There is a wide range of terrific BC red blends. From Old World Bordeaux Style or Meritage to New World easy-drinking Vin du Jours!
Why Are Red Blends Such A Growth Category For BC Wines?
One of the reasons for continued growth is how open and freewheeling a category it is. Red blends offer a perfect palette for winemakers to mix grapes, blend, and mimic other styles.
Millennial wine drinkers are not as hung up on wine traditions or even on knowing how to pronounce certain grape varieties. Many are intimidated by them. Red blends, bearing easy-to-pronounce, familiar-sounding names, remove that intimidation factor.
What is Red Meritage Wine?1
Red Meritage wines historically have been among the world’s most highly rated wines. They are prized for their smooth, silky texture and complex, robust structure. While they age beautifully – often for decades – most are also very drinkable in their younger years.
A Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red “noble” Bordeaux varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère. If the blend includes any other grape variety, it is, by definition, not a Meritage. Also, to qualify as a Meritage, no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the blend.
So, without further preamble, here is a list of my favourite BC red blends that are a solid value buy.
Hester Creek Character Red 2022 ($22.99)
Deep and rich with character, this vintage of Character Red is made with handpicked fruit primarily from the Oliver estate, complimented with grapes sourced from local growers. This vintage blends Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, including a unique clone of the old vine Merlot, originally from Italy. The grapes were carefully sorted, destemmed and gently fermented in separate lots in Ganimede fermenters. After a light pressing and malolactic fermentation, the lots were blended and aged for eight months in French (75%) and American oak (25%).
13.2% Alcohol / pH 3.9 / TA 5.5 / RS 2.6
Lively aromas of blackberry, caramel and white pepper. Full-bodied with rich flavours of black and red cherries, blueberry and dark chocolate with a long finish. 91 Points
Please visit Hester Creek Estate Winery to see their current portfolio of BC wines.
Nagging Doubt The Leap 2016 ($22.90)
43% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Franc and 19% Malbec. 14.3% alcohol. The Cabernet Franc and Malbec come from the Red Brick Vineyard managed by Chris Hansen in the South Okanagan, and the Merlot from the Hiwanda vineyard in Naramata.
Aged in new, first-pass and neutral French oak for 24 months. Although the wine was a little colder than you would normally serve, it still had a fabulous blueberry and blackberry aroma with lovely floral notes. The wine has great fresh juiciness to the taste from the Malbec with smooth tannins and a soft palate feel from the extra aging. Flavours of black cherry, plum and blackberry. 92 Points
For more elegant Nagging Doubt releases, see Nagging Doubt takes “The Leap”
Mayhem Cabernet Merlot 2021 ($24.44)
The fruit was hand-picked from two unique vineyard sites. On October 12th, from Anarchist Mountain Vineyard in Osoyoos, originally planted in 1994, and on October 7th, from Ryegrass Road Vineyard in Oliver, planted in 2009.
The wine was whole-berry destemmed into stainless steel fermenters and kept separate until the final blend. It remained on the skins for 15 days before being pressed off and put into barrels. Aged for 11 months in seasoned French barriques, a natural malolactic fermentation occurred in the Spring. The wine was bottled in late Summer, unfined and unfiltered. It is a blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Cabernet Franc. Enjoy now or within the next 2 to 4 years.
Alcohol %13.8 / pH3.62 / TA 6.52 / RS 0.83
Vibrant aromas of cranberry, blueberry and blackberry. Flavours of blackcurrant, black cherries, roasted coffee and chocolate linger on the palate. Beautifully balanced, this wine has velvety smooth tannins and a seamless finish. 91 Points.
High Note Cadenza Red Blend 2021 ($40)
“A Cadenza is a music culmination.”
Sourced from the Black Sage Bench, with Merlot from the Similkameen, and aged in French oak barriques.
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon.
14.9% Alcohol / pH 3.91 / TA 6.0 / RS 0.8
Lively aromas of black fruit and cedar jump from the glass. A full-bodied, juicy red blend, with the flavour of blackberry, cherries, and leather with a hint of tobacco and oak at the end of the flavour cadenza. Smooth tannins and a delightfully long finish. 92 Points.
Moraine Cliffhanger Red 2018 ($19)
The 2018 Cliffhanger Red is a Merlot dominant wine from the Anastasia vineyard with a smattering of Malbec. Bottled after a 3-month bath in French oak.
This creates a mouthwatering aroma of raspberries, blackberries, and smokey oak. Flavours of black fruit, dark chocolate and a hint of mint and white pepper. For a young wine, the tannins are soft and easy to approach.
This easy-drinking red is best paired with Summer BBQ fare and friends. 90 Points.
Osoyoos Larose Pétales d’Osoyoos 2019 ($33)
Merlot 70 %, Cabernet sauvignon 13 %, Cabernet franc 12 %, Petit verdot 3 %
Pétales 2019 is a very fruit-forward Merlot dominant Bordeaux blend that hits above the price point. Cherry aromas with a touch of vanilla and toasty oak. The palate is well-balanced with red berries, cassis, vanilla, smooth tannins, and a long finish. This wine can be enjoyed now or cherished for up to 5 years. 92 Points.
Enjoy BC Red Blends with grilled meats and best wine friends!
Noble Ridge Noble Meritage 2020 ($26.99)
Nothing like a $26 Estate Meritage to pique your interest. You definitely won’t be disappointed!
81% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec
De-stemmed and crushed. Cold soaked for 3 days. Fermentation kept between 25°C and 28°C, 12 months in the barrel, 75% French, 25% American; 20% new oak.
Alcohol 14% | pH: 3.55 | TA: 6.5 | RS 2.2
A wonderful bouquet of ripe blackberry and blackcurrant with dark chocolate and coffee. Medium-bodied and creamy texture and fine-grain tannins. Flavours of blackberry, red plum and licorice with a hint of pepper in the long finish. 92 Points
Please visit the Noble Ridge website to purchase this premium BC wine.
Terralux Meritage 2018 ($35)
The Meritage is a classic blend of Okanagan Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a touch of Malbec that has developed beautifully in the bottle.
The wine has a luscious redcurrant and ripe blackberry aroma with a hint of cocoa and tobacco. The Meritage has red cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate, tobacco and leather flavours. This is a medium-bodied red blend with a lush texture and fine-grained tannins. 91 Points.
Pair with a juicy beef burger for a well-seasoned flank steak.
To purchase this premium Meritage please visit the Terralux Estate Winery Website.
Winemaker’s CUT Bohemian Cuvée Rouge 2020 ($35)
The grapes are from the Chahal and Quails Wayside vineyards in Oliver. 58% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. Only 400 cases were produced. Hand-harvested in late October 2020 at an average 25.2 Brix and 4.7 tons per acre yield.
Cold-soaked for 2 days. Full malolactic fermentation for 18 days. Aged for 10 months in American, French and Slovakian oak.
14 % Alcohol / 3.64 pH / 6.5 TA /3.5 RS free SO2 16mg/L / total SO2 40
A spectacular red blend. The dominant Merlot blend is a gorgeous deep garnet colour that opens up a blackberry bouquet infused with hints of pepper, herbs, leather, and smoke. A full-body wine with flavours of blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, leather, cured meat and espresso linger throughout the finish. Complex layers of fruit and polished tannins. Can be cellared for 10 Years. + 93 points
Black Market The Syndicate 2019 ($39.90)
Step into the Old World through the New World’s front door. This medium-bodied blend is classically structured but brimming with vibrant Okanagan fruit. An elegant combination of Merlot (41%), Cabernet Franc (31%), Petit Verdot (20%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (8%). This wine was grown in sun-drenched vineyards in Kaleden, Osoyoos and Oliver and harvested between October 12th and 21st. Each varietal was fermented separately in small lots and aged for 21 months in French oak barrels, of which one-third were new.
14.2% Alcohol / pH 3.7 / TA 6.3 gm/L/ RS 2.9 gm/L
An elegant, well-balanced wine with vibrant aromas of chocolate, ripe plum and a touch of cedar. Flavours of black currant, red cherry, blueberry and dark chocolate, with a hint of cigar and earthy undertones. Subtle tannins with a hint of acidity and a long finish. Smooth and rich in texture. Drinking well now but if you can wait will be exceptional in 5 years. 93+ Points
The wine paired beautifully with a Classic French Stew. You can find the recipe here if you are interested in this pairing.
Church & State Meritage 2018 ($37.38)
Fermentation and maceration in the stainless tank for 21 days. Aged in French oak for 12 months with 20% new oak. 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Alcohol 14.5% | TA 5.3 gm/L | RS 3.6 gm/L
A dominant Merlot blend has a deep red colour with aromas of ripe black fruit and notes of black pepper, anise, and cedar. On the palate, blackberry, black cherry, chocolate, and oak and the supple tannins are balanced by fresh acidity. 92 Points.