Have you tried the wines from Robin Ridge Winery in the Similkameen Valley? This small family-run winery only uses their organic estate-grown grapes. Each wine label also is named after a bird I was given a bottle of their Robin Ridge Frigate 2015 to taste. A frigate is a large sea bird that lives in tropical areas, like Florida. The male birds have a bright red pouch on the throat, which they inflate like a balloon to attract females. Robin Ridge notes that this red blend is bold just like the frigate bird. It is a blend of 48% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot. Let me tell you about this wine.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Robin Ridge Winery Frigate 2015 (BC $35.25)
Appearance: Opaque garnet. Solid almost to the rim.
Nose: Medium-plus intensity aromas of rich, ripe, sweet black fruit, sweet spices, and touches of chocolate, oak, blueberries, and floral. The aromas get slightly lighter with decanting, but persist, and you can add some tomato scent as well.
Palate: Dry and lean with a light mouthfeel, but it does get rounder and softer with swirling in the glass. Black fruit plums, and sweet spices on the palate, with hints of floral, dark chocolate, and graphite. The tannins get stronger toward the finish. The wine is not quite as round with decanting. Also, it leans more to lean, plus there is a strong bitterness to the wine. I did also pick up a hint of cedar on the palate after decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with drying tannins, but not overpowering. Black fruit, red cherries, sweet spices, and light pepperiness. Dryer tannins on the finish with decanting, black fruit, sweet spices, a hint of cedar, and medium-plus bitterness.
This wine comes in at 15% alcohol but does not feel hot. The fruit flavours balance out the alcohol. Also, did you notice this is a 2015 wine? 8 years old and still full of life. This wine can probably age well for another 8 years.
I recommend not decanting this wine as the wine is rounder and softer with more fruit flavours, and none of the bitterness I get with decanting. I decanted this wine over 24 hrs. I will try another 24 hrs of decanting and see if the bitterness fades and it becomes rounder.
UPDATE: It is 48 hrs after first opening the bottle. The bitterness did fade and is nicely round. The fruit flavours persist. So you should either open the bottle and enjoy it, or if you can’t finish it, wait for 48 hrs before finishing the wine.
Rating: 
undecanted. Opaque garnet in the glass. Medium-plus aromas of rich ripe black fruit, sweet spices and touches of chocolate and oak. Dry, medium body, lightly round mouthfeel. Black fruit, plums, and sweet spices on the palate plus hints of dark chocolate, floral, and graphite. Tannins firm up on the finish.
Where Can I Buy This Wine?
You can purchase this wine online from the Robin Ridge Winery website.
