Golden Mile Cellars

In the redevelopment of Okanagan vineyards over the last 15 years, perhaps the biggest surprise has been the success of Syrah. Throughout the 1990s, only one producer, Nichol Vineyard, had the variety in its vineyard, and then only an acre or so. Now, at 200 acres, it is the fifth most widely planted red in British Columbia, and more is being planted. The growers are taking a risk with this late-ripening grape because the wines, almost without exception, have proved to be totally delicious.

This debut Syrah from Golden Mile, released under the winery’s premium Black Arts label, shows again why there is excitement about wines from this variety in British Columbia. The winery currently has only a small planting of Syrah on its Golden Mile vineyard but supplemented that with grapes from Robert Goltz’s vineyard on Black Sage Road. Only 230 cases have been released.

Winemaker Michael Bartier crushed both lots of fruit together, fermenting with a Rhone yeast. He let the temperature spike above 30°C in order to evaporate excess alcohol (the finished wine is 14.2% alcohol). The wine finished malolactic and matured in a combination of French and American oak barrels.

The style definitely is Rhone. The wine is almost black in colour, with rich aromas recalling the meat counter at a fine deli, mixed in with plums. On the palate, the wine offers a blend of meaty and mineral flavours and rich plum and prune flavours, with hits of chocolate and even tobacco. This bold wine is full-bodied, with supple ripe tannins suggesting good potential for cellaring. 91 points.

Reviewed February 12, 2007 by John Schreiner.