It has been a while since I enjoyed a Cabernet Sauvignon as much as I enjoyed the 2018 Phinny Hill Cabernet Sauvignon from Tender Hope Winery. This wine is made in BC but the grapes are from Phinny Hill Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Washington.
Tender Hope Winery is relatively new to the BC wine scene. The wine industry however is not new for owner and winemaker, Ephraim Perel, who has more than twenty-five years experience as grower, cellar hand and winemaker.
Ephraim was born in Israel and he fell in love with wine twenty-seven years ago while he was living in Spain. His passion for wine has taken him around the globe, but now he and his family have settled in the Okanagan Valley. Prior to starting his own winery in 2016, Ephraim worked at Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Nagging Doubt Winery and 1st R.O.W. Estate Winery.
Tender Hope Winery is named after Ephraim’s daughter, Rou Xi, which when translated from Chinese means tender hope. This small winery was born from the desire to create special wines with the hope that people would enjoy them while gathered with friends and family.
With the rising cost of real estate in BC, it is cost prohibitive to own vineyards, especially for young wineries just starting out. So Tender Hope currently works with eight vineyards located in the Okanagan and the Columbia Valley. Ephraim works with growers whom he feels a connection to – those that share the same philosophy for growing as he has.
Ephraim believes that good grapes and special vineyards create the best wines. When making wine, he strives to let the fruit shine, using traditional winemaking methods with minimal intervention. He states, “the way I look at it is that the fruit is the painting and the oak and tannins are the frame holding it up.”
Tender Hope Winery is looking forward to opening their tasting room in Kelowna this July. Also, in the next few weeks they will be bottling their 2020 Meritage made from grapes grown in Oliver and Osoyoos, as well as their 2021 Chardonnay from east Kelowna and a Kosher Merlot from an Osoyoos vineyard. So visitors will have lots of new wines to taste in the coming months!
2018 Phinny Hill Cabernet Sauvignon $34.00
The wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were hand picked from Phinny Hill Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (35% new).
After four hours in the decanter there are aromas of black cherry, dried blackcurrant, buttered toast with black plum jam, liquorice pastels and hints of baking spice. This is a dry wine that is medium+ in body with medium acidity and medium, velvety tannins. The palate offers good concentration of flavour, with notes of dried blackcurrant, juicy, ripe black cherries, baked wild blueberries, orange rind, clove and star anise with a medium finish.
This Cabernet Sauvignon was beautiful to sip on its own, but it would pair well this summer with a ribeye straight from the grill.