Blackwood Lane Vineyards & Winery

With this debut big Bordeaux red, Blackwood Lane – just opening its winery in Langley, B.C. – is vying for cult status right from the gate. This reflects the ambitions and backgrounds of winery owners Carlos Lee and Charles Herrold. Lee is the son of a Korean diplomat from a family that traces its lineage to the last Korean king. Iowa-born Herrold is a former rock band musician and the current owner of a Hawaii home building firm. He has been a keen home winemaker for most of the 15 years he has lived in British Columbia.

Herrold and Lee have based their winery in Langley so that they can hand-sell wines directly to premium restaurants and collectors in Greater Vancouver. While they have planted a small vineyard, they are sourcing their grapes from select vineyards in the south Okanagan. A significant amount of the fruit for Alliànce (230 cases have been released) come from choice blocks at the historic Inkameep Vineyard near Oliver.

Alliànce is built to be big, from fruit so ripe and extracted that Herrold was able to age the wine 25 months in American and French oak. Dark in colour, the wine begins with aromas of vanilla, prunes, chocolate and spice. On the palate, the wine follows through with plums, prunes, minerals, licorice and tar. This is a bold, muscular wine for red meat and for further cellaring. 90 points.

Reviewed May 26, 2007 by John Schreiner.