Top Scores on JancisRobinson.com!

We had the pleasure of hosting UK wine writer, Richard Hemming (Master of Wine), here in August of last year.

Hemming is a chief contributor at JancisRobinson.com  and during his visit to Tantalus our winemaker David Paterson led him through a comprehensive tasting of our portfolio, including four mini-verticals of our Riesling, Old Vines Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We are delighted by his reviews and scores (based on the 20 point system), recently published online in a greater piece on British Columbia wines and listed below.

Sparkling:

Old Vines Riesling Brut 2014   Dosage 6-8 g/l.  Light froth, oily nose, attractive lemon-juice fruit and a fantastic combination of bright acid and soft fleshy mouthfeel. The effervescence fits really well; doesn’t seem arbitrary. (RH)13% Drink 2017-2023
17

Blanc de Noirs Brut 2014   Very pale salmon pink. Smoke, strawberry, fleshy and autolytic with excellent brioche and bakery character. Wonderfully ornate finish – yeasty and rich. (RH)Drink 2017-2024

17

Old Vines Riesling 2014   Youthful, fresh fruit that deserves longer in bottle to unfurl its petals. Gentle despite the punchy acidity, and the long finish displays great purity. (RH)12.7% Drink 2018-2028

17+

Old Vines Riesling 2012   Orange and peach on the nose, no oily character, touches of quite exotic fruit like mandarin and starfruit. Winemaker David says this is one of his least favourite vintages because it was so easy. Very attractive and classic but perhaps not as expressive as their other vintages. (RH) Drink 2015-2022

16.5

Old Vines Riesling 2011   Cool vintage. Citrus peel on the nose, subtle smoke character and loads of body and fruit power on the palate. Intense, chewy length with tremendous fruit, awesome concentration. Just a touch of honey to pretty up the finish, though the lasting impression on the finish is dry. (RH)12.9% Drink 2015-2031
17.5

Old Vines Riesling 2008   Honeyed, stony nose with lime-pickle fruit. Wonderfully balanced palate in terms of flavour profile – ripe but tart, fresh fruit yet showing developed oily notes. Long, aromatic finish. Punchy acidity, long and fragrant finish. (RH) 13% Drink 2013-2024
17

Old Vines Riesling 2006   Warm vintage. Waxy, oily nose, orange peel and gorgeous floral complexity. Fleshy palate that is zipped up by excellent acidic frame. Superb purity with a honeyed, lengthy finish. Shares something of the Clare Valley character, with that slight smoky note. (RH)13% Drink 2008-2022
17

Riesling 2012   Much more compact and precise on the nose compared with the 2010. Straightforward, classic Riesling style on the palate – citric, some tropical notes (pineapple?) and a simple finish. (RH) Drink 2015-2025
16.5

Riesling 2010   Cool, long vintage. Fantastic fresh orange-juice aroma and sumptuous sweetness on the finish. Reasonably full body, mouth-watering acidity and excellent persistence. Such crystalline fruit – really shines. (RH) Drink 2015-2025
17

Riesling 2009   Warm vintage. Honeycomb and caramel on the palate with just a slight hint of bruised citrus on the finish. Very lovely, but not likely to improve further in bottle. (RH) Drink 2012-2018
16

Riesling 2007   Cordite, smoky, cooked-lime fruit, a lick of sugar on the finish makes this very easy drinking and with impressive persistence, although the complexity isn’t quite up to the best Old Vines bottlings. (RH) Drink 2009-2020
16.5

Chardonnay:

Chardonnay 2015   Youthful, fleshy nose with lots of mealy cereal character and dry, savoury extract. Quite restrained fruit overall – perhaps some apricot and lime with a little smoke on the finish. (RH)13.6% Drink 2017-2022
17

Chardonnay 2014   Flint, smoked bacon, clove and vanilla, chalky texture and a dry finish that has an almost European austerity. Serious, balanced, sophisticated. Should be worth ageing for a good few years. (RH) 14.2% Drink 2016-2020
16.5+

Chardonnay 2010   Tropical fruit – pineapple, watermelon fruit. Some buttery character. More savoury and flinty on the palate than expected, with a lovely dry, lengthy finish that has an attractive mealy note. (RH)14.2% Drink 2013-2018
16.5

Pinot Noir:

Juveniles Pinot Noir 2015   Closed nose followed by smooth tannin giving a lightly chewy texture. Light red fruit intensity. A quaffer. (RH)Drink 2018-2022
15.5

Pinot Noir 2015   Red fruit with a slight candied edge. Smoky and spicy finish with violet and a touch of tart cranberry fruit giving freshness on the finish. Crunchy tannic grip on the aftertaste – this needs some bottle age. (RH)13.4% Drink 2019-2025
17+

Pinot Noir 2014   Glossy, with a touch of furniture polish on the nose plus black cherry fruit. Sieved tannin with chalky texture on the finish. Savoury and smoky. (RH)13.9% Drink 2018-2024
16.5

Pinot Noir 2013   Bright red berries, very furry tannin. Super extraction that grips the palate well. Needs more time, but has the core fruit to last. (RH)Drink 2017-2027
16

Pinot Noir 2012   Black fruit, very chewy tannin with loads of structure and tension that will take a long while to soften. Locked down. (RH)Drink 2018-2028
16

Pinot Noir 2010   Strong violet and black cherry aroma. Very fine tannin, lifted floral aromatic character and reasonably subtle fruit intensity. Silky texture, savoury finish. (RH)13.4% Drink 2013-2018
16

Icewine:

Riesling Icewine 2015   RS 280 g/l. TA around 15 g/l!  Honey, candied citrus and ginger, super-fresh acidic finish. Full-bodied, rich and generous – impressive and voluminous. (RH)Drink 2017-2035
17

Syrah Icewine 2015   RS 230 g/l.  Pale orange-pink colour. Very interesting redcurrant and herbal notes, plus treacle and honey and tropical fruits. Incredibly lengthy, and the character of the variety genuinely comes through on the palate. (RH)Drink 2017-2037
17.5