Matt scored this wine: 90/100

San Pedro's 1865 Selected Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is produced in Chile's Maipo Valley, along the foothills of the Andes Mountains where the gravelly soils, warm days and cool evenings create exceptional terroir for producing premium Cabernet Sauvignon. Las Piedras (the stones) Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, celebrates the Year of the Snake, in a commemorative bottle with red and burgundy colours and golden snakes on the label. This super value-priced wine ($17.40 @lcbo), shows a complex bouquet with blackberry, plum, blueberry, chocolate, sautéed peppers, and herbs. The palate highlights the harmony, structure, and elegance of this wine with silky fine grained tannins that slither across your palate. A wonderful budget-friendly wine to complement beef stir fry or grilled fillet mignon with reduced Port sauce. Enjoy 2025-2030. Tasted January 2025. 90 points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca

Matt scored this wine: 93/100

2022 was a challenging vintage but one that produced exceptionally high quality fruit. Hester Creek's 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderful example of how ripe and balanced Cabernet Sauvignon can be in the south of the Okanagan. While the spring was cooler than expected, the growing season was nice and long allowing the fruit to achieve full maturity, even wither a bit on the vine. The result is an incredibly harmonious Cabernet with great aromatic and flavour complexity. Deep ruby colour, the nose offers fragrant dark fruit, sweet spices, dried dark fruit, cassis, forest floor, and graphite. The palate repeats with dark fruit, spice, and herbs persisting on the long finish. Tannis are super soft and integrated, an important indicator of great terroir and talent. Tasted over two days and day two it was even more enjoyable and harmonious. Enjoy 2025-2035. Decant before serving. Tasted January 2025. 93+ points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca

Matt scored this wine: 93/100

Hester Creek’s inaugural GSM (45% Grenache, 38% Syrah (includes 2% co-fermented Viognier), and 17% Mourvèdre) from one of the hottest vineyard sites in Canada, in the far south of the Okanagan Valley.  “Vineyard Eleven” is located on the east side of Osoyoos Lake, practically a stones throw to the US border.  With its south-west aspect, the vines benefit from the warm afternoon and evening sun helping achieve full ripeness while the cool desert nights help preserve the refreshing acidity found in this wine.  GSM shows a beautiful bouquet with cherry, raspberry, plum, floral notes, spice and sweet incense, pepper and graphite. The bouquet repeats on the palate with refreshing cherry, plum, and spice persisting.  Medium + bodied and beautifully balanced, this is a very pretty and well structured wine that will complement a wide range of dishes from BBQ pork and chicken, autumn harvest meals, and braised dishes.  Enjoy over the next five years.  Tasted August 2024.  93 points.  Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca

Matt scored this wine: 93/100

Hester Creek’s 2022 Syrah is a wine that demands a place in your collection. The 2022 vintage was one of rare beauty, with one of the longest growing seasons in recent memory, allowing the fruit to hang late into the year, even achieving a natural withering on the vine. The result is a Syrah that is as fragrant as it is deeply concentrated, already dazzling with its complexity, and destined to shine bright over the next decade and beyond. The nose greets you with an intoxicating blend of blueberry pie, ripe currants, subtle dessert herbs, graphite, and a delicate touch of white pepper, drawing you in with its depth and allure. On the palate, these flavors repeat with remarkable precision, wrapped in a silky smooth texture that coats the mouth with grace. At 14.6% abv, it’s a wine with power, yet it’s perfectly balanced, the fruit’s rich character and soft tannins harmonizing effortlessly with the oak’s integration after 14 months of careful aging. This is a wine to be savored with hearty dishes: think braised Osso Bucco, wood-fired pizza with grilled sausage, or a charcuterie platter. For something unexpected, pair it with a decadent slice of chocolate cake—its layers of complexity will mirror each bite. A true testament to the exceptional quality of the Okanagan Valley, this Syrah showcases the beauty of the vintage and the stunning potential of this varietal with the region’s unique terroir. Tasted December 2024. 93 points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca

Matt scored this wine: 93/100

95 % Sangiovese and 5 % Merlot from Tenuta Perano’s high altitude vineyards shaped like a natural amphitheater in the heart of Chianti Classico. The nose shows plum, black cherry, chocolate, graphite, sandalwood, Olive, black tea, and leather. Medium-full bodied, refreshing, with savoury dark fruit, earthy character and dusty fine tannins on the long finish. Enjoy with mushroom risotto or Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Tasted October 2024. 93 points. Matt Steeves - www.quercusvino.ca