Gray Monk Estate Winery only ships products within Canada.
Monk’s Blend, 2021
Shipped and sold by Gray Monk Estate Winery
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Syrah
BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Winemaking: Harvested mid-October from long-standing growers for Gray Monk from the south Okanagan Valley. A blend of 73% Syrah and 27% Cabernet Sauvignon. Using traditional red wine making techniques, each varietal was aged separately, using both subtle oak integration in stainless steel tanks, or in 70% American and 30% French oak, mostly 2 to 3-year-old barrels, for 8 months. The wines were later blended just before bottling.
Characteristics: A bright purple ruby colour with a beautiful bouquet of blue plum, black cherry, and delicate notes of oak, vanilla, and spice. This medium-bodied red wine has soft silky tannins and juicy ripe fruit flavours of dark plum, blueberry, and cherry, which also linger on the finish with an added note of sweet spice and black tea.
Food Pairings: Serve with aged Gouda or Cheddar cheese; grilled steak with red wine reduction; grilled London Broils; pepper steaks; rack of lamb; marinated leg of lamb; wild game meats; beef or lamb stews; shepherd’s pie; steak and kidney pie; roasted beet hummus with pita chips.
Serving Temperature: Serve at a cool room temperature of 17 and 18˚C. Enjoy now through 2025.
The 2020 vintage was a featured wine in March's Wine Club package, 2022.
Tasting notes written by Tony Aspler.
Geographical Indication: BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Varietals: Syrah (73%), Cabernet Sauvignon (27%)
Vineyard: Various south Okanagan vineyards
Residual Sugar: 3.2 g/L
Cases Produced: 6,131
Appearance: Dense purple in colour.
Nose: Cedary, savoury blackberry nose with a smoky note.
Palate: Medium-bodied, dry, spicy blackberry and dried herb flavours. Firmly structured, finishing on a note of bitter chocolate.
Quality: 91 points. Outstanding. Can be enjoyed now, but will reward cellaring for a couple of years.
Food Pairing: Barbecued herb and garlic sausages, veal chops with crimini mushrooms, venison steak with onions and gravy, Mediterranean stuffed eggplant, and hard cheeses.
