johnschreiner.blogspot.com John Schreiner Herder Pinot Gris 2009 ($17) Refreshing and crisp, this wine begins with aromas of citrus and apples and delivers luscious flavours of pear and white peach. The fleshy weight on the mid-palate suggests the result of carefully monitored time on the lees. The finish lingers. 90.
Herder Twin Benches Chardonnay 2007 ($35) The buttery tangerine and tropical aromas soar from the glass. On the palate, there are tangerine and nectarine flavours framed subtly by light, toasty notes of oak. This is an elegant and powerful Chardonnay. 89-91.
Herder Malbec 2008 (NA). Snap it up if you find this wine on a restaurant wine list. It begins with rich aromas of plum, black currant and chocolate. Full on the palate, the flavours are lit up by notes of spice and red plums, with more spicy fruit on the finish. 90.
Herder Meritage 2008 ($20). This is a 9,200-bottle blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Franc (15%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), Malbec (3%) and Petit Verdot (2%). The wine, aged in French and American oak for 16 months, is a good honest drink at a great price. Medium-bodied, it begins with attractive berry aromas and delivers flavours of currants, with a hint of chocolate. The tannins are firm enough to allow cellaring this wine for another five years. 88.
Herder Josephine 2007 ($39). This is a blend of Merlot (66%), Cabernet Franc (21%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (13%). The Cabernet Franc delivers typically attractive brambly aromas to a wine that is packed with sweet fruit on the mid-palate, flavours of plums, blackberries, with a hint of mocha. This is a big satisfying red that is drinking well now but clearly has good potential to age. 92. Aug 18, 2010 1:01pm
Food and drink: Eight weeks of home schooling
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
By Anthony Gismondi
Tasting blends is a useful way to discover the concept of complexity. Locally we now compare favourably with the world so try Herder Meritage 2008 ($27) from the Similkameen Valley. VANCOUVER SUN
Herder Meritage 2008, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada $20
Attractive open, fresh, floral nose with plums, green olives and spicy savoury notes. Similar fresh notes on the palate with cran-cherry fruit and deftly handled tannins – hooray. This is the style we do best and one the world will welcome. Drink now with roasted meats or cellar for three to five years. Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/eat-drink/Herder+Meritage+2008+Similkameen+Valley/3396143/story.html#ixzz0xkNHC1La GEORGIA STRAIGHT
Jurgen Gothe Herder Meritage 2008 ($19.90) But the cup for finesse this week goes to the Similkameen Valley. This is the best-value B.C. Meritage on the market today. It’s mostly Merlot, plus the Cabernet brothers, Franc and Sauvignon, as well as Malbec and Petit Verdot. A true Meritage at a fraction of what most producers charge. Soft and round and very, very mellow. Sip it slowly, like a vin santo, and end your evening with it, watching the sunset. Hardest to find; try the winery in Keremeos. The wine route less travelled
Maclean's Magazine macleans.ca This B.C. valley boasts some of Canada’s biggest reds, best whites
by Jennifer Cockrall-King on Thursday, July 8, 2010
As it emerges from the shadow of the Okanagan juggernaut, that is one of the biggest hurdles Similkameen wines now face. The productions are so small most good wines don’t make it out of the region. Almost none make it out of B.C. And with barely the critical mass of wineries to make it a destination in itself, it will have to rely on the draw of having the Okanagan next door for a while longer. It’s a complicated relationship, but not without precedent in the wine world. Transplanted Californian Lawrence Herder, the valley’s first cult-status winemaker, sums it up: “If the Okanagan is the ‘Napa of the North,’ then the Similkameen is its Sonoma. GISMONDI ON WINE 89 POINTSThe Herder gris is 100 per cent tank fermented and sees no oak throughout the ageing process. Winemaker Lawrence Herder is rightfully seeking to reveal the crisp minerality and cool citrus fruits of the Similkameen to offset the peachy tones of the Okanagan Valley fruit. The finish is ripe with just the right amount of honey and creamy lees to balance the wine. Very modern stylish gris that is textbook BC. Bring on the calamari. JOHN SCHREINER This is the flagship red wine at Herder, a blend of 66% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, made with grapes from both valleys and aged 12 months in French oak. This is a cellar-worthy wine and collectors have begun accumulating the several vintages released so far. The wine should also be decanted for current consumption. Dark in colour, it begins with aromas of cherries, vanilla and spice. On the palate, there are flavours of spice, red currants, plum, chocolate and tobacco, with black cherry emerging as the wine opens. Drinking this layered, complex wine is like reading a good book that you wish would never end. 92 POINTS VANCOUVER COURIER - TIM PAWSEY It's tough to find a B.C. Meritage this side of $20, but this balanced, vanilla-toned mainly Merlot blend delivers above its weight with luscious black fruit and BBQ-friendly tannins. GEORGIA STRAIGHT
Jurgen Gothe
This Keremeos winery has a major contender here, easily the best buy in the bunch. Rich and mellow, creamy and full—it doesn’t get much better, PG—wise, in B.C. Lucky for us they produced 2,700 bottles; still, it won’t last much beyond the beginning of summer. Take the van up to the Similkameen Valley. Vines Magazine
April - May 2010 Issue
NOMAD’S LAND
The Similkameen Valley hits the big time JancisRobinson.com Okanagan, Canada's desert wines
22 Aug 2009 by Jancis Robinson/FT though this is much longer WineScores
Snappy and pristine, the newest Herder Pinot Gris has aromas of creamy pears, tropical fruitcup, exotic floral and loads of citrus with hints of minerality. The palate is dry with tart white fruits and citrus flavours. Will pair well with crisp summer salads and seafood.
