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promised this is Part 2 of my trip to visit some of
the wineries in the Fraser Valley. On this trip I visited
Lotusland, Blackwood Lane,
and Mt. Lehman wineries.
The first winery visited was Lotusland Winery.
This winery produces wines from grapes that are 100%
grown in the Fraser Valley. The grapes are grown organically,
but not yet certified. Their most popular white wine
is the Girlsrmeaner 2008. This is a
blend of gewurztraminer and other varietals (my guess
is both Riesling and Ortega). It is medium lemon colour
and leaves legs in the glass. Lychee, citrus and flowery
aromas. Light body, off dry with citrus and slight spice.
A summer sipper. My favourite white was the Lotusland
Riesling. It is a non-vintage wine, meaning
it is a blend from several different years. This is
not a bad thing. It let's you develop a house style,
which is something that Champagne houses do in France.
This riesling was deep lemon in colour. Slightly sweet
nose with lemon and a bit of petrol. Fairly sweet flavour,
with lemon and petrol. A very round mouthfeel. The petrol
was nicely balanced with the fruitiness of the wine.
On the red side of their winesI quite enjoyed their
Cabernet Franc 2003 and Merlot
2004. The Lotusland Cabernet Franc
2003 had a very nice nose with cherries, vanilla,
and a slight bit of cedar (or could be capsicum). Medium
body with oak/vanilla and cherry flavours. I really
like Cabernet Franc, the father of Cabernet Sauvignon.
If you haven't tried Cabernet Franc, you may be pleasantly
suprised. The Lotusland Merlot 2004
was deep garnet, with a opaque core. Earthiness with
dark fruit and vanilla aromas. Medium tannins with dark
fruit flavours. This is a very dense wine.
The next stop on my wine tour was Blackwood
Lane Vineyards & Winery. This winery produces
some very high quality wines. I was quite impressed
with all their wines. The grapes for their wines come
from the Oliver area, which produces very ripe fruit.
All their wines use new oak barrels and they do not
filter their wines, allowing you to get a taste of the
wine, just as if it were a barrel sample. Filtering
can strip away flavour from a wine if it is overdone.
An unfiltered wine keeps you as close to the true flavour
of the wine as you can get.
The Blackwood Lane Merlot 2006 spent
16 months in 100% new French barriques before bottling.
Medium garnet with some cloudiness due to being unfiltered.
Slight capsicum, with vanilla and black cherry aromas.
Quite dry on the palate with black cherry, plum, raspberry,
and some spiciness. This is a very complex wine. Their
Alliance 2006 was also excellent (and
I think my favourite of the flight that was poured for
me that day). This is their signature Bordeaux blend.
It contains 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc,
and 29% Merlot. The wine was produced from 65% free
run juice, which minimizes the amount of tannin that
gets into the must before the fermentation process,
giving you a softer wine, with hopefully no harsh tannins.
This wine was deep garnet in colour. Meaty, dark fruit,
cherry, and chocolate aromas in the glass. On the palate,
the wine is full bodied with red and black cherries
and vanilla flavours. A long, dry finish with lingering
notes of cedar and cherry. Wonderful.
My last stop on my Fraser Valley winery tour was the
Mt. Lehman Winery. The owner and wine
maker, Vern, lead me through his award winning wines.
Mt. Lehman Winery is 100% organic and
only sells their wines from the winery. All the grapes
for his wines are grown on the property. So you will
need to make a trip to see them, try their wines, and
buy a few that you enjoy. Their Pinot Grigio
2008 I was told is one of their best selling
wines. This wine had light lemon and apple aromas. Light
in body, dry and refreshing. Flavours of lemon, apricot
and apple. Enjoy with some fresh seafood. If you are
a Pinot Noir fan like me, be sure to try their Pinot
Noir Reserve 2008. This wine is made in a New
World style. Light garnet in colour with strawberry,
raspberry and a bit of smoky aromas. Silky in your mouth
with cherry, vanilla and strawberry flavours. Grilled
lamb chops would be nice here. Also, as a bit of a special
tasting for me, Vern, let me sample his Merlot
Reserve 2008. This is a block buster red wine.
Opaque purple in the glass. Smoky with lots of raspberry
and plum aromas. Full, big mouthfeel of black fruit,
raspberry, and vanilla.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, and maybe drop bye one
of these wineries.
If you would like to read about Part 1 of my trip, which
covered Township 7, Neck of the Woods, and Domaine de
Chaberton Estate Winery, click on the Fraser_Valley_wineries_2010_Part_1
link.
Cheers.
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