, floral, cherry    EU: Floral rose, strawberry jam    Jacquelin G: Lots of pleasant ripe cherries, earthy forest floor, pepper and even a hint of nutmeg. A bit hot, perfume

Palate
LC: Cinnamon, cloves, sour cherry, tannic, flat, longish finish but not complex    JG: Flat of flavour, the wood is overpowering on the palate. Forgettable. I didn’t enjoy this wine.    BG: A little tannic still, bit short on the finish, wood tannins in finish    AKG: Nice flavour at very start but overwhelmed by woody flavour, puckers tongue, physically unpleasant    EU: Cherry, distinct tannin on finish, dusty, not in balance    Jacquelin G: Medium & grippy tannins, light body, tannic finish. Tannins dominate

Notes:
Closure – cork

#3 Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 12.5%

Quality Rating: C ~ 86   Value Rating: D+
Price: $35.00

Eye
LC: Bricky   JG: Clear, garnet    BG: Garnet/brick    AKG: Light brick    EU: Garnet    Jacquelin G: Slightly alcoholic, clear & bright

Nose
LC: Pinot! Strawberry popsicle, dusty, slight baking spice, citric notes, geranium.  JG: Clean, smells like fortified juice, candied fruit    BG: Wool,wood, blueberry    AKG: Light strawberry    EU: Blueberry, cherry cooked, dried cherry, tomatoes, lilac    Jacquelin G: Faint candied? hint of wild strawberries, stewed tomatoes with time! sour cherries.

Palate
LC: Acidic, quite sweet strawberry-cherry, reasonable balance. longish finish, quite simple     JG: Heavier than the other pinots tasted today. I can’t quite make anything out of this wine. A bit generic. This one gets points for staying the same throughout the tasting. Predictable.     BG: Graceful & lingering strawberry, very long, supple, not super complex, savoury caramel on finish    AKG: Strawberries, nice acidity, nice shape but not overly well balanced structure, a bit hot maybe    EU: Bright cherry, dried fruits, tomato, light acid, light metallic finish, very good    Jacquelin G: Short, simple finish, lacking fruit

#4 Prospect Winery Fats Johnson Pinot Noir 2006 13%

Quality Rating: B- to B ~ 91    Value Rating: B+
Price: $16.00

Eye
LC: Garnet/brick    JG: Clear, garnet    BG: Med light, garnet/brick    AKG: bricky, glossy    EU: Strawberry jam, cherry, light barnyard    Jacquelin G: Clean & bright, lively edge=aged!

Nose
LC: Baking spice, mild vanilla, strawberry    JG: Clean, strawberry, hay, floral (violet), vanilla, hint of citrus    BG: Savoury caramel barrel, hot?    AKG: Candy, powdered sugar, huckleberry    EU:   Jacquelin G: Classic notes or earthy forest floor, coffee.

Palate
LC: Vanilla. Bright red fruit, strawberry, fine tannins, good acid, finish medium. Wants food    JG: Musky, bitter finish in mid-palate. Wood forward, slightly unbalanced. Nose is great but it doesn’t follow on the palate. A bit green for my taste    BG: Barrel effects, strawberry, stewed fruit, reminiscent of Church & State Hollenbach pinot noir style    AKG: Sour start, sour strawberries, great middle, low key vanilla wood    EU: Long dried fruits, strawberry jam, cherry, long fruit, good acid, clean fruit not wood. Floral in finish.    Jacquelin G: Well balanced, good acidity (food friendly?). Finish could be longer

Notes:
Closure – cork

Prospect Winery Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability

#5 Kettle Valley Hayman Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006 15.5%

Quality Rating: D to D+ ~ 81    Value Rating: D to D+
Price: $38.00

Eye
LC: Ruby-garnet    JG: Clear, dark purple    BG: Cherry rim    AKG: Cherry, rich, doesn’t look like pinot    EU: Blue/purple   Jacquelin G: Clear, garnet with hint of purple, (youthful)

Nose
LC: Big but not pinot. Wood    JG: Clean, candy cane, nothing else than candy cane & licorice    BG: Blueberry notes    AKG: Foresty, faint, fruity    EU: Complex aroma, menthol, camphor, geranium, dirt, overripe bruised cherry fruit    Jacquelin G: hint alcoholic – hot!, faint hint of ripe strawberries, baking spices

Palate
LC: Blueberry/cherry cough drop, slightly hot, long finish but simple.   JG: High acidity, this wine lacks any complexity & it tastes like an amateur wine. Is this a pinot noir? Extremely fruity & alcoholic    BG: A little flabby on the acid, structure profile stays much the same throughout vs. beginning, middle & end, slightly fruit forward, long, slightly spicy    AKG: Nice finish, very pleasant, well balanced, oak, rich, dense, licorice   EU: Metallic, cherry, dirt, very odd    Jacquelin G: Youthful, ripe tannins, hot on the palate also, well balanced with tannins needing a bit of time to soften! Lacking fruitiness! Ranked low because it is not like a pinot noir.

Notes:
Closure – cork

Kettle Valley Winery Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability

#6 Cedar Creek Platinum Pinot Noir 2006 13.9%

Quality Rating: B to B+ ~ 93   Value Rating: C to C+
Price: $30.00

Eye
LC: Garnet    JG: Clear, dark garnet    BG: light/med depth    AKG: rich, garnet    EU: Dark purple    Jacquelin G: Clear, bright, bricky

Nose
LC: Cinnamon, blueberry/plum, oak came out    JG: Clean, very floral, violets, strawberry    BG: Pomegranate notes    AKG: dollar store, corner store, plastic? Alcohol, charcoal, cinnamon    EU: Wax, cherry, forest floor, lime citrus    Jacquelin G: Slightly hot, hints of wild strawberries, blueberries, hints of baking spices!

Palate
LC: Blueberry, cinnamon. well balanced mid-body,  longish finish. Elegant    JG: Nose follows through the palate, great complexity, a little tight, would love to tasted this an hour from now. Well balanced.    BG: Strawberry/pomegranate, balanced , long  good structure    AKG: Full bodied, not overly long, buttery, nice acidity. Enjoyable    EU: Cranberry, bright acidity, well balanced, sweet strawberry/cherry with tannin on finish    Jacquelin G: Very well balanced, good acidity, finish has some complexity & lingers

Notes:
Closure – cork

Cedar Creek Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability

#7 Averill Creek Pinot Noir 2006 12.9%

Quality Rating: B+ ~ 94   Value Rating: B+
Price: $25.00

Eye
LC: Garnet/ruby    JG: Clear, purple light    BG: Cherry/garnet     AKG: Cherry EU: Dark purple    Jacquelin G: Clear, bright, bricky

Nose
LC: Slight meaty & mushroom. Masculine    JG: Clean, canned fruit, strawberry, wet wood, touch of vanilla, blueberries    BG: Blueberries,cherries, strawberries, forest/earthy   AKG: Strawberry    EU: Complex rosewood, sandalwood, caramel    Jacquelin G: Huge vanilla followed up with hints of blueberries, wild cherries

Palate
LC: Sweet blueberry? Acid a bit low. slightly hot, long finish medium/full bodied     JG: Oaky, fruit is still there, funky in a good way, cherry finish to it. The wine has an interesting profile complex-lower acidity, this wine will develop in the glass    BG: Blueberries, strawberries. this is a wine that pulls you to it, wonderful balance, layered fruit/forest floor/touch of savoury caramel. Long complex, echoing aftertaste.   AKG: Sweet, strawberries, nice balance    EU: Complex red cherry fruits, floral, vanilla, smooth, light acid, decent tannin, light seared meat     Jacquelin G: Great balance, food friendly acidity! Complicated and lingering finish.

Notes:
Closure – Stelvin screwtop

Averill Creek Pinot Noir – Current Vintage & Availability

Tasting held February 25, 2014