Anthony Gismondi: B.C. wine for the week of Sept. 15, a bottle to cellar and calendar items

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The ninth annual Campbell Valley Wine Run & Ride is back Sunday, Sept. 25, in support of Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities (PRDA).

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The run that begins and finishes at PRDA’s home base at 1088 — 208th Street in Langley kicks off at 9 a.m., with costumed fun-runners making their way along the 10 km route, including the scenic trails of Campbell Valley Park, with tasting stops at Township 7, Chaberton Estate and Vista D’oro Farms & Winery.

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New this year is the option to horseback ride instead of run. Riders will join the Fraser Valley Hounds Society Charity Hunt at 11 a.m., starting at Histed Farm, and then enter the Wine Run after-party before heading out for the hunt ride through Campbell Valley Park.

Tickets are $90 per person from Eventbrite. All proceeds go to PRDA, a 40-year provider of equestrian therapy programs for adults and children in Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley communities. Details on participating via horseback are available at fraservalleyhunt.com.

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Fans of former Vancouverite Barbara Jo Macintosh (Books to Cook) are invited to visit her next chapter, a Loire Valley B&B in La Charite sur Loire.

Macintosh offers a three-day bed and breakfast (Chambre d’hote) stay, five-day excursion experiences, or together, you can create an itinerary that suits you and your travelling companion(s). For information go to Madame M’s Maison des Mots.

B.C. wine of the week

Tantalus Old Vines Riesling 2019, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 

$39 I 93/100

UPC: 626990067429

The Tantalus Old Vine Riesling is a B.C. treasure, although I’m guessing many wine drinkers haven’t heard of the wine because they don’t drink Riesling. It was first planted in 1978 north of 49 degrees, and if that wasn’t a cool enough site, all the vines are facing north to seal the deal. Winemaker David Patterson doesn’t do much with the grapes — it is whole-bunch-pressed and fermented cold for three-plus weeks before resting 120 days on its lees and 24 months in bottle. So what can we say about this wine that hasn’t already been said? In 2019 it pitched a rich lime and salty palate with lively mineral dusty stone notes from front to back. The acid and residual sugar cancel each other out at 11.4 g/L sugar, 10.7 total acidity that sets the stage for a decade and more of aging. But, of course, you can drink it now with almost any dish in the world. Iconic.

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Wine for the cellar

Daschbosch Mossiesdrift Steen 2021, Breedekloof, Breede River Valley, South Africa 

$29.99 I 90/100

UPC: 6009814420831

From a 58-year-old vineyard in Breedekloof comes a fine example of old vine Chenin made by one of the leading producers in the region. Breedekloof is on the eastern border of Paarl, and the vines grown at the Mossiesdrift farm are registered as part of South Africa’s Old Vine Project. Hand-picked, destemmed, and crushed, they go through a cold soak and long slow cool fermentation in old neutral oak, mixing commercial and wild yeast before being left on its considerable lees for six months and barrel matured for eight months. The palate is an elegant expression of Chenin with exploding ripe lemon and a load of minerality in the form of wet stones, finishing with a light dusting of spice. Impressive, vibrant, and old vine, it is the real thing. West Coast seafood is the match. No rush to drink this.