Vikas Sharma

Where do I start?

Phantom Creek Estates is a beautiful vineyard in Osoyoos within spitting distance of the best winemakers in the area. You’ve got Black Hills Estates Winery (my absolute fave in the Okanagan) and Burrowing Owl (probably the first BC wine that I ever tasted) to the south, you’ve got French Door to the north, and then there’s Culmina Family Estate Winery and Checkmate Artisanal Winery to the west (both blockbuster wines in my opinion).

A bit further south and you get La Stella and Osoyoos Larose, which is one of the few BC wines I used to get in Ontario and loved.

And then there’s Phantom Creek.

Amazing entrance, beautiful art on the grounds and facility (see photos), lovely architecture, but the wine falls flat in my opinion, considering the pedigree of wine around it.

The Becker Vineyard at Phantom Creek Estates has been active for some time. If I’m reading everything correctly, Helmut Becker, a German viticulturist, planted vines in the Okanagan in the mid-70’s on the land which PCE sits, and then by 2016, Richter Bai dropped $100M to establish PCE as you see it today.

Last year, my partner and I went for a visit and we were quite impressed with the facility and the service.

When we tasted the product, my first thought was that the product was too young and it needed time to cellar, so I brought home a 2017 Becker Vineyard Cuvée and threw it in the wine fridge for a year.

Maybe I should have waited longer?

On with the show:

Wine: Phantom Creek Estates Becker Vineyard Cuvée

Region/Appellation: Okanagan Valley (Osoyoos)

Grape(s): Cabernet Sauvignon 47%, Cabernet Franc  46% and Merlot 7%

Vintage: 2017

Style: Red

Price: $60

The Visual: Oily viscosity in the glass – medium + intensity in colour, which was ruby with a cherry rim.

The Aroma: Medium-plus intensity in aroma, with a flattering impression. The nose contained notes of Plum, Dark Fruit, Spice, and further evidence of Oak Aging (perhaps Leather).

The Flavour: Medium-minus in in intensity, and medium-minus in body. And this is where I have difficulty. I wasn’t able to discern many flavours from this wine. It certainly didn’t taste like it smelled. I got a strong vegetable flavour – perhaps Mushroom, a hint of bitterness (not sure where that was coming from), and Dark Berries (but muted).

Alcohol: Medium-plus at 14.5%.

Balance: The flavours were as balanced as the could be. Nothing clashing, but no stars either. The wine had a medium-minus finish.

Other notes: I didn’t like this wine. I was disappointed, actually, and wondered if I should have cellared it longer.

I wanted to like this wine very much, as the Estate owner put a lot of resources to make a beautiful spot for wine lovers to enjoy his product.

I hope that this winery finds its groove and makes their mark.

Maybe ease up on the Cabernet Franc? I don’t know.

Food pairing: I won’t mention a food pairing, as I didn’t like this wine.

Final Comments: Nothing else to add. I think I’ve made my thoughts on this wine clear.

Cheers – Salud – Salute – Živeli – Prost – Na Zdrowie – Skål – Santé