WTN: Random bottles the past week

[Jenise]

2013 Saviah The Stones Speak Syrah
PnP'd with good results. A little gritty but had splendid Rocks syrah character and substance; tastes expensive. I have no track record beyond this vintage with this wine and cannot vouch for the possibility that it will age well from here, but it's delightful right now.

2014 Mollydooker Merlot The Scooter South Australia
Someone brought to a tasting. Youthful color and no sign of maturity there, but strong in earthy/oaky elements and alcohol with very little fruit and no merlot typicity. Tossed my pour into the rhododendrons.

2022 Viña Koyle Sauvignon Blanc Costa la Flor San Antonio Valley Chile
This showed up at a tasting last night, and I loved it. Bright nose of cut grass and pineapple guava with same on the palate with a touch of something extra. Dry but not too dry, and clean.

2022 Lariana Cellars Viognier Okanagan Valley VQA
Pale yellow-gold color. Expressive floral nose with other scents of peach and canned pear. On the palate, lime joins the chorus and a tad of residual sugar seems to show up, but just when you think it's going into a cloying finish it turns back and finishes dry. Not as dry as the '21, but beautiful all the same. Very Condrieu-like.

2022 Sage Hayward Vineyards Pinot Gris Saturna Island British Columbia
I have an above-average liking and tolerance for acidity, but, especially served next to it's sister wine, a blend, I found it a bit much for current drinking. Would bet on it showing much better a year from now.

2022 Sage Hayward Vineyards Nuance Aromatic Blend Saturna Island British Columbia White Blend
Not sure what's in this blend. There's a viognier-ish note that might be Ortega, there's likely some pinot gris--but whatever's in here, it's delicious. Highly aromatic with firm acidity and a neat finish. Should have a long shelflife.

[David M. Bueker]

Quite random. Other than the Mollydooker I have never heard of any of them.

Two things.

1) 'tastes expensive' is such a good descriptor.
2) Poor rhododendrons.

Sage Hayward Vineyards...BC Gulf Islands.

[David M. Bueker]

Two things.

1) 'tastes expensive' is such a good descriptor.
2) Poor rhododendrons.

Rhododendrons like the acid in wine.

[Jenise]

Quite random. Other than the Mollydooker I have never heard of any of them.

Actually, not that you need to remember as you're unlikely to ever trip over them, but I've written about Lariana and Saviah wines before. These wines will likely never make it to the east coat but they're very much part of my world and I report on them. Saviah is a big deal in the Washington wine world these days producing excellent quality in a broad range of grapes for reasonable prices under the direction of owner/winemaker Richard Funk and his sons. Lariana is a relatively new label from the southern end of BC's Okanagan Valley that has garnered a lot of attention among Canadian wine geeks because they hired Senka Tennant as their consultant. Senka's winemaking made Black Sage's Nota Bene the most sought-after, collectible and Bordeauxish Bordeaux blend in the Okanagan Valley. (I have some, thanks to Bill.) The elegance and understated power of this exquisite viognier is no surprise, considering she's involved. The Sage Howards--well, they're wines from a fledgling winery on a tiny island in the Gulf Islands chain. I'd never heard of them either until last weekend. A friend's DIL is a member of the founding family.

[Jenise]

1) 'tastes expensive' is such a good descriptor.

Thanks. It's a first impression that almost any wine geek can relate to.

[Jenise]

Sage Hayward Vineyards...BC Gulf Islands.

Yes, Saturna.