If you enjoy Pinot Noir, these two wines should excite you. Meyer Family Vineyards from the Okanagan Falls area of BC concentrate on Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I received a bottle of their Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Old Block Pinot Noir 2022 and McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 to review for you. I’ve been tasting MFV wines since their 2009 Pinot Noir release and am always impressed with their quality.
These two wines are made from the grapes of the same vineyard and the same vintage, just treated a little differently. I that the barrel treatment is a little different. 40% new French oak barrels for the Old Block Pinot Noir vs 50% new French oak barrels for the Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir. It also appears that the purest, free-run juice is used for the Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir. There may be other differences that is only known by the winemaker. Let’s see the differences between these two wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Old Block Pinot Noir 2022 (BC $47.91)
From the winery, “At the winery the fruit was gently de-stemmed via gravity into small open top fermenters and allowed to cold soak. After cold soaking, an indigenous fermentation began, with temperature peaking at 30 degrees Celsius. Gentle hand plunging of the must was done throughout. After a post-maceration period the wine was transferred to 100% French oak barrels (40% new) where it remained for 11 months. A natural malolactic fermentation occurred in late spring. In keeping with our philosophy to maintain as much as possible a hands-off approach in the cellar to allow the true expression of terroir, this wine is unfined and unfiltered.” 517 cases were produced.
Appearance: This wine is a clear translucent medium-intensity garnet colour. I am surprised at how clear it is considering it is unfined and unfiltered. Amazing. Same for the Micro Cuvée.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas balanced between red fruits and toast, plus touches of sweet spices, plums, and blackberries, and then with swirling you can add black tea leaves and some tarriness. Lighter intensity aromas after decanting, plus add a touch of floral.
Palate: This wine is dry, with a smooth, silky, but lean and light mouthfeel. Violets, red fruits, red cherries and plums, plus touches of nutmeg, pepperiness, and tea leaves on the palate. Light tannins and medium acidity. Same flavours after decanting, but they are at a lighter intensity.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with red fruit flavour plus touches of floral, toast, tea leaves, pepperiness and grape stem bitterness. Sweet red fruit flavour at the very end. No change to the finish after decanting.
This wine and the Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir both had lighter aromas and flavours after decanting. I decided to try a longer decant for this wine, which brought the aromas and flavour intensity back up, plus had a more balanced toast to red fruit aroma, and some additional bramble berry and ripe raspberry flavour on the palate. I recommend either opening this wine and enjoying it with your meal and if you don’t finish the wine, give it two days to decant before finishing the bottle.
I really enjoyed the floral and tea leaves on the nose and palate of this wine.
Rating: 
This wine is a clear translucent medium-intensity garnet colour. Medium-intensity aromas balanced between red fruits and toast, plus touches of sweet spices, plums, and blackberries, and then with swirling you can add black tea leaves and some tarriness. This wine is dry, with a smooth, silky, but lean and light mouthfeel. Violets, red fruits, red cherries and plums, plus touches of nutmeg, pepperiness, and tea leaves on the palate. Medium-plus length.
Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 (BC $60.97)
From the winery, “Winemaker Chris Carson only uses the purest, free-run juices for this wine. Fermentation begins in stainless steel and then is transferred to 100% French oak (50% new) and further aged for 11 months. Chris precisely selects what he feels are the best barrels in this vintage, which are then harmoniously blended to make this premium, small-lot wine.” 350 cases were produced.
Appearance: A translucent, medium-plus garnet colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas with a smoky/toasty nose with red fruit, plums, and dark red fruit aromas. Some grape stem scent with swirling. The wine had lighter aromas after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry, fuller body, with a smooth, round mouth-filling mouthfeel. Medium acidity and tannins. A mix of red and black fruits, plums, and nutmeg/mace on the palate. Also picked up touched of raspberries, bramble leaf and floral with swirling. Light oak. With decanting the wine became a little lighter in body, there was more red fruit flavour and now some toastiness. Lighter fruit flavours. Lighter mouthfeel.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with black cherries, red and black fruit, toast, and sweet spices. Medium tannins with some hotness on the finish. Sweet cherries on the very end. Lighter flavours and mouthfeel on the finish after decanting.
This is a fuller-bodied Pinot Noir with more tannic structure. I preferred the undecanted version as the aromas and flavours were stronger. I decided to decant the wine for another day, and it bounced back to where it was when first opened. So either open and enjoy this wine, and if you don’t finish it, give it a day or more before finishing the wine. Otherwise, store as this wine has the tannins and acidity to age well.
Rating: A deeper colour, translucent garnet in the glass. Medium-minus intensity aromas with a smoky/toasty nose with red fruit, plums, and dark red fruit aromas. Dry, fuller body, with a smooth, round mouth-filling mouthfeel. A mix of red and black fruits, plums, and nutmeg/mace on the palate. Medium acidity and tannins. Medium-plus length.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase these wines through the Meyer Family Vineyards website:
- Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Old Block Pinot Noir 2022
- Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Vineyard Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022
The Old Block Pinot Noir 2022 is also available in Victoria at Everything Wine. The Micro Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 is available in Victoria and North Vancouver Everything Wine stores.
