We are well into the colder, winter weather now here in BC. So it is time to venture into deeper, red wines. I have two red wines from Oliver’s Gold Hill Winery. I have their Gold Hill Oxbow Reach Merlot 2019 and Oxbow Reach Cabernet Franc 2019. Both are interestingly from the 2019 vintage, with now 6 years of aging. In BC, usually red wines are released two years after production, so it is interesting to see these wines available for purchase. Aging allows red wines typically to evolve with softer tannins and some tertiary flavours developing like dried fruits or leather.
Both wines are listed as being part of Oxbow Reach. Do you know what’s an oxbow? It is a term used in geomorphology that describes the part of a meandering river or stream that forms a u-shaped curve which may then be cut-off when the river or stream keeps cutting into the u-shaped curve (to form an oxbow lake) and go on a straighter path. I am not sure which oxbow has the Cabernet Franc and Merlot grape vines in their vineyard.
Let me tell you about these two wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Gold Hill Oxbow Reach Merlot 2019 (BC $42.99)
Appearance: A deep garnet colour with a touch of bricking.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of black fruits, blackberries, plums, sweet spices, oak, and a touch of vanilla. The aromas are a little stronger, plus you can now smell leather on the nose after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry, medium-plus body with a smooth, soft mouthfeel. Aged black fruit, plums, oak and touches of cherries and leather. Fine-grained medium intensity tannins that get stronger toward the finish. Medium acidity. The wine becomes a little peppery on the palate after decanting.
Finish: A medium-plus length, finishing with firmer drying tannins. Flavours of aged black fruit, leather, oak, and some pepperiness. No change to the finish after decanting.
A mature red wine that I would recommend drinking now or in the next year. Fuller body, showing tertiary aged fruits on the nose and palate. Smooth but has tannic structure. I prefer undecanted as the leather aroma (a tertiary aroma) is not as strong.
Rating: 
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Gold Hill Oxbow Reach Merlot 2019 shows deep garnet colour and offers black fruit, blackberry and plum aromas that gain a touch of leather with air. The palate is smooth and medium plus in body, showing aged black fruit, plums, oak, cherries and leather, with tannins that firm up toward the finish and a light peppery note after decanting. The medium plus finish carries those darker fruit and leather tones along with drying tannins and a hint of spice.
Gold Hill Oxbow Reach Cabernet Franc 2019 (BC $47.99)
Appearance: A clear, medium-plus intensity garnet colour.
Nose: Light aromas of tomato soup (which burns off quickly), red fruit, and hints of oak and sweet spices. The tomato soup scent shows up again after decanting, but fades quickly. The other aromas and intensities stay the same.
Palate: Dry, medium-plus body with a silky smooth, thicker mouthfeel. Red fruits, plumbs, and blackberry flavours, along with sweet spices and hints of capsicum and chocolate. The red fruit flavours become sweeter with swirling. Medium acidity and tannins. After decanting, I picked up some capsicum flavour and the oak was more evident.
Finish: Medium-plus length with firmer, drying tannins on the finish. Ripe red fruit and some sweet spice flavours on the finish. There are more black fruit flavours on the finish after decanting.
A wine with a few more years of aging. Maybe 4-5 years. The wine is great as it is with a fuller body, has tannic structure, and fresh fruit flavours. No need to decant.
Rating: Gold Hill Oxbow Reach Cabernet Franc 2019 opens with light red fruit, oak and sweet spice on the nose, with a brief tomato soup note that appears and fades both before and after decanting. The palate is silky and medium plus in body, showing red fruits, plums, blackberries, sweet spices and touches of capsicum and chocolate, with the red fruit becoming sweeter with air and the oak a little more pronounced after decanting. The medium plus finish brings firmer drying tannins along with ripe red fruit, sweet spice and a bit more black fruit after decanting.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase both wines online from the Gold Hill Winery website:
