Earlier this year I attended a ten year vertical tasting of the iconic Canadian producer in British Columbia, Osoyoos Larose ... Today another of BC's great contributors to the Canadian wine landscape showed 10 years of their wines. Sitting down with owners David and Cynthia Enns to taste through the first decade of Laughing Stock Vineyards' iconic "Portfolio" (2003-2012), a, for the most part, 5 grape Bordeaux blend (save for the years 2003 and 2004). This tasting showed that this winery on the Naramata bench can produce wine with just as much age-abilty and complexity as their neighbours to the south in Osoyoos.
Let's take a look ...
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| David and Cynthia Enns discuss the wines of their Laughing Stock Vineyards |
Wines from the Original Naramata Vineyard ...
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| Portfolio 2003 64% Merlot / 33% Cabernet Sauvignon / 3% Cabernet Franc Aroma: Leather, earthy, tobacco Palate: Follows nose, smooth, but little to no finish and it's too woodsy and smoky Other thoughts: Nose really stinks but the palate intrigues ... drink up (ok+) |
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| Portfolio 2004 55% Merlot / 35% Cabernet Sauvignon / 10% Cabernet Franc Aroma: Old fruit, dried cranberry, earthy Palate: Hard to get past the old, gamey, leathery flavours Other thoughts: Definitely not a favourite, bland and has aged poorly (ok) |
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| Portfolio 2005 59% Merlot / 33% Cabernet Sauvignon / 3% Cabernet Franc / 4% Malbec / 1% Petit Verdot Aroma: Woodsy and cassis Palate: Silky, woodsy, dried-sweet cherry, tannins still grip Other thoughts: First year to have all five grapes and it benefits from it (good) |
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| Portfolio 2006 61% Merlot / 16% Cabernet Sauvignon / 16% Cabernet Franc / 5% Malbec / 2% Petit Verdot Aroma: Subtle and quiet with pencil shavings and licorice Palate: Pencil shavings, smoky, cassis, anise seed, still has grippy tannins Other thoughts: This one sits right in the middle for me (good) |
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| Portfolio 2007 56% Merlot / 25% Cabernet Sauvignon / 12% Cabernet Franc / 6% Malbec / 1% Petit Verdot Aroma: Ripe cherry, plum, mocha and cassis Palate: Juicy with a sweetness of tobacco, plum, cherry, mocha and anise Other thoughts: One of my favourites before the addition of the Osoyoos fruit (good+) |
Addition of the Osoyoos Fruit ...
In 2007 22 acres was purchased in Osoyoos which has been added into the wines in following years
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| Portfolio 2008 53% Merlot / 24% Cabernet Sauvignon / 12% Cabernet Franc / 9% Malbec / 2% Petit Verdot Aroma: Smoky-tobacco, blackberry, cassis, black raspberry and meaty Palate: Richness of chocolate, black cherry, burnt coffee, vanilla, tannins show real finesse toasty, tasty, deep and complex Other thoughts: When it comes to ranking these wines this one's in my top 3 (great) |
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| Portfolio 2009 36% Merlot / 27% Cabernet Sauvignon / 22% Cabernet Franc / 14% Malbec / 1% Petit Verdot Aroma: Cranberry, raspberry, cherry, nice red fruit and anise Palate: Cranberry, sour cherry, smoked-cherry, shows tannin grit with woodsy, tobacco and smoke on the finish Other thoughts: Only wine in the line with higher portion of Franc (good) |
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| Portfolio 2010 32% Merlot / 42% Cabernet Sauvignon / 6% Cabernet Franc / 18% Malbec / 2% Petit Verdot Aroma: Mocha-cherry, plum with a touch of floral Palate: Cherry, chocolate, blackberry, cassis, vanilla, smoke and cinnamon; rich and creamy with lots of depth and complexity Other thoughts: Ranks second on my top 3; the only one that's Cab Sauv dominated and has more Malbec than Franc (great+) |
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| Portfolio 2011 42% Merlot / 32% Cabernet Sauvignon / 17% Cabernet Franc / 7% Malbec / 2% Petit Verdot Aroma: Blueberry, cherry with hints of vanilla and cedar Palate: A little lean yet shows finesse, but the fruit seems restrained with acid and subtle tannins Other thoughts: This cooler vintage wine shows it with its leaner than usual palate (ok+) |
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| Portfolio 2012 45% Merlot / 25% Cabernet Sauvignon / 22% Cabernet Franc / 7% Malbec / 1% Petit Verdot Aroma: Big, bold, black cherry, raspberry, blackberry, dark chocolate and vanilla Palate: Really follows the nose with a richness of dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate, mocha, black cherry, juicy with all that ripe fruit and generous of tannins Other thoughts: Top wine of the day, lush and sexy, simply gorgeous, has the potential to age better than the 2001 (excellent) |
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| The "Portfolio" wines |
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| Thank you to David and Cynthia for sharing their stories and their wines. |
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