Here are two musical compositions in wine from BC’s High Note Estate Winery. Cadenza Red Blend 2021 (of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Sauvignon) and Verismo Syrah 2021. Wonderful wines to share with family and friends for the holiday season. Let me tell you about these wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
High Note Estate Winery Cadenza Red Blend 2021 (BC $40)
What is a “cadenza”? “A cadenza is a section of improvised music performed by a soloist near the end of a piece of music. The origin of the term “cadenza” comes from “cadence,” which is the last few notes of a phrase. The cadenza is an improvised virtuosic solo right before the end of the music.” (https://violinspiration.com/what-is-cadenza/)
In this blend, the Merlot comes from the Similkameen Valley, while the other grapes come from the Black Sage Bench. My guess is that the Merlot is the virtuosic soloist in the blend.
Appearance: A deep, almost opaque, dull mix of garnet and black colours.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of smoky sausage (that quickly disappears), meatiness, black fruit, black pepper, and touches of oak, floral, and sweet spices with air. Add juicy berry aromas with decanting.
Palate: Dry, medium body, round, but not quite mouthfilling. The wine does get smoother and rounder with air. Floral, black fruit, black cherries, and raspberry flavours, plus touches of vanilla, plum, and blueberries. Some meatiness with air. Medium-intensity chalky tannins, with the tannins getting drier from the mid-palate to the finish. The wine bumps up to medium-plus body, is more mouth-filling and has firmer tannins after decanting.
Finish: Medium-plus to long length. Black fruit, berries and floral flavours, with touches of pepperiness and bitterness. Medium-intensity drying tannins. Firmer tannins plus a touch of coconut on the finish with decanting.
Decanted or not is OK, but the decanted version has a bigger, more mouth-filling feel.
Rating: 
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A wine with a deep, almost opaque garnet black colour. Medium-intensity aromas of dark fruit, meatiness, with touches of floral, sweet spices and oak. A dry wine, with a medium body and smooth mouthfeel. Floral, black fruit, black cherries, and raspberry flavours, plus touches of vanilla, plum, and blueberries. Medium intensity tannins. Medium-plus to long length.
High Note Estate Winery Verismo Syrah 2021 (BC $35)
Verismo is Italian for “realism”. It is a style of Italian opera writing that flourished in the last decade of the 19th century. “In terms of subject matter, generally “[v]erismo operas focused not on gods, mythological figures, or kings and queens, but on the average contemporary man and woman and their problems, generally of a sexual romantic, or violent nature.” However, two of the small handful of verismo operas still performed today take historical subjects: Puccini’s Tosca and Giordano’s Andrea Chénier… While verismo operas may contain arias that can be sung as stand-alone pieces, they are generally written to arise naturally from their dramatic surroundings…” (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-musicapp-medieval-modern/chapter/verismo/)
The back label notes for this wine note that “the verismo tradition is honest, raw and uncompromising“. They are showing off the Syrah grapes without embellishment.
Appearance: A deep, dull ruby colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of red and black fruit, sweet berries, and touches of rhubarb, vanilla, and sweet spices. Less sweet spices and vanilla aromas after decanting.
Palate: Dryish, medium-plus body with a smooth, round, thicker mouth-filling feeling. Dark fruit, juicy dark berries, and floral flavours. Some butteriness. Medium acidity and medium-intensity fine-grained tannins. The acidity keeps this wine refreshing. Some char flavour toward the finish. The wine picks up a touch of rhubarb flavour after decanting, and less butteriness and char. It has a lighter mouthfeel and is less mouth-filling.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing dryish, with floral and juicy berry flavours, and medium intensity drying tannins. The wine lightens up on the finish after decanting and offers touches of vanilla and pepperiness.
I prefer the undecanted version of this wine as it is fuller-bodied with a bit more variety in aromas and flavours.
Rating: A deep, ruby colour. Medium-minus intensity aromas of red and black fruit, sweet berries, and touches of rhubarb, vanilla, and sweet spices. Dryish, medium-plus body with a smooth, round, thicker mouth-filling feeling. Dark fruit, juicy dark berries, and floral flavours. Medium intensity acidity and tannins. Medium-plus length.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines online from the High Note Estate Winery website:
