Wine Review - 2009 Tinhorn Creek Merlot: Awesome Merlot From BC
This is another bottle that came to be in our possession from Tinhorn Creek in British Columbia. We want to tell you more about how we came to have this wine but we are reluctant to give more details (for Tinhorn Creek's sake really). Regardless you should check out the Free My Grapes website to learn more about the issues of buying Canadian wines in Canada.
Back to the good stuff.
This is another 14.8% wine from Sandra Oldfield, the winemaker and owner at Tinhorn Creek. She does a masterful job at keeping what is a higher alcohol percentage from impeding the flavours in the wine. This is a big wine, but not a boozy/hot wine. Don't get us wrong, you can tell that it is more than 13% alcohol but it works well.
The wine is very dark with the look of Welch's Grape Juice once in the glass. It is thick and clings to the glass on the swirl. Great looking wine.
We didn't get the time to decant it as long as we would have liked but it really opened up quickly. We think this is a great representation of Merlot and the nose has notes of black cherry and blackberry as well as some dark chocolate and oak in the mix as well. The nose is big, as expected at 14.8%, but has a nice balance to it with the fruit and oak. We really like this wine and compare it very favorably to the other great Merlot we have had over the last number of months.
The flavours are all cherry and chocolate with a lot of spicy from a combination of the alcohol and the natural essence in the wine. Really great flavour profile and a very elegant mouthfeel. We love the use of oak in the wine which is not too overpowering but adds to the balance perfectly. Another great wine from Tinhorn Creek.
Another winner from BC. The Southern Okanagan Valley we know is hot and dry and it seems Merlot is a natural winner to grow in that climate. So, we really need to try more boutique wines from the West Coast of Canada....if we can get more. BC Wineries we want to try your wines! Someday it will easy for us to do so....someday.
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
This is another 14.8% wine from Sandra Oldfield, the winemaker and owner at Tinhorn Creek. She does a masterful job at keeping what is a higher alcohol percentage from impeding the flavours in the wine. This is a big wine, but not a boozy/hot wine. Don't get us wrong, you can tell that it is more than 13% alcohol but it works well.
The wine is very dark with the look of Welch's Grape Juice once in the glass. It is thick and clings to the glass on the swirl. Great looking wine.
We didn't get the time to decant it as long as we would have liked but it really opened up quickly. We think this is a great representation of Merlot and the nose has notes of black cherry and blackberry as well as some dark chocolate and oak in the mix as well. The nose is big, as expected at 14.8%, but has a nice balance to it with the fruit and oak. We really like this wine and compare it very favorably to the other great Merlot we have had over the last number of months.
The flavours are all cherry and chocolate with a lot of spicy from a combination of the alcohol and the natural essence in the wine. Really great flavour profile and a very elegant mouthfeel. We love the use of oak in the wine which is not too overpowering but adds to the balance perfectly. Another great wine from Tinhorn Creek.
| Tasting Notes: | Score: | |
| Sight (0-5) | Very dark wine that looks like Welch's only boozier. | 4.25 |
| Smell (0-5) | Big nose with black cherry/blackberry, dark chocolate mole and oak. | 4.25 |
| Taste (0-10) | Balanced and elegant Merlot with great cherry fruit and spice flavours. Awesome mouthfeel, really delicious. | 8.75 |
| Total: | 17.0 / 20 (86.25%) |
Another winner from BC. The Southern Okanagan Valley we know is hot and dry and it seems Merlot is a natural winner to grow in that climate. So, we really need to try more boutique wines from the West Coast of Canada....if we can get more. BC Wineries we want to try your wines! Someday it will easy for us to do so....someday.
Keep on tasting!
Chris & Shannon
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