Burrowing Owl 2020 Merlot 1.5L

The BOV merlot comes from estate sites at the Oliver winery and further south in Osoyoos. The wine is aged in a mix of French, Hungarian, American and Caucus oak, of which 20 percent is new. The style is rich, the colour dark and brooding. In the glass, it opens with blackcurrants and black cherry laced with licorice, mint and spice dusted in a veneer of desert scrub. There are tannins to disperse, but they are dense enough and sweet enough to allow for drinking now or down the road in a decade. It should appeal broadly to those who prefer a big red wine with their meal. If you must open this wine now, serve it with a favourite beef dish.

Score: 91 points -- Anthony Gismondi, gismondionwine.com, 2020