The releases of BC red wines are starting to come out.  I received these two red wines from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery.  Both wines are from their Benchmark Series.  One is a Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot blend, their Benchmark Series Blue Terrace Vineyard NBO 2020 and the other is their single varietal Benchmark Series Remuda Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022.  Let me tell you about these two wines.

My Wine Tasting Notes

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series Remuda Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 (BC $41.97)

From the winery, “…the Benchmark Series Pinot Noir 2022 is made with handpicked grapes from long-time growers Dwight and Arnie Gash’s Remuda Vineyard in Okanagan Falls. Their sustainably managed property has glacial till soils with abundant gravel and boulders allowing for excellent drainage…A portion of the fruit was fermented in our concrete egg with the remaining amount fermented in stainless steel. The wine was aged in 500L French oak puncheons, for 12 months to ensure that the fruit and tannins of this wine were not overpowered…Just under 800 cases made.”

Appearance: A clear, medium-plus intensity, translucent to the core, garnet colour.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas showing more toast, lesser red fruits and a hint of oak. No change to the aromas after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry with a lean, light body and mouthfeel.  The wine gets softer and rounder with swirling.  Floral, red fruit, red cherries and a mix of toast and smokiness.  Medium acidity and light-intensity fine-grained tannins.  I also picked up some minerality in this wine.  You also get a touch of candied cherries and plums with swirling. The wine became rounder, softer, and had a thicker mouthfeel after decanting.  Similar flavours.  Firmer tannins.  Add a touch of raspberry and lighten the floral flavour.
Finish: Medium-plus length finishing with light red fruits and a touch of sweet spices and pepperiness on the palate.  Light tannins to start but they become firmer after swirling. Firmer during tannins after decanting.  Add a hint of raspberries to the red fruit flavours.  

The undecanted wine is more floral and has more tannins, which you may prefer.  The toastiness level did not change with my next-day decant.  I will try this wine again after two days of decant and see how that affects the toastiness in this wine.  After two days of decanting the toastiness on the nose lessens giving me more red cherry aromas and on the palate, the toast and smokiness move toward the flavour of leather. Quite interesting.  I think sticking with the undecanted version of this wine may be preferable for more people.  You can of course age this wine for 4-5 years and then try it as well.  It has enough tannins and acidity to age gracefully.

Rating: –   This wine has a clear translucent garnet colour in the glass.  Medium-intensity aromas with more toast and lesser amounts of red fruits and oak.  It is dry with a lean, light body and mouthfeel that gets softer and rounder with swirling.  Floral, red fruit, red cherries and a mix of toast and smokiness on the palate.  Medium-plus length with firmer tannins on the finish.

Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series Blue Terrace Vineyard NBO 2020 (BC $44.97)

From the winery, “…Our Benchmark Series NBO 2020 is a complex Cabernet Sauvignon driven blend, comprised of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot. This single vineyard wine is from our North Bench Oliver estate and is an excellent representation of our Blue Terrace vineyard terroir. Planted over two decades ago, its story sols retain heat throughout the cool autumn nights enabling the Cabernet Sauvignon to perfectly ripen. The Merlot adds subtlety and softness to the boldness of the Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was fermented for 16 days and then barrel aged for 24 months in 225L French and American oak barriques…Only 685 cases were made.”  In case you were wondering, NBO stands for North Bench Oliver.

Appearance: This wine is opaque black garnet from the core to the rim.
Nose: Light aromas of black fruit, cinnamon, black plums, black cherries and oak. You get the same aromas after decanting plus hints of capsicum tomatoes and leather.
Palate: Tastes slightly off-dry, but shows only 1.5g/l of residual sugar, so the fruitiness of the grapes is showing in this wine.  This wine has a medium body, very smooth and soft on the palate.  Medium-plus flavour intensity of plums, blackberries and cherries on the palate.  I also picked up some candied cherries with swirling.  Medium-minus fine-grained tannins and medium acidity. The wine becomes more mouthfilling after decanting and the tannins bump up to medium intensity.  Sweet spices are now evident but are light in intensity.
Finish: A medium-plus length, finishing with black fruits, mouthwatering acidity and light tannins. Add candied cherries and a touch of pepperiness with swirling. No major change on the finish other than a touch of oak was detected on the finish and the tannins are a tad stronger.

A soft-spoken Bordeaux blend.  No major changes after decanting so open and enjoy at your leisure.  With the softer tannins, this wine may not age too many years.

Rating: –   A deeply opaque black garnet-coloured wine.  It has light-intensity black fruit, black plums, black cherries and cinnamon aromas.  Lighter-bodied, with a very smooth and soft mouthfeel.  Soft and inviting to sip.  Fruity with plums, blackberries and black cherries on the palate.  Medium-intensity fine-grained tannins and medium acidity. Medium-plus length.

Where Can I Buy These Wines?

You can purchase these wines at the winery, or online via the Township 7 website:

• Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series Remuda Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022
• Township 7 Vineyards & Winery Benchmark Series Blue Terrace Vineyard NBO 2020

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