I tasted 173 BC wines in a row which was both fun and exciting but kind of slightly vexing, like if you took Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and replaced that phrase with “Meritage” for the entire duration of the song, and then played the song 50 times in a row.

But yes – the whole ordeal was partial torture because there was a huge dominance in obvious homogeneity for heavier reds, and it becomes tough to evaluate wines when the only ones that stick out are the ones that are “different”. It’s easy to write something off as boring when it’s actually rather decent quality, so perhaps it’s safer to treat my tasting notes as a progressive story of me gently losing my mind rather than an actual set of viable records. It’s worth mentioning, though, that I highlighted some wines to retry the next day with a clearer mind and cleaner palate, because I felt like I needed to give some wines a second chance – and surprisingly enough, most of my thoughts seemed to be the same.

Huge headache at the end of the 173 wines, not to mention the beer, cider, and spirits. And I know: spitters are quitters, but whatever. I couldn’t even enjoy a drink afterwards and had to gulp water until 1AM because I felt like a dehydrated piece of onion from a package of instant noodles.

Favourites and stand-outs highlighted in a fun shade of blue.

Sparkling

40 Knots 2012 Spindrift Sparkling
Kind of bizarre and sassy but I dig it? Mostly apples and a touch of yeasty realness.

40 Knots 2011 Spindrift Soleil Rosé Brut
Wisps of chalky red fruit and rhubarb. Balanced. Pretty cool.

Stoneboat NV Piano Brut
Quite pear-driven and Prosecco-esque, and the back label says that’s what they’re aiming for anyways so MISSION COMPLETE (à la Fox from Super Smash).

Averill Creek NV Charm de L’ile
Decisively non-fruity and it’s trying to be all hipster and earthy and stuff. What is this, Main Street?

Blasted Church 2011 OMG Sparkling
Was this supposed to appeal to the acronym-abusing crowd? More like MEH. JK but really, sort of standard and not super outward and mostly a bit of pear. TTFN BB

Blue Mountain NV Gold Label Brut
All too fresh in my mind because one of their higher tiers was my last bottle of 2014. I subsequently fell asleep before midnight because I am a champion. Restrained intensity with bits of autolysis, and power.

Backyard NV Blanc de Noirs Brut
Pink tinge, and a bit more red fruit compared to the others but then sort of just like a regular sparkly party.

Summerhill NV “Cipes” Brut
A bit of green fruit and balanced tartness; the Riesling in the blend gives a bit more lime and Z-snaps.

Riesling

Quail’s Gate 2013 Dry Riesling
Chalky and kind of closed, catty, and limey. Satisfyingly Riesling, though.

Ex Nihilo 2012 Riesling
McDonalds apple juice on the nose which is mildly promising but then watered down limeade on the palate. Basically, a snapshot of my childhood.

Soahc 2013 Riesling
Pleasantly surprising. Chalky lime, though a bit anal and uptight in the slightest, as some people or Rieslings are.

Tantalus 2013 Riesling
A bit more closed than I remember, but quite well-balanced. Always glad to be stabbed in the tongue by Tantalus daggers.

Wild Goose 2013 Riesling
Flecks of petrol and a hint of sweetness but a bit of friendliness is missing. I exactly described someone’s dad right there, I’m sure.

Wild Goose 2012 “Stoney Slope” Riesling
Drier, stonier, more serious, and I kind of don’t want to piss it off?

Gewurztraminer

Bench 1775 2013 Gewurztraminer
Gewurztraminer is supposed to be clingy and irritating, but it tastes likes this Gewurztraminer drank too much and passed out at 1AM, and I’m not sure if I like that.

Dirty Laundry 2013 “Woo Woo” Gewurztraminer
Ironic winery name, because it’s all soapy to me. Perhaps a bit disjointed with the sweetness and hand soap thing, and that’s coming from a guy who washes his hands constantly. Though it looks like my current hand soap is some Christmas-themed vanilla thing with a cute polar bear on the front.

Thornhaven 2013 Gewurztraminer
Not as aromatic or intense as past vintages? Maybe I’m crazy. Drier style of Gew; almost full-bodied with spice and lychee, but you already knew it would have spice and lychee because it’s Gew.

50th Parallel 2013 Gewurztraminer
Gewurztraminer is so typically gaudy that boring versions really weird me out. Nevermind I’ll find, someone like Gew.

Tinhorn Creek 2013 Gewurtztraminer
What is this, soft rock radio?

Light White Blends et al.

40 Knots 2013 Whitecaps
Kind of like floral and juicy and whatever. Hint of perfume. Can u (k)not?

Stoneboat 2013 Chorus
That general BC white blend “smell” (I can’t be the only one who gets what that smells like???). Well-made and popular amongst people but lacking a bit of excitement.

Domaine de Chaberton 2013 Reserve Bacchus
Retried this and quite liked it: lots of that floral stone fruit, persimmon, peach candies, and a weird but forgettable hint of lipstick.

Little Straw 2013 Tapestry
Smells like nothing, but tastes like vague lemonade or something rather.

De Vine 2013 Ortega/Siegerrebe
Hints of cream; textured. Switzerlandish.

Mistaken Identity 2012 Bianco
Kind of weirdly interesting. A bit savoury and then hints of lychee? IDEK, dude, I’m not so sure I’m into this one.

Mistaken Identity 2013 Bianco
Compared to 2012, there’s a bit more of an apple spritz, giving some needed lift, like the 2012 drank coffee and took a pretty sweet nap.

Hester Creek 2013 Character White Blend
Ironically lacks character. A bit silent and has some bitter savouriness if you’re into that, I suppose. Kinda like a stern librarian.

Thornhaven 2013 Tortured Grape
Pillowy with some opulent pear and peachy fruit that fades quickly. Some savoury phenolics. I’m not sure what vibe I’m getting here, but it certainly reminds me of that time I went to celebrate pride weekend with my best friend at Numbers and ended up getting really angry at him by the end of the night. So like, good, I guess?

Noble Ridge 2012 Mingle
Hint of a nutty corn character. Chardonnay blend or something rather? Forgettable but I didn’t get to retry it which is disappointing, because that means a lost opportunity for a shitty “single-and-ready-to-(not)-Mingle” joke. I’m going to die alone, aren’t I?

Monster Vineyards 2013 White Knuckle
Vague peaches and water with an iced tea finish. A melted cocktail that you forgot because you’re irresponsible and maybe we’re going to have to cut you off?

Summerhill 2012 Alive White Organic
Throw an apple (organic ONLY) against a wall and have it land in a glass of iced tea (organic ONLY).

Therapy Vineyards 2013 Freudian Sip
Light and sort of watery and easy and sad? I want to give this wine a pep talk and tell it that it’s a strong independent bottle that don’t need no concentration. Refreshing, at least.

Pinot Gris + Pinot Blanc

40 Knots 2012 Pinot Gris
Okay, cool. Peaches and a bit of smoke. Also, I’m sort of not ready for this barrage of Pinot Gris. Someone save me.

Averill Creek 2011 Pinot Gris
An intense ripe toastiness on the nose which builds excitement…! But then there’s this weird butterscotch vomit note I get which I find in some BC Pinot Gris. Maybe I need a new tongue, though.

Blasted Church 2013 Pinot Gris
Kind of just average and purgatory-like.

Blue Mountain 2013 Pinot Gris
The fruit shares the limelight with the oaky nuts. Creamy and well-balanced, like that one guy. Just kidding.

Blue Mountain 2013 Pinot Blanc
Lighter than the Pinot Gris, but with good balance between stone fruit, texture, and itty bits of oak.

See Ya Later Ranch 2013 Pinot Gris
That vomit note keeps appearing and it’s haunting me. Vague palate but generally well-balanced. Smell ya later, Pinot Gris.

Daydreamer Wines 2013 Pinot Gris
An unripe but generally pleasant combination of pear, apple, and lemon. A bit of tea on the palate.

Domaine de Chaberton 2013 Reserve Pinot Gris
Peaches, flowers, green apple, and there’s a bit more concentration and verve that a lot of the Pinot Gris in this flight don’t have.

Ex Nihilo 2013 Pinot Gris
Pear-driven. Elegantly intense but unexciting. Mom, is that you? Just kidding I love you. (I’m going to hell.)

St. Hubertus Estate 2013 Pinot Blanc
Apple, pear, fresh, good balance, and other averagely positive alcoholic buzzwords.

Hester Creek 2013 Pinot Blanc Estate
A bit funky and diapery on the nose and then sort of just creamy on the palate.

Lake Breeze 2013 Pinot Blanc
Distinctively all about the texture. Wins points for balance and texture rather than complexity. I love Lake Breeze and this is a fantastic wine, but some people masturbate to this and I kind of don’t fully get it, but then again every fourth drink I order at a bar is a Bellini so

Noble Ridge 2013 Pinot Grigio
Fresh etc. but then weirdly fleshy and savoury on the palate which does add tone, but it’s a weird chord, like an augmented fifth.

Black Widow 2013 Pinot Gris
Bit of a spritz; slightly unclean on the nose as Pinot Gris can often embrace, but it’s a bit more obvious and disjointed here.

Summerhill 2013 Small Lots Pinot Gris
The colour of onion skin. Applesauce, hints of starburst candy, and then a floral tea finish. Into it.

Tinhorn Creek 2013 Pinot Gris
Starts off with freshness and yay, but then ends kind of dilute and nay.

Sauvignon Blanc + Semillon

Calliope 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Quite overcast on the nose, but some balanced intensity and sunshine on the palate.

Fairview Cellars 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
An earthy and baked tangerine character, quite reminding me of the Sauvignon Blanc-dominated 2011 Puzelat-Bonhomme Cheverny from the Loire. I’m so France-y. You already know.

Misconduct 2013 Suspect Series Sauvignon Blanc
Peachy and a sort of lemony averageness. It’s all conduct, no mis.

Mt. Boucherie 2011 Semillon
Stunningly only okay with its reception (???) but I thought it was an unintentional (and perhaps accidental) tribute to the style of Hunter Valley in Australia. Kind of impressed?

Lake Breeze 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
Almost too poised on the nose but the palate opens up with slightly more jaunty stone fruit.

Viognier

Calliope 2013 Viognier
Tropical, Froot Loops, savoury, a bit hot and bordering on off-dry. Admittedly I sometimes crave this overt muffin-top style.

Tyler Harlton 2013 Viognier
Similar flavour profile to the Calliope but more much more refined in style, like the Calliope got made over by Tyra Banks.

Chardonnay

40 Knots 2012 Reserve Chardonnay
Fresh green apples and some sauce made from said green apples.

Quail’s Gate 2013 Chardonnay
Chalkiness with some apple skin. Not the most exciting tasting note but I swear it’s decent.

Church & State 2012 Coyote Bowl Series Chardonnay
Oaky. Seems balanced on the nose, but the palate overwhelms with butterscotch and then you wonder why you ever liked those Werther’s Original candies.

Nk’Mip 2012 Winemaker’s Series Chardonnay
Fresh with well-integrated oak, and maybe falling short on a bit of jazz hands.

Daydreamer 2013 Chardonnay
Buttery and some ripe excitement but lacking a bit of a belt buckle.

Gold Hill 2013 Chardonnay
Yellow apple, hints of ginger. Solid with some finesse.

Anarchist Mountain 2012 Chardonnay
Charred wood, some creamed corn, and a bit clunky on the palate, but acid juts its way in to balance like a wavering acrobat on a tightrope. Or that weird slacklining thing that everyone’s into right now. Good reception.

Noble Ridge 2011 Reserve Chardonnay
Chalky green fruit, and provides some refreshment to this flight of Chards (ugh thank god).

Poplar Grove 2011 Reserve Chardonnay
Some complex tension on the nose. Does that make sense? Like, it’s not a basic bitchardonnay. Hints on malo on the palate and balanced.

Township 7 2013 Chardonnay
A fresh playful fruit bowl. Ahhhh!

Road 13 Jackpot Chardonnay
Interesting mineralesque nose with a sort of oxidative nuttiness.

Tantalus 2013 Chardonnay
Such fantastic traction between finesse and savoury character on the palate. Hints to something buttery, but it’s well contained.

Mcwatter’s Collection 2012 Chardonnay
Uncooked apple pie but in a totally good way; lacks just a smidgen on the finish.

Fort Berens 2013 Chardonnay
Bland and juicy sort of balanced vague green fruit though enjoyable. AND WE’RE DONE WITH CHARDONNAY.

Heavy White Blends

Blasted Church 2013 Hatfield’s Fuse
Hint of Froot Loops and stone fruit. Some creaminess that helps avoid a yawnfest.

Clos du Soleil 2013 Capella
Kind of boring but well-made with evident Sauvignon Blanc character. Is that a compliment, though? Maybe for BC Sauvignon Blanc? Ooooohhhhh girl

Misconduct 2013 Suspect Series Chardonnay/Viognier
Vague stone fruits and rocks. Correct but perhaps lacking wow factor.

Moon Cursor 2013 Afraid of the Dark
Mellow green fruit; a bit hot, but textured.

Tinhorn Creek 2013 Oldfield Series 2Bench White
Textured with balanced flavours? What kind of tasting note is this. Gave it a second chance, and it’s still relatively neutral but at least it has weight.

Road 13 2012 Jackpot VRM
Superb creamy style with texture on the palate, and there’s also great tension that adds character. Quite generally well-received.

Tyler Harlton 2013 By Hand White
A bit of pear sweetness and a hint of spritz, like the first 5 seconds of a Katy Perry music video. Also quite well-received.

Rosé

40 Knots 2012 Rosé
Ripe red fruit and some strawberries. Off-dry with more flowers on the palate.

Dirty Laundry 2013 Hush Rosé
Dried strawberry and with good control, I have to admit. Off-dry with some depth, but lacks a bit on the finish. Resist the temptation to tell me that that’s where the “Hush” comes in.

Painted Rock 2013 Rosé
Rhubarb, cherry, and a hint of herbal skunkiness. Has some refreshment factor.

Seven Directions 2013 Pinot Noir Rosé
Seven directions yes, because it’s a bit confusing: restrained fruit flavours, and definitely a buttery textured thing going on, taking the image of rosé outside during the summer on a boat to inside watching Netflix because no one invited you out to said boat. Which, I mean, whatever.

Seven Directions 2013 Zweigelt Rosé
Same style with a bit more peppery sass. So like now you’re angrier you weren’t invited to said boat.

Therapy Vineyards 2013 Pink Freud Rosé
Restrained on the nose; candied earth on palate which is strange and it’s lacking a bit of fruit and a mid section. I suppose you can get away with anything and play it off as anything when you have “Therapy” and “Freud” on the label. The next thing you know, the winery will send me an e-mail telling me I’m “projecting”.

Pinot Noir + Gamay Noir

40 Knots 2012 Pinot Noir
Markedly more floral and flighty than some Pinots in the mix, and not only because there’s a some sort of bird on the label.

Quail’s Gate 2012 Pinot Noir
Lavish red fruit, strawberry; fragranced and a bit slutty.

Averill Creek 2010 Pinot Noir
Great if you like tomato soup and cherries. And I mean – yes – Italian Sangiovese, but this doesn’t have the proper sassiness to match.

Ex Nihilo 2013 Pinot Noir
Sulphites? Just getting a lot of burnt hair amongst the red fruit, and I’m pretty sure it’s not me because I’m bald. Need to retry.

Fairview Cellars 2012 Crooked Post Pinot Noir
Moderately popular, and there’s an interesting combination of dried red fruit, jelly, and a bit of tomato. Unsure about this.

La Petite Paille 2009 Pinot Noir
Garnet. Tired and overspiced, especially on the slighly jalapeno’d finish. Still giving bits of pleasure to people, I’m sure.

Anarchist Mountain 2012 Pinot Noir
A bit direct and absent, like my love life. Much more exciting on second visit, unlike said love life.

Lake Breeze 2011 Seven Poplars Pinot Noir
Something pleasantly raspberry lambic-esque that’s sure to please some people. Maybe I’m just thirsty for beer.

Thornhaven 2011 Pinot Noir
Red fruit with decent structure, but just missing something sequin-like.

50th Parallel 2012 Pinot Noir
Optimistic red fruit with some sweet ripeness on the palate. Perhaps needs a bit more lift or structure.

Tantalus 2012 Pinot Noir
Raspberry, black cherry, and hints of potpourri. A bit more melancholy and distraught for a Pinot. Quite intense tannins (for a Pinot) but much more graceful and polite than the Clone 93.

Tantalus 2012 Clone 93 Pinot Noir
Spicy, merry, and a little more extroverted than its older brother. This was more popular compared to the regular.

Mt. Boucherie 2012 Family Reserve Gamay Noir
Remember that time I made out with someone in a field of Gamay vines? I mean they weren’t Mt. Boucherie vines but I really hope that those grapes make a wine that ends up tasting something like this. Bae/10.

Oak Bay Vineyards 2012 Gamay Noir
Blooms with intensity on the palate, and very Beaujolais-like. Juicy and well-integrated, y’all.

Light Red Blends (and weird things that don’t fit like Pinotage)

Stoneboat 2011 Pinotage
Something simultaneously dusty and ripe on the nose. Some kind of dried fruit, perhaps? Fruit-driven with raspberries and vanilla; appropriately intense and interesting. I like this, but I like almost all Pinotage, riot-scented or otherwise.

Blasted Church 2013 Big Bang Theory
Playful and candied red fruit with maybe hints of something artificial. A bit whimsical but simple.

Mistaken Identity 2013 Rosso
Strangely misshapen but not entirely unpleasant: grapey with hints of greenness, and then quite ripe on the palate.

Monster Vineyards 2012 Red
Not very intense or characterful. Lady Gaga would be disappointed. And then she would drink it anyways.

Time NV The Girls Red
Spice, red fruit, and milk chocolate to match the plummy black fruit. Curvy and slightly hedonistic.

Merlot

Church & State 2010 Coyote Bowl Series Merlot
A hint of agreeable greenness shows through the slowly-forming aged characteristics and ripe fruit.

Domaine de Chaberton 2011 Reserve Merlot
Silent on the nose with a bit of oak. Flowers and something mildly daunting, like cherry medicine.

Ex Nihilo 2010 Merlot
Showing age but the wine isn’t super intense, and tannins are a tad tangled. Better as it opens up.

Mt. Boucherie 2013 Merlot
Spicy and sort of just solid and reliable? Definitely more like High School Musical 2 and definitely not 1 or 3 if you know what I mean

Painted Rock 2012 Merlot
Deep and grapey with plums and vanilla, and a closed nose that reveals itself more on the palate. Reminds me of some modern oaked Navarra blends from Spain? Am I weird?

Hester Creek 2012 Block 2 Reserve Merlot
Smoked meat? I mean, totally bizarre for Merlot, and it wasn’t so popular with some people, but I thought it had much more balanced concentration than its barbecue sauced Cabernet Franc brother.

Black Widow 2013 Merlot
Grapey and sort of decent and passable. Like if this was a movie it would be like 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, you know?

Poplar Grove 2010 Merlot
Smoky fruit but restrained. Structure cockblocks the fruit – a bit tight but pleasurable.

Monster Vineyards 2012 Merlot
“Hello?” I bellowed, into the cavern. “Fruit? Concentration? Fun?” But alas, there was no answer, and I was left with an unrelieved wine. The packaging, however, provided solace in a world of dark sadness.

Tinhorn Creek 2011 Oldfield Series Merlot
Elegantly aged but sort of vague and dancing in the shadows. Which is either creepy or sort of hilarious depending on how you picture a dancing wine bottle.

Township 7 2011 Merlot
Vague and tight is a weird combination. It’s basically like TV static trying to form a shape.

Hillside Estate 2012 Merlot
I don’t even remember this one much but I remember that I didn’t hate it. Which is something.

Wild Goose 2012 Merlot
Wild Goose makes reds?

Nk’Mip 2012 Quam Qwmt Merlot
Pleasant but a bit watery? Huge fan of Nk’Mip’s other stuff, though. Maybe it just needs time. Maybe I need time. Shit.

Cabernet Franc

Gold Hill 2012 Cabernet Franc
Solidly average and well-made but unexciting, like my birth.

Hester Creek 2011 Cabernet Franc Block 3 Reserve
Literally just barbecue sauce. I’m confused, but I guess frat boys need to drink wine, too.

Tinhorn Creek 2012 Cabernet Franc
Balanced and relatively concentrated but mildly uninterestingly. Take a cab, Franc.

Marechal Foch

Averill Creek 2012 Foch Cabernet
Green, unhappy, and a bit too tomato saucy.

Oak Bay Vineyards 2013 Foch
Dried red fruit, a hint of oak, and a bit of meatiness.

Alderlea Vineyards 2010 Marechal Foch Clarinet
Good balance between fruit and earth; hints of grapiness. A bit of sweetness on the palate that I’m not sure of but I suppose it’s pleasant.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Domaine de Chaberton 2011 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Not particularly intense on the nose besides the oak. Shows better on palate, and has a darker fruit profile with lusher texture than its Valley counterpart.

Domaine de Chaberton 2011 Valley Cab
Lighter and softer than the Reserve; oak, and more fruit in the middle.

Backyard Vineyards 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
Silent night, holy tight. All is closed, all is…still tight.

Township 7 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
A hint of something artificial, like that bitch in high school. Otherwise, fine-ish.

Bordeaux Blends / #Meritage

Osoyoos Larose 2010 Le Grand Vin
Spicy pasta sauce and meat. Bolognese-y and clearly showing some aged characteristics at this point but still tannic as.

Church & State 2009 Quintessential
Showing well for its age, with intensity booming on the palate. Much like the previous wine with less meat flavour. Drying finish.

Clos Du Soleil 2012 Celestiale
Lushly textured and early maturing. Strong backbone.

Ex Nihilo 2011 Night
Red fruit and cola; a bit thin and lanky? I’m talking about you, Chris.

La Petite Paille 2009 Cuvée Noir
Unfortunately just a bit tired and flaccid, but still giving life and a story on the palate. Like a wrinkly grandpa, I’m sure.

Nagging Doubt 2012 The Pull
Let the storm rage ooooon – the tannin never bothered me anyway.

Moon Curser 2013 Border Vines
Grapey and missing a hint of muscle; some vanilla and bumpy structure.

Painted Rock 2013 Red Icon
Malbec-dom. Oaky and soft with some drying tannins on the finish.

Black Widow 2013 Hourglass
Un peu vert et tannique.

Backyard Vineyards 2013 Nosey Neighbour Red
A bit sweet on the palate. Are we done with Bordeaux blends yet? Ughhhh

Poplar Grove 2009 Legacy
A bit withdrawn on the nose but well-structured on the palate with pleasantly evolved characteristics. Like.

Road 13 2011 Fifth Element
Redcurrant, oak. A balanced hint of green pep.

Therapy Vineyards 2011 Freud’s Ego
Vanilla, cola, a hint of tomatoes, and just lacking a smidgen of phallic concentration. I think that was supposed to be a Freud joke but even I don’t get it and I’m tired.

Wild Goose 2012 Red Horizon Meritage
Seriously: Wild Goose makes reds? (But really, lush plum et al.)

Time 2011 Red Meritage
Hint BBQ, hint dried cherries, and a weird hint of church. So like, a church picnic, obviously.

40 Knots 2013 Stall Speed Meritage
Kind of like decent.

See Ya Later Ranch 2012 Ping Meritage
Bit earthy but deece. 19 months in French oak gives it obvious oaky character; a hint astringent.

Lake Breeze 2012 Meritage
First vintage where Petit Verdot was used for this blend. Hint of meat and florals among the balanced soft juiciness.

Noble Ridge 2010 Meritage Reserve
TIGHT, BRO??? (That’s literally the only tasting note I have on this wine and I feel kind of bad about it)

Heavy Red Blends?

Calliope 2013 Figure Eight Red
Great attempt at something that combines the plummy sweetness with spice and tobacco, but there’s that jalapeno finish I’m not a big fan of.

Blasted Church 2011 Cabernet/Merlot
Playful and whatever. Easy, breezy, beautiful Blasted Church. *fake model laugh*

Daydreamer 2013 Jasper
Deeply fruited with some floral character, but a hint of something artificial.

Fairview Cellars 2011 Madcap Red
Merlot/Cab blend. Green and a bit too elegant but with enough fruit. A tad lacking but still sort of enjoyable, like bad sex.

Fairview Cellars 2012 Two Hoots
Cab/Merlot blend. Thankfully, more intensity with more plummy and black fruit on the midpalate. Still missing something? Quite popular.

Gold Hill 2013 Cabernet/Merlot
Rubbery cola amongst the fruit? At least it’s owning its awkwardness…?

Synchromesh 2011 Tertre Rouge
Elegant red and black fruit showing signs of age. Well-received.

Mistaken Identity 2010 Debut
Relatively light with disjointed tannins.

Mistaken Identity 2011 Debut
A bit spicier. And can you really call something “Debut” twice?

Moon Curser 2013 Dead of Night
Syrah and Tannat. Plummy lushness with some oak. I’d drink this again, I guess.

Monster Vineyards 2012 Cabs
Currant amongst some dried fruit, but a bit dull.

Summerhill 2010 Cabernets
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc. Funky and unclean nose? Need to retry. (I did, and it’s the same.)

Tyler Harlton 2012 Cabernet/Merlot
Redcurrant-dominated nose; lighter than expected with some balance. And thank god this flight is OVER. </HEAVY_RED_BLENDS>

Syrah/Shiraz

Bench 1775 2012 Syrah
A bit shy on the nose and more varietally correct on the palate. Lacks a persistent Jehovah’s Witness sort of disposition.

Church & State 2011 Coyote Bowl Series Syrah
Black pepper, dried flowers, party on the palate. Delicious, and definitely more of a lightly bitchy style but in like a good way.

Dirty Laundry 2012 Kay-Syrah
Sufficiently Syrah with grapey pepperiness, but it’s almost as if the fruit and spice are pushing each other around rather than hashing it out like adults.

Moon Curser 2013 Syrah
Grapey, juicy, lush, easy, and a little slutty. But good peppery depth.

Painted Rock 2012 Syrah
Gamey, meaty, and kind of smells like my spice pantry, and more specifically, the powder in those Ichiban instant noodle things? Relatively light-footed on the palate.

Thornhaven 2012 Syrah
Smells like peppery old ladies. And then it’s sort of just light on the palate.

Backyard Vineyards 2012 Syrah
Lighter style with a hint of funk? Meatiness; vibrant white pepper and sassy acidity, setting it apart from a lot of other more brooding Syrah in this flight.

Poplar Grove 2011 Syrah
Broodingly concentrated on the nose, with a bit of restrained and flexed biceps on the finish. Good ripeness amongst the black pepper.

Road 13 2011 Jackpot Syrah
There’s an odd bit of something (pleasant?) that sticks out, like a zombie hand suddenly clawing from underneath the garden soil. A hint of dirty dishes amongst the spice.

Daydreamer 2013 Marcus Ansems Signature Shiraz
Varietally sound on some level, but that vomit note keeps coming back and it’s scaring me. Need to retry.

Dessert and Fortified

40 Knots 2012 Safe Haven
Deep with dark and concentrated fruit, lightly reminding me of a VDN. Worth a revisit because not much sticks in my memory.

Averill Creek 2008 Cowichan Tawny
Soy sauce to sugar to figs. Weirdly pleasant, I think? Perhaps heading to the end of its life.

Elephant Island 2013 Framboise Fortified Wine
Heady and delicious. My body is ready.

Vista d’Oro 2007 Vin de Garde
Starts off much like a tawny port, but ends a bit medicinal.

Tugwell Creek 2013 Vintage Sac
Funky waxiness on the nose, and an interesting hint of meatiness.

Synchromesh 2013 Botrytis Affected Riesling
Faint hint of pollen. Off-dry.