2020 TALUS

"Talus was launched last year for the winery’s 10th anniversary. As the flagship, it is given every consideration in the vineyard and at the winery. The vineyard is classic Similkameen, a stony terroir of the windy, wild valley. Year two was born in a great year, and subtle adjustments have given it more style. It is still a big wine but less of a brute and more of the iron fist in a velvet glove. A select block pick, if not a vine by vine pick, is dense with rich sweet tannins and savory black fruit. The mix is 40/35/20/3/2 merlot/cabernet franc/cabernet sauvignon/malbec /petit verdot, and the palate is a melody of olives, black fruit, cedar, tobacco and spice, all with balance. It is made to age; five to seven years would be a minimum for collectors." -Anthony Gismondi "As authoritative as its name suggests, Talus delivers compelling notes of briary berries and currents, dark chocolate and robustly roasted coffee along hints of toasted brown spices, fresh earth, toffee and pipe tobacco. The palate is as harmonious as the nose; supple but with notable structure and balanced acidity. It’s a statuesque wine, woven with sweet tannins and culminating in chocolate and spice flavours. It exemplifies the Similkameen Valley." -Daenna Van Mulligan "The top bottling at Corcelettes, Talus 2020 is composed of 40% merlot, 35% cabernet franc, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 3% malbec and 2% petit verdot, an 18 barrel selection totaling 450 cases. The colour is impenetrably dark and the nose dense and ripe, savoury, wood-tinged, with abundant black fruit covering a wide spectrum, while the palate is well-structured, saturated with tannins though supple and ripe, framed by succulent acids. Length and depth are excellent A terrific vintage all in all, best after 2025 or so, or hold into the '30s I suspect without a stretch - a worthy flagship wine. Tasted September 2022." -John Szabo, MS