Bill and Dawnine Dyer came up for a private event this week - a vertical
tasting of the Burrowing Owl wines that Bill makes in BC.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris:

2002 - a clean, sweet crisp nose, presented crisply in the mouth with good
length.

2001 - the nose on this one was more muted but did come out with some time. The
wine was middle of the road, decent but not flashy, and slightly hot at the
end.

2000 - more mature fruit, sharper and unfortunately slightly corked.

1998 - smoky stony nose, with less fruit than the previous wines, but the fruit
it has was riper. Mellow and pretty decent.

1997 - the first vintage was a surprise. The only one showing significant
colour, the nose mature with more complexity than the younger wines, with a
sweet caramel component and a little petrol. Interesting but a bit flabby at
the end.

2003 - just bottled and with that typical new-in-the-bottle thing that typifies
many new wines in the nose (and that for some reason often persists in home
made wines long after the well made commercial wines have settled down).Good
crisp fruit, and a freshness the others lacked. My conclusion is that this wine
is best when young, notwithstanding some interesting aspects picked up with
maturity.

Tasted with Quiche Lorraine, sockeye salmon salad with fennel, walnuts and
chives, and herbed couscous.

Cabernet Sauvignon:

2001 - purple with a big sweet nose, soft entry but the tannins clamp down
pretty fast , firm but sweet.

2000 - lovely sweet currant fruit nose, with coffee and burnt toast, perhaps a
tad too herbaceous. The nose was the best part of this wine.

1999 - not a good year, locally. A Bordeaux style of nose, the wine fairly well
balanced, but without the structure to age long.

1998 - the best vintage in recent years - a restrained spearminty nose with
good fruit behind, good structure, excellent balance - an harmonious wine!

1997 - bit of funk and tad of mint in the nose, lighter colour, thinner and
washed out compared to the previous wines.

With pork tenderloin terrine, chicken breast stuffed with ricotta, spinach and
herbs, and heirloom tomato salad and green beans with balsamic pesto.

We then looked at another winery that Bill Dyer had worked with, Sterling,
where he had been from 1976 (1985 as winemaker).

1996 Sterling Reserve - the first really corked wine, but we had a back-up.
Medium colour, with great purity of fruit in the nose, sweet, and with a lot of
soft tannins. Someone commented that the Wine Speculator gave this a very high
rating. It was a nice wine, but didn't measure up to the following wines.

1973 Sterling Reserve (magnum) - lovely mature nose and soft and mellow in the
mouth, tannins fully resolved slightly high terminal acidity. This was in good
shape because of the large format and careful cellaring; regular bottles or
those less tenderly cared for would not stand such a good chance of being in
this shape.

1974 Sterling Reserve (magnum) - best wine of the night! Darker and spicier in
the nose than the 73, with sweet vanilla followed by a balanced soft feel in
the mouth, with excellent length and lingering flavours. A real treat.

We finished up with some bottles that Bill had brought up with him. He is now
involved with his own Dyer Vineyards (aside from consulting at Burrowing Owl),
and his wife Dawnine, a consultant at Domaine Chandon takes co-winemaking
responsibility. They have a 2.2 acre vineyard and produce about 175 cases of
wine a vintage, made from a blend of cab, cab franc, merlot, and petite verdot.
I love the wit behind the name of their marketing company, Dyer Straits Wine
Company. Too bad they live on Diamond Mountain instead of on Telegraph
Road..... The wine sells for about $70 US a bottle.

2000 - warmer sweeter nose, with some spice, anise and blackberries and
excellent balance. Not a huge brawling wine, but rather a refined suave example
of what California Cab can be.

1997 - dark wine with an intensity in the nose, black currant and earth, sweet
and balanced with a slight greenness, perhaps from young vine fruit.

A wine worth following, although I believe they sell to a closed list.

Thanks to Ken and Barb for a fascinating wine journey, and for arranging for
Bill and Dawnine to attend.