2005 Mission Hill Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (Okanagan Valley VQA)
$24.95 at Vintages.
13% alc./vol. Clear, deep garnet with a scarlet hue. Beautifully defined nose of ripe blackcurrant fruit and powerful, high-quality sweet-coconut/spicy oak. Absolutely no underripe or green aromatics here at all! Dry and crisp on the entry with excellent acidity and a fine, medium-bodied structure. Properly dry, not glycerolic or otherwise "pumped up" in any way; very balanced with a big, strong tannic structure down the middle. Currant/ripe-fruit/oak interplay continues well into the finish which also shows slightly drying tannins. Well worth the price and a much better Cab than what I think I could have gotten from Niagara for similar money (I'll stick to Foch, Baco and Zweigelt from around here).