Little Engine wines

Little Engine is a small winery in Penticton, BC, