Blasted Church 2016 Nectar of the Gods 750ml

Nectar of the Gods is a new release from Blasted Church, and a flagship label, so to speak, from the winery. It's made under the watch of consultant Pascal Madevon and shows his uber-Bordeaux, hands-on winemaking style. The blend includes 49 percent petit verdot from Oliver and Osoyoos, 40 percent cabernet sauvignon from their estate Skaha Bench vineyard, and malbec (cot noir) from Osoyoos. After each lot is picked, fermented and vinified separately, it spends three months in barrel before the final blend. The wine is racked back to barrel for another 17 months plus time in a tank before bottling unfined and unfiltered. Thick and dense on the full-bodied palate, the perfumed violets of petit verdot dominate this giant wine, backed up by blueberry pie, blackberry jam, sandalwood flecked with some green, toasty wood, and vanilla. Tannins are plush and sticky, and it finishes warm. Built for prime rib and big red fans, of which it will have many.

Score: 88 points -- Treve Ring & Anthony Gismondi, May 2019