Tasting Note This deeply hued, big wine, shows low intensity on the nose until it opens after aeration. Love the rich, ripe black cherry jam, floral, spicy, sage nose. Merlot-based wines rarely show black cherry, which explains the heat generated on this site in this vintage. It is very full bodied, rich with considerable tannin, density, yet very well proportioned in its youth. Elegant within its largesse and youth. Some minerality and sandy tannin on finish. Excellent length. Best 2030 to 2040-plus. A cellar selection to be sure. This wine can be found in several provinces. LCBO price is $60.95, SAQ $62, BCLDB $59 + tax. 

Backgrounder The first vintage of this pioneering Osoyoos estate wine was 2001. It was a much-heralded joint venture, engineered by Don Triggs, between Vincor (now Arterra) and Group Taillan of Bordeaux. Fast forward through corporate machinations which don’t matter much now, and Taillan is now sole proprietor, with founder’s grandson Raphaël Merlaut managing the property from Bordeaux (with frequent visits). This family owns serious properties in Bordeaux including cru classe Chateau Gruaud-Larose and Chasse-Spleen, and they are treating Osoyoos-Larose with similar reverence. After some shuffling of personnel from Bordeaux, anchored by B.C. based Pascal Madevon until 2013, a new team is in place and making some significant changes to engage in “precision” viticulture and improved quality in this hot, 80-acre site. “We don’t want the climate to dominate the wine,” said Merlaut. It is a gorgeous property on the cooler western benches overlooking Osoyoos-Lake, shaded in by the hills behind during the hot, long evenings at 40 degrees latitude. Watch for new releases reviewed here in the weeks ahead, including the first Osoyoos-Larose White.