B.C. wine for the week of Dec. 8, a bottle to cellar and calendar items

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Join Marquis Wine Cellars and Black Hills’ Winemaker and Master of Wine, Ross Wise, for a Winemaker’s Dinner in Tableau Bistro’s Private Grand Salon on Dec. 14. The evening will feature a selection of current releases and back-vintage paired with a curated four-course menu.

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Tickets are limited and are bound to sell out fast, so if you plan on attending, make sure to buy them today.

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The wine list includes Black Hills Sparkling Brut, Viognier, Alibi and Nota Bene. Dinner is 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Tableau Bar Bistro (1181 Melville Street, Vancouver). Tickets, taxes and tip all in are $249.99. To reserve, call 604-684-0445 or drop by Marquis Wine Cellars.

Phantom Creek is offering The Sparkling Holiday Gift Bundles for 2022. The package, valued at $200, includes: one bottle each of the recently released 2017 Sparkling Brut and the 2017 Sparkling Brut Reserve; a Phantom Creek Estates seated tasting and charcuterie board voucher for two people at the estate and free shipping.

The offer is good until Dec. 14 for all provinces except B.C. and available until Dec. 20 for B.C. residents with guaranteed delivery before Christmas.

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Phantom Creek’s new 2017 Sparkling Brut, 2017 Sparkling Brut Reserve and holiday gift bundles are available online at phantomcreekestates.com/collection/bundle.

B.C. wine of the week

Hester Creek Pinot Bianco 2021, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 

$21.99 I 88/100

UPC: 626990222163

The Hester Creek Pinot Bianco is a blend of two sites, one on the Golden Mile Bench estate and the other on Black Sage Road in Oliver. Most of the juice is cool fermented in stainless steel, with some 13 per cent fermented in two French François Frères oak barrels for a rounder mouth feel and more texture. The style is fresh and fragrant, mixing classic almond scents with apple blossoms. A small amount of residual sugar smooths out the palate without becoming sweet, leaving a fresh, lively citrus finish to balance it. The winery suggests pork as a match. We would also add a piece of mature Italian cheese as a fun option.

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Wine for the cellar

Domaine Baron de l’Ecluse Côte de Brouilly Les Garances 2020, Beaujolais, France 

$38.99 I 90/100

UPC: 3760088470559

Les Garance is one serious cru. Built to age, it is fermented in concrete, supercharging its savoury fruit aromas and flavours. The beefy nature of this Gamay and some dense tannins all add to the aging argument, but when you taste the wine, the black fruit and licorice flavours draw you into the glass, suggesting you could drink it now. We agree, but it would have to be rich and equally influential at this stage to take on the 14.5 per cent alcohol and intense black fruit finish. Duck confit would work, or a grilled steak in a peppercorn sauce. Or wait three to five years for a formidable bottle of wine.

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