Burrowing Owl 2020 Syrah 750ml

In 2020 the syrah and viognier (two percent) were hand-harvested in the second half of October from estate vineyards on the Black Sage Bench and in Osoyoos. They get a gentle crush before fermenting in stainless steel tanks with a small amount of syrah cofermented with viognier. Post-ferment, the juice is run into a particular mix of French, American, Hungarian, and Caucasus wood for 15 months (the new wood totals a modest 22 percent). The BOV style is meaty and peppery with a rich and savoury presence to offset the fruit, in this case, blackcurrants and black cherries dusted in brown spice. The syrah traditionally ages well, and I suspect this year will be no different. For the moment, lamb is the ultimate match in what would be a battle of rich versus rich flavours.

Score: 90 points --Anthony Gismondi, Gismondi On Wine