I couldn’t get enough of it. Until I looked at my receipt.
This is a push-me pull-you Merlot, with a deft lightness of almond and cherry countered by a jagged, cigar leaf edge which, together, are somewhat magical. Not quite as brilliant with food as we anticipated but delectable as a sipper. The wines of the Similkameen, if I can generalize, aside from being born and bred in paradise, are truly spectacular, and put Mission Hill to shame.
Price: With taxes this will clock in around $38 and, in some private stores, over $40.
Market Liquidity: I can’t get past the price tag.
3 responses to “Seven Stones Row 128 Merlot, 2011”
Where’d you buy this? BC Wine Guys (now closed of course) used to have this for $30 (unless I’m drunk) and the Meritage for $34.99. I too am a Similkameen fan. Corcelettes (with property formerly of Herder) has a darn good Syrah and Orofino (I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir) is great too. The Orofino Red Bridge (merlot) is about $25 and is beautiful.
Hi Darren,
Got it at Swirl. After White Rock closed I started checking out the Yaletown Swirl as they seem to be the only place in YVR I can find QF Alegria. But May is the month to buy new releases direct from the OK, so the next few bottles will be the non-VQA hard to find vineyards (Blue Mtn, La Frenz, B Owl, etc.). I like to stop at 7 Stones when I’m up that way. Believe it or not first place I tasted their wine was in Montreal. We were at a business dinner and the wine (waiter? steward?) suggested the 7 Stones Meritage. It was heavenly. Around $50 a bottle in a swanky restaurant. But that must be six or more years ago now.
I snagged a 2012 La Frenz Grand Total recently (have the 10 and 11 too), also a 2013 BO Athene, which they (Vintage Liquor downtown Vic) said they only got one case, I got the last bottle. I was at Seven Stones in 2012 and bought a meritage. Then last year BC Wine Guys had a case of the 2009 meritage and I must have bought most of it. It was gorgeous three years later. I’ve not had the 2010 yet. Our other VQA store (Matticks Farm) just closed last weekend. I now have to go to the private stores and be proud to support the wineries I love and forget about what I USED to pay 🙂
Let me know if you ever get over here. I’d love to open something to share with you.