Tasting Note – This wine jumps with energy yet it is so well balanced and sophisticated. It shows a very impressive intense and bold nose – the kind that captures the attention of judges in blind tastings. Expect quite pure raspberry/cranberry/pomegranate red fruit aromas along with herb and leafy greens set into fine oak spice. It is medium-full bodied, juicy, warm and green-edged, with gritty tannin. It is not going for suave elegance here but there is terrific equilibrium and intensity. And the length is excellent to outstanding. I suspect this will age very well for a decade or even longer, but you will want to try a bottle sooner.  Aerate for at least 30 minutes.

Backgrounder – Dutch founding partners Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek settled in Lillooet, with their young family in 2009 to establish the first commercial vineyard on the sandy, sage-covered benches above the Fraser River.  In my mind, wine quality really jumped, and awards began to accumulate, with the arrival of viticulturalist Christopher Marquardt in 2020, then South African winemaker Alessandro (Alex) Nel in January 2021. He had spent several years at Cederburg in SA, one of my favourite Cape wineries. This cab franc is from two estate sites – the original Dry Creek Vineyard planted in 2009, and Red Rock planted in 2019. The grapes were hand-harvested and hand-sorted before destemming and crush. A two-day cold soak extracted more fruit before starting fermentation, with frequent pump-overs and punch-downs. After fermentation, a ten-day maceration furthered colour and tannin extraction – all of which begins to explain the intensity of this wine. It was aged for 15 months in 100% new French oak barrels. The six best barrels were bottled as Red Gold.

Accolades: Best Red of Show Los Angeles International Wine Awards 2026