This fall I had the chance to taste through the latest releases from Culmina. While this winery is more likely to be recognized for it’s Red blends. This latest batch of wines was the entire lineup of Bordeaux varieties vinified into single varietal wines. Here are some thoughts of everything all taken apart.
2016 Merlot – **** – Black cherry, blackberry, and cassis that have been kissed with smoke. On the palate the fruit is working hard to punch through some very chunky tannin. The finish is soft, even with the tannin feels like its throwing a tantrum on it’s way out. If you grab a bottle in 2020 give it a time out and wait until 2022-2030 to enjoy.
2016 Cabernet Franc – ****+ – The aromas of raspberry, cherry, strawberry with hints of an herb garden in there. There is some real concentration to the aromas. On the palate this is juicy but elegant and the moment the wine passes your lips the fruit flavours fill every corner of your mouth. The tannin is soft and very well integrated. This is a glorious example of BC Cabernet Franc and something you can enjoy now, enjoy better in 2022, and hold until 2027.
2016 Cabernet Sauvignon – ****+ – The cassis hits your nose with punk rock intensity. It feels like an endless wave of fruit. This is velvet on the palate with very well integrated soft tannin. But the flavours have a restrained elegance that contradicts the intense aromas. An incredibly satisfying bottle that with a bit of time in a decanter you can enjoy now, or hold a bottle or two until 2030.
2016 Malbec – ***½+ – Blackberry and plum – out of the four single varietal wines from Culmina in this batch this is brooding and dark. The tannin is a little rough around the edges and grips the tongue the whole way down… but it’s already working to be well integrated. It’s interesting to taste this separate from it’s bordelaise counterparts but it definitely is the weakest of the four – I wouldn’t count on aging this as long as the franc or the Sauvignon, and it needs a few more years to relax. That being said – picking up all four of these to see how the components that make up the wonderful hypothesis taste separate is worth the price of admission.
2018 Margaret’s Bench Chardonnay – Oct 1 harvest – ****+
2018 Stan’s Bench Chardonnay – Sep 13 harvest – ****+
It’s rare that I’ve found Okanagan Chardonnay that moves me. Most bottles are good – usually heavy handed on the oak to match the warm climate from the valley. These two special bottles from Culmina raised not one but two eyebrows with complete and utter satisfaction. The structure of the wines are similar with no strong oak influence that I could detect – restraint and elegance is the story here. Stan’s Bench was harvested earlier and embraces a cool climate attitude delivering apple and pear flavours and aromas. Margaret’s Bench pushes into ripe peach and pineapple – but still restrained with fantastic acidity keeping these wines focused. Bottles that could evolve nicely over the next 5-7 years in a cellar – but they taste so damned good now.
