And We're Back...

As a post script to my last entry, I'm happy to say that our drive home from the Red Rooster Adopt-A-Row weekend was uneventful and that the Hope-Princeton's mountain passes were nice and clear - despite the previous night's storm.  Mr. D and I drove past two nasty accidents though.  There was a flipped pick-up and then another car that had somehow ended up facing down the upper hillside in a manner such that we couldn't figure out how the car had even ended up there.  Sure glad it wasn't us and that we didn't have to drive in the conditions that must have prevailed at the time of the accident.

Our arrival home was welcome because it also meant that all the new wine we'd picked up arrived safely as well.  Boo's and my new case of Red Rooster wines, as part of the Adopt-A-Row program, was part of that bounty.  Since Boo hadn't been able to join in the weekend's festivities, I thought it'd be appropriate to open a bottle of Red Rooster to let him feel at least a tiny bit connected.

1273.  2011 Red Rooster Bantam (VQA Okanagan Valley)

Bantam may be an entry level, proprietary blend for the winery but it's perennial favourite of mine and a reliable go-to wine.  Single vineyard, single varietal wines might command the greatest shelf space in bottle shops, but I just have a tendency to gravitate towards blends.  Must be something to do with that old "the whole being greater than the sum of its parts" bit.

I find that white blends in BC can often be a vehicle for using lesser known varietals that are still hanging around from older days, but that's certainly not the situation with Bantam.  Winemaker, Karen Gillis, fashions her easy drinker from grapes that she bottles as varietal wines as well.  The 2011 vintage sees a blend of Viognier (30%), Chardonnay (25%), Riesling (20%), Sauvignon Blanc (15%) and Gewürztraminer (10%) - and the result is a varied array of flavours and aromas.

I like that the wine is a touch off-dry but still has a nice bite of acidity.  I also like that you definitely notice the aromatic varietals coming through on the nose but no one varietal dominates.  The abundance of ripe tree fruit, with some tropical notes to boot, is an easy serve to guests that might not be all that caught up in wine, but there's enough complexity to entice a seasoned palate as well.

 For me, Bantam packs a great value for the $15 price.

And, being from the Adopt-A-Row case, Boo couldn't question my bringing it home.  That's a win-win in my books.