Burrowing Owl Meritage 2011

I find it interesting that in the two cool years of 2010 and 2011 BOV Meritage has excelled. The merlot cabernet franc dominated mix is the key to the fragrant, attractive spicy nose with some prominent oak and vanilla. It's more Napa than Okanagan but this wine will have many fans who can't get enough of its spicy plummy oaky flavours that with help of some black olives, sage brush and chocolate are still fun to drink. Best let this sit for five years but you can drink it now with osso buco or grilled lamb dishes. The next level is a sliver of complexity and sense of place. Score - 91. (Anthony Gismondi, gismondionwine.com, Dec. 31, 2014)