THE ADVOCATE 219
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
spaghetti carbonara, or linguini tossed with olive oil, herbs and freshly
grated Grana Padano parmesan.
BLASTED CHURCH CABERNET FRANC 2019
BC VQA, Okanagan Valley #141232 $35.00 approx.
From the grape that made Chinon wine famous, and which has found its
niche in both the Niagara Peninsula and Okanagan Valley, this version won
platinum (the highest level) for Cab Franc at the 2021 Wine Align Canadian
National Wine Awards. The grapes are sourced from the East Bench around
Osoyoos and from the Naramata Bench and given a long pre-fermentation
cold soak and three weeks on the skins after fermentation, then aged in
French and Hungarian oak for 20 months. It is a full wine from its deep purple
colour through to its long fourteen per cent alcohol finish. The slightly
dusty nose has cherry, plum and mint, with notes of cigar box and bitter
chocolate. It has good smooth tannins with cassis (red currant), sweet
cherry and raspberry, with a layer of roasted coffee bean. The long finish
has a layer of roasted coffee bean and vanilla. The winemaker suggests pairing
it with braised meats, roasted mushrooms or baked goat cheese in a
marinara sauce. All sound good, as do red meats such as a steak or prime
rib. While sold out at the winery, it can be found at private BC VQA and
other private wine shops including Everything Wine. I ordered it from the
BC Wine Information Centre, which ships online. But act fast, as only 226
cases were produced.
WAKEFIELD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018
Clare Valley, Australia #16188 $19.99
This is pure Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clare Valley in South Australia
and made the way the Ozzies like it. It has aromas of black cherry and black
currant, plum jam, vanilla and baking spice. The full palate is alive with
ripe cherry, stewed raspberry, cigar box and sweet oak mixed with more
dark chocolate, cedar spice and vanilla, and it has a long finish with smooth
tannins. Break out the strip loin on the barbie.
GÉRARD BERTRAND AN 806 CORBIÈRES 2017
AOP Corbières, Languedoc, France #261008 $19.99
The Corbières region is one of the hillier and more picturesque in southern
France. The name is from a pre-Celtic word for rock or “berre”, and the
River Berre runs through the area. This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah
and Mourvèdre that Natalie MacLean, a Canadian wine diva, rated at 90