Friday, June 18, 2010

WINE REVIEW: Pétales d'Osoyoos 2007

blp_thatwineblog_label-5284
(Pétales d'Osoyoos 2007 is a hearty Bordeaux-style blend out of BC. © 2010 Benjamin Luk.)

It didn't take much to convince me to buy a bottle of Pétales d'Osoyoos 2007. It came highly recommended to me by a fellow oenophile and I had already heard so much about legendary Bordeaux blends. Buying it wasn't the question. The question was, when would I drink it? But when a mid-June camping trip was announced and campfire-grilled sirloin steaks were on the menu, it was an easy choice. I packed a bottle of Pétales d'Osoyoos and a bottle of Chablis (that we somehow never got around to) and we were off.

Pétales d'Osoyoos is comprised mainly of Merlot, with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot thrown in to give depth. Not being much of a Merlot fan, I found it difficult to approach at first; a little dull and too tannic on the palate, with some black fruit on the nose. But then, after letting it breathe a moment, aromas of spice and vanilla became apparent. I saved some overnight to see if it would evolve further, and it did. Dark chocolate aromas started to emerge on the second day and it felt, overall, to be a finer, more balanced wine. Paired with the steaks, the wine only got better. Its heavy body and slight earthiness complimented the cooked meat, but didn't fare so well with the rarer steak. I imagine rare steak with a nice Gamay would be quite good.

To be brief, Pétales d'Osoyoos is a fine wine for summer barbecuing, but please give it the time it needs to breathe and reach its full potential. During camping, we were served the wine at a colder-than-ideal temperature, and that may have swayed the outcome of this review. I see this as an 86-point wine, but am looking forward to tasting its older cousin. I have a bottle of Osoyoos Larose 2006 Le Grand Vin in my cellar.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An introduction to ThatWineBlog.com

blp_thatwineblog_derez-5320
(Benjamin Luk is not a wine expert, but he fakes it well. © 2010 Jason Bell.)

As some of you may already know from my photography and social media exploits, I am a big fan of wine. In fact, I'm such a big fan of wine, I've decided to dedicate an entire blog to the subject. But first, a caveat to my readers: I've never had any formal wine education, but that's about to change. In August, I will be taking my Wine Fundamentals Certificate Level 1 with the International Sommelier Guild; my first step towards a sommelier diploma. Along the way, I'll be tasting wines from a great number of varietals and regions, and though I won't be blogging about them all, you can follow me on Twitter to catch more of what I'm drinking at the moment. In short, as the blog begins, you'll be getting very much a layperson's view on what each wine I'm blogging about has to offer. As my palate develops over time, you'll get more value and insight with each post.

So let's begin. Enjoy the ride.

* * * * *

Benjamin Luk is a nationally published commercial photographer and social media advocate. His work has appeared in The Georgia Straight and The Province.