There’s a real buzz these days at TIME Family of Wines in Penticton with their 2018 vintage. Last week I reviewed their Evolve Pink Effervescence, TIME Viognier, and TIME Syrah. This week, here’s another tasty trio.
Beginning with the 2018 TIME White Meritage ($25.00), General Manager Christa-Lee McWatters explained the background, “Meritage is a style that’s near and dear to our heart. Our first production of Meritage was 1993 at Sumac Ridge at our Black Sage Vineyard and for the white Meritage, 1995. It was a group of wineries that got together in 1988 and wanted to come up with a name that meant something more than ‘red table wine’.”
Meritage is a fusion of “merit” and “heritage” and it rhymes with heritage. Wines must be a blend of 100 per cent traditional Bordeaux varieties grown in North America and can’t have more than 90 per cent of one varietal.
TIME’s Hospitality Manager, Kimberly Hundertmark described the 2018 White Meritage, “This is a wine I really get excited talking about because of the legacy, it is really unique, and it’s absolutely beautiful. This Meritage is 51-per-cent Sauvignon Blanc harvested in Okanagan Falls, as well as 49-per-cent Semillon at the Black Sage Bench.”
“I get a lot of apricot-mango but I do pull out the tangerine in it and I do find on the palate a lot of pear and a hint of gooseberry. I can’t wait until the little sweet peas come out this spring and pair it with this. But for right now, I’m in love with this and goat cheese.”
Switching colours, McWatters described the 2018 TIME Cabernet Franc ($34.99) and the Cabernet Sauvignon ($39.99), which are new releases and are only available at the winery. “These are babies. They need a little bit of time to open up.”
“Cabernet Franc is a varietal we’ve always liked when we had our Black Sage Vineyard. The Cab Franc is a blend of two very different vineyards: Adega in Osoyoos. Very rich, ripe fruit, and in Kaleden, further north. It gives us a spicy personality,” added McWatters.
I really enjoyed the finesse of the Cabernet Franc, especially the day after opening it. There’s ripe red berry aroma with a hint of coffee. On the palate there’s plenty of boysenberry, raspberry, and kirsch flavours with refreshing acidity, smooth tannins, spice, and a nice crescendo of ripeness. And the chocolate and berry finish is an impressive finale. This is a versatile wine and I enjoyed it with pork tenderloin and chorizo in a Spanish tomato sauce as well as a lamb curry with mango chutney and basmati rice.
The last wine at the TIME tasting was their 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. McWatters set the stage for sampling this classic red, “Just released, it’s just available at the winery. We’ve made 300 cases of it. It’s a baby, its going to age, lots of ageability to it. 18 months in French oak. Two different vineyards: Haines Point in Osoyoos and Gold Hill in Oliver. They’re really nice sites for Cabernet Sauvignon.”
“I get the typical blackberry, cassis,” McWatters said. The Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely one for your cellar. It has the classic rich black fruit personality with tannins to allow it to be cellared for at least five years. Expect the bouquet to develop more, the tannins to soften, and the complexity to increase. To enjoy now, decant for several hours and serve with red meat. A lamb Rogan Josh dinner with mango chutney was delicious with the TIME Cab; the bouquet and flavour developed very nicely!
TIME wines are available at various private liquor stores and online: https://timewinery.com/
