What surprises does 2025 hold for wine lovers? Could it be a new varietal or region that you have not yet tried? Or maybe a new winery in your area? Today, I am tasting two red wines from Blasted Church Vineyards that were sent to me. They are not new to me, but maybe the grape varieties may be new to you. The two wines are Blasted Church Small Blessings Mourvedre Syrah Grenache 2021 and their Renaissance Series Cabernet Franc 2021. The first wine relates to the southern Rhone Valley or Australia with its Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre blends. This blend I think flips the percentages of each grape variety. Cabernet Franc is one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon but is still not that widely known. Both wines are under screwcap so you can easily open a bottle to enjoy.
2021 was a hot vintage with the Okanagan having a heat dome. I think you can taste the heat of the vintage with the ripeness and deep, black fruit flavours of these two wines.
Blasted Church Small Blessings Mourvèdre Syrah Grenache 2021 (BC $40)
A blend of 35% Mourvèdre, 33% Syrah, 32% Grenache. As I guessed, Mourvèdre makes the largest component in the blend, although it is not that much more. Winemaker’s notes, “The Mourvèdre and Grenache were harvested on October 6th from the Moksha Vineyard in Osoyoos, and the Syrah portion was harvested from the House Vineyard south of Oliver on October 8th. The fruit was destemmed but not crushed to tank for a co-fermentation of the three varieties.
After a few days of cold soaking the fermentation kicked off and pumpovers were increased to twice per day. After twenty days on skins the wine was drained directly to barrel and puncheon (a mix of third-fill, fourth-fill, and neutral) for malolactic fermentation and aging for 16 months.”
Appearance: It has a deep, clear garnet colour. Almost opaque at the core.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas that start with tomato soup and greenness, but those burn off quickly. You are then left with light black fruit, blackberries, some meatiness, pine needles and then some smokiness with swirling. The tomato soup is no longer present after decanting, but you now get some herbaceousness and a touch of nutmeg spice.
Palate: This wine is dry, medium-plus body, with a round, smooth, thicker mouthfeel. Softer acidity and soft, plush tannins. Ripe black fruit, black plums, and hints of black cherries, pine needles, and vanilla on the palate. The flavours are softer after decanting and you can add some herbaceousness after decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with a touch of candied black fruit and black cherries, and subtle nutmeg and pepperiness. Soft tannins and some tartness on the finish. The wine has a shorter finish after decanting, but flavours stay the same.
This wine has deep flavours and a plush mouthfeel. I don’t recommend decanting as the wine loses some of its vitality. I also don’t remember mentioning pine needles before for a BC Cabernet Franc wine. But it is possible. While the pine needles may not come from the grapes, it can come from nearby pine trees where the oils from the needles drift over and stick to the grape skins, which then gets fermented with the grapes.
Rating: 
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without decanting. The Blasted Church Small Blessings Mourvèdre Syrah Grenache 2021 showcases a deep garnet hue with evolving aromas of black fruit, smokiness, pine needles, and a hint of meatiness, with herbaceous notes and nutmeg emerging after decanting. On the palate, it offers a medium-plus body with a smooth, plush mouthfeel and flavours of ripe black fruit, black plums, and subtle vanilla, becoming softer and herbaceous post-decanting. A medium-plus finish highlights candied black fruit, black cherries, nutmeg, and pepperiness, with a shorter but consistent finish after decanting.
Blasted Church Renaissance Series Cabernet Franc 2021 (BC $32)
Winemaker’s notes, “The fruit was hand harvested from the Moksha Vineyard located north of Osoyoos and the Redbrick Vineyard on the East Bench of Osoyoos on October 6th and 7th, respectively. In the winery, the fruit was destemmed but not crushed. The juice was moved to tanks for five-day cold soaks before the fermentations kicked off. During fermentation, the juice was pumped-over two to three times daily depending upon the needs of the tanks.
After 21 days on skins, the free run wines were drained from the tanks directly to barrel for malolactic fermentation. The oak was 100% French, with 35% of the barrels being new, and the remaining portion being second, third, fourth-fill, and neutral. The wines were in barrel for 12 months before being racked to tank and put back to barrel for another 6 months of aging prior to bottling.”
Appearance: It has a deep, clear garnet colour. Almost opaque at the core. Just like the MSG.
Nose: Medium-intensity aromas of char/toast/smoke, black fruit and oak. The aromas remain the same after decanting, but you can add some red fruits.
Palate: It is dry, lighter-bodied, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Not mouthfilling. The wine does get rounder with swirling. Light tannins and medium acidity. The tannins get stronger toward the finish and have a dusty texture. Black fruit, blackberries, black plums, char/toast, and oak flavours. After decanting, the tannins stay soft till the finish and you can add a touch of coffee flavour on the palate.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing with black fruit, blackberries, black plums, and char. A mix of tartness and drying, dusty tannins. A bit of pepperiness as well. Same flavours, but lighter tannins on the finish after decanting.
A deeply coloured with with deep, black fruit and charred aromas and flavours. No need to decant this wine. Decanting makes it a bit softer on the palate.
Rating: – The Blasted Church Renaissance Series Cabernet Franc 2021 features a deep garnet hue with aromas of char, black fruit, and oak, joined by red fruit notes after decanting. On the palate, it is lighter-bodied with a smooth texture, offering blackberries, plums, char, and oak flavours, plus a hint of coffee post-decanting. A medium-plus finish balances tart black fruit, dusty tannins, and pepperiness, with softer tannins after decanting.
On a food pairing note, both wines pair nicely with Soppressata salami.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can order both wines online via the Blasted Church website:
- Blasted Church Renaissance Series Cabernet Franc 2021
- Blasted Church Small Blessings Mourvèdre Syrah Grenache 2021
The Cabernet Franc is available at Everything Wine stores.