Wine Scores Reviewed - May 28th, 2009 89 Points Global TV
March 22, 2009
Executive Director Harry Hertscheg from the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Fetival. Focus on Pinots; Gehringer Brothers - Pinot Blanc, Herder - Pinot Gris & Quails Gate - Pinot Noir. 2006 Josephine BY JOHN SCHREINER The 2006 vintage is an elegantly balanced wine, dark in colour and full on the palate. The aromas suggest plums, cherry jam, and vanilla with a touch of chocolate. The complex flavours include currants and dried cranberries, with notes of toasted oak. In the Similkameen, Merlot grapes mature with good firm tannins which, in this wine, give a structure that will reward the cellaring of this wine. 90 points. North Shore News
B.C. VALLEY ON THE MAP
by Tim Pawsey
February 10, 2008Herder Twin Benches Chardonnay 2006
Generous, lush fruit, baked apple and tropical tones with a rich, creamy style $24.90. Herder Bellamay Merlot 2006 A hint of things to come. Cherry chocolate on the nose with a broad palate of dark cherry, plum and spice notes with a plush centre and a hint of minerality. Maybe we're just imagining, shades of BR Cohn? Very limited. $34.90. Herder Cabernet Franc 2006 One of the best Cab Franc single varietal bottlings we've tasted. Vibrant raspberry and cherry notes with hints of anise, only a little herbaceousness and a lingering, vibrantly spicy end. $31.90. Herder Josephine 2006 Heading more towards Napa, with toasty notes on top, and very focused fruit on the palate, fine tannins beneath plush, rounded layers of mulberry and red fruit with cedar notes and spicy oak. And it will get even better. $39.90. GISMONDI ON WINE
www.gismondionwine.com
Merlot Osoyoos Lake Bench 2005 Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
The latest herder merlot is a blend of Cawston, Keremeos fruit from the Similkameen valley with another third coming from Oliver aged in 80 per cent French oak (20 American). Open spicy peppery nose with bits of earth, vanilla and black fruit. The entry is spicy with resiny licorice black fruit and mocha coffee undertones. Good acidity in a Bordelais style with just a few grainy tannins in the finish. Cellar for three to five years for best results. 87/100
Herder Cabernet Franc Osoyoos Lake Bench 2005 Okanagan Valley
The latest Herder cabernet franc grows on the warm Osoyoos Lake Bench. It has a sweet fruit entry with plenty of minty leafy cassis flavours with spicy chocolate spicy, cranberry undertones. A bit too leafy for us but some like this style. A fall mushroom dish would no doubt improve the overall flavour of this wine. 86/100 ENROUTE MAGAZINE
July 2007
HERDER is the namesake of Lawrence Herder, who trained as a winemaker at some of the finest outfits in his native California. Today, he and his wife Sharon are producing wines from small, carefully chosen vineyard lots around the Okanagan. Herder is the only winery I have ever visited that actually reduces its output some seasons to give even more attention to each wine. Try the 2004 Bellamay Vineyards merlot, a ripe and intense stunner with silky tannins, cherry and mint flavours and a subtle herbal character. APPELLATION AMERICA.COM
WINE RECOMMENDATIONS MAY 2007
2005 Pinot Noir Bellamay Vineyard
BY JOHN SCHREINER
This Pinot Noir is a case in point. Dark in colour, the wine absolutely fills the mouth with juicy flavours: black cherries framed with spice and notes of toasty oak. On the palate, the wine is full and sensuous as only a fine Pinot can be. Tasting this wine is an interesting experience, with its lovely sweet entry and its very persistent finish. The wine pulls off being bold and elegant at the same time. Alas, only 65 cases were made. 90 points. GEORGIA STRAIGHT
UNCORKED | MARCH 29, 2007
Travel plans uncork wine flights of fancy
By JURGEN GOTHE
Heed your Herder early warning: the new Pinot Gris is here. And don't say later that you weren't informed. Sometimes I get flak from readers: "Why do you write about wines that aren't available, that we can't seem to find?" It's usually because they've sold out in a flash, and by the time you get around to looking for them, there's nothing left, especially in the case of wineries with minuscule output. Wines are always available at the time I first talk about them, unless specifically stated. Sometimes I list them for the fact that they are outstanding and should have been recognized earlier. GEORGIA STRAIGHT
UNCORKED | NOVEMBER 2, 2006
Ten luscious treats to round out the year
By Jurgen Gothe
Herder Twin Benches Chardonnay 2005 ($24.90) The ongoing problem with Herder wines is the lack of supply: only 250 cases of this were produced. Chances are good they’re long gone, but you might find a few bottles in a favourite restaurant with a knowledgeable wine buyer; if so, treat yourself to this big, bold, even unctuous, slightly sweet, no-nonsense Chardonnay with something herbaceous on the back palate. Having yet to find a Herder wine that isn’t good, we all simply trust in the fact something else will likely be along soon. THE GLOBE & MAIL
BUSINESS & INVESTING | SEPTEMBER 28, 2006
Wine: Atlas unplugged
By BEPPI CROSARIOL
Herder Winery & Vineyards, Similkameen Valley, B.C.
Co-founded by Lawrence Herder, who cut his teeth at B.R. Cohn in Sonoma, this winery makes nice pinot gris and chardonnay from bought grapes. But just wait till his own vines come on stream in a couple of years. GISMONDI ON WINE
gismondionwine.com
Herder Chardonnay Twin Benches 2005
Mineral, lees, spicy, smoky, baked apple, honey and vanilla nose with a touch of citrus. Round, full, soft palate with ripe peach, red apple, honey, creamy lees, vanilla flavours with a nutty, citrus finish. Good solid effort that’s ready to drink. Best yet from Lawrence who seems to well understand the nuances of chardonnay. There's 30 per cent of wild ferment juice in the mix. 88/100 Three Sisters Attractive floral, spicy, perfumy, lychee, green apple, honey nose. Ripe, round, elegant and fresh on the palate with mineral, green apple skin, perfumed, orange, grapefruit skin and honey flavours with a touch of citrus rind in the finish. Fresh, dry, well balanced wine for spicy seafood or chicken. 89/100 GEORGIA STRAIGHT
UNCORKED | SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
Come tiptoe through the Pinots with me
By JURGEN GOTHE
Herder Pinot Gris 2005 ($17.90 suggested) This one poses several questions: Is there any left? What does it cost? Where can you get it? I have no answers, knowing only that 775 cases rolled off the bottling line. All unoaked, gently grassy, lemon-rich, creamy, deep, and intense, this state-of-the-art PG aspires to be B.C.’s best. Certainly it’s arm-wrestling the Burrowing Owl and the Pfaffenheim (below) for top spot. APPELLATION AMERICA.COM
WINE RECOMMENDATIONS | AUGUST 28, 2006
2005 TWIN BENCHES CHARDONNAY
BY JOHN SCHREINER
The 255 cases of this wine are a selection of the best barrels. This is an elegant Chardonnay, sveltely polished, with nothing overdone. The aromas are delicate but certainly not elusive. There are flavours of citrus and peach, framed subtly with just a touch of oak that leaves the fruit out front. This is the tasty sort of Chardonnay that Herder would have made a few years ago if his former grower had paid attention. 89 points. NEW YORK TIMES
DINING & WINE | August 23, 2006
Wines of The Times: Fresh, Lively and Easygoing
By ERIC ASIMOV
In a tasting of pinot grigios from northeast Italy, the dining panel found wines that were balanced, lively, crisp and subtle, with mineral foundations . . . I recently had an excellent Canadian pinot gris from Herder in British Columbia. PIQUE, Whistler's News Magazine
Food and Drink | July 20, 2006
Happy vineland and wine land under the Okanagan sun
By ANTHONY GISMONDI
Let’s begin by eschewing the spectacular but stark Coquihalla (Highway 5) drive in favour of the slower, more picturesque Hope-Princeton-Keremeos (Highway 3) route, and stop at Herder Vineyard and Winery in Cawston. Count yourself lucky if you can pick up a bottle or two of the Herder Twin Benches Chardonnay 2005 ($25), and then enjoy the gorgeous ride out the east end of the valley, over the mountains into Osoyoos and the south Okanagan.
|
