Red burgundy vintages. Wine Accessories, Wine Gifts, Wine Cellars, Wine Racks & Wine Glasses - Wine Enthusiast. Promotions and new releases at Tinhorn Creek. Photo: Sandra Oldfield (credit to Chris Mason Stearns) Just in time for the fall Okanagan Wine Festival, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards has released its three premium red wines and its regular Merlot. The regular Cabernet Franc, also reviewed here, was released in August.
These are all first-rate wines and they come in what has been an eventful year at this south Okanagan winery. Two developments stand out in particular. In June the winery announced quietly (on its website and not with a widely distributed news release) that winemaker Sandra Oldfield had also become the winery’s president and chief executive. This may actually be a new position at Tinhorn Creek. In 2008 Shaun Everest, the winery’s former marketing manager, became general manager. Since the management at Tinhorn Creek has always been somewhat collegial, perhaps one need not attach that much weight to titles. The other development at Tinhorn Creek this year was the opening in April of Miradoro Restaurant at the winery.
2008 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir | Blog Wine Cellar. I've always loved to taste the Pinot's from this estate because of their commitment to delivering classic Pinot Noir in a style that I believe perfectly represents what the Carneros appellation is all about. It's cool weather Pinot Noir that delivers a great purity and clarity, and demonstrates great balance between fruit and acidity. I fondly remember tasting several aged Pinot's from this winery as well, and I can tell you that they age like some of the finest Burgundies. The 2008 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir was made from 100% estate-grown fruit from vineyards located in the Carneros appellation. It was aged for ten months in French oak and then held back in bottle for an additional ten months prior to release. The color of this wine is lighter-hued and is exactly what I expected before opening this bottle.
That is, a wine made in a traditional style, devoid of any manipulation and over-extraction. Famed Burgundy wines have their own class of distinction. Mortgage your house, sell your dog and buy the brilliant 2005 vintage of Burgundy, wrote a wine expert recently. There were several reasons I didn't follow his advice immediately. First, great Burgundy wine will cellar for 50 years and I'm not sure I will be around to enjoy it. Second, it can be among the most expensive wine in the world and until oil is discovered on my condo lawn, the best is out of my reach. But good fortune smiled on me recently when an old friend, Wade Brintnell at the Wine Cellar, invited me to taste some 2005s he was keen to try. Back in the mid-1960s, when I was a crime reporter in London, I'd often share a bottle of Burgundy at a Friday night dinner party with friends. "I just find Burgundy too expensive these days," I told Wade.
Burgundy doesn't have to cost $400 a bottle or so, said Wade. I hitchhiked through Burgundy in my youth and was introduced to some rather fine wine and made a point then of reading about the region. © (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.