My last wine notes were on Moon Curser Vineyards Arneis and Viognier, which are sold out at the winery. It made me a little sad that you could not try these wines, so I’ve opened their Syrah 2019 and Malbec 2019, which are available, and are delicious! Get out your BBQ! The sweet fruit flavours should go very well with the smokiness from the BBQ and the spices from your marinated meat (meat alternative or vegetables). These are both premium red wines and well worth the cash.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Moon Curser Vineyards Syrah 2019 (BC $28.99)
The grapes for this wine come from three vineyards on the Osoyoos East Bench: Fernandes Vineyard, Stubbs Vineyard, and Bartsch Vineyard. The grapes were hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard, then sorted again prior to destemming and pumping through to fermenters. No crushing. It underwent a warm red fermentation in stainless steel tanks before being transferred to barrels. There was malolactic fermentation in both the tanks and barrels. This wine is vegan-friendly. 15.1% alc coming from a hot summer.
Appearance: Ruby coloured. Opaque at the core and 80% at the rim.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity nose with grilled sausages and brambleberry aromas. With decanting the grilled sausage aroma disappears, but you can add sweet spices, light oak and blackberry aromas to the bramble berries.
Palate: Dry, medium body, but very silky, soft, and round. Lots of velvety texture. Mixed black fruits and berries, plus a touch of plum and black pepper on the palate. Some nutmeg with air. Soft fine tannins and medium acidity. Also touches of ripe raspberries and sweet spices. The wine still retains its velvety texture although the acidity is a little higher with decanting. You also get blackberries and blueberries, and clove spice in addition to the other mentioned fruit flavours.
Finish: Medium length finishing with blackberries, light black pepper, and sweet spices. Slightly stronger tannins but more fruit and acidity on the finish. No noticeable difference on the finish with decanting.
To decant this wine or not is fine as there is not much major difference. I’d enjoy and open.
Rating: 
Almost opaque ruby coloured. Lighter aromas of grilled sausage (before decanting), along with bramble berries. Add blackberries and sweet spice aromas if decanted. Dry, round, with a velvety texture. Mixed black fruit and berries, and ripe raspberries. Medium-minus tannins. Medium length with blackberries, sweet spices, light black pepper and firmer tannins.
Moon Curser Vineyards Malbec 2019 (BC $33.99)
The grapes for this wine are grown on the Osoyoos East Bench, Moon Curser Vineyard. There is 2.4% Tannat blended into this wine, a grape that is known for its tannins. The grapes were hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard, then sorted again prior to destemming and pumping through to fermenters. No crushing. It underwent a warm red fermentation in stainless steel tanks before being transferred to barrels. There was malolactic fermentation in both the tanks and barrels. This wine is vegan-friendly.
Appearance: This wine is opaque ruby from rim to core.
Nose: A medium intensity nose with a strong mocha aroma, along with sweet spices, cedar, purple berries, blackberries, and vanilla. I was surprised at how very light the aromas were after decanting. I barely picked up some mocha and blackberries. I tried this wine after another day of decanting and the aromas came back nice and strong!
Palate: Dry medium body, round with a thin mouthfeel to start but gets bigger and silkier with swirling. Dark fruit, blackberries and purple fruit. Quite plummy. Light oak and a touch of mocha. Medium-minus intensity tannins. The wine continues with its silky body, lots of plums, blackberries, and purple fruit but you can add some mace, a touch of floral, and bump up the tannins.
Finish: Medium length finishing with juicy blackberries and other sweet fruit, and light pepperiness. Soft finish with fine tannins. Still finished with sweet fruit flavours and light pepperiness, but you now get stronger drying tannins.
Although the flavours in this wine are wonderful whether you decant or not, you lose lots of aromas with a long decant, so I’d recommend to pour and enjoy or give it a very short decant.
Rating: without decant. A ruby coloured glass of wine as opaque as the night. A medium intensity nose with purple and blackberries, plus sweet spices and lots of mocha aromas. Medium-plus body, dry that gets a rounder and bigger mouthfeel with some swirling in the glass. Blackberries, plums and purple fruit flavours. Finishes with juicy dark fruit flavours, some pepperiness and medium-minus drying tannins.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
Both wines are available to order on the Moon Curser Vineyards website. These wines are also available at the Swirl Wine Store in Yaletown. Everything Wine carries the Syrah. Other private shops may carry these wines, but you need to ask.
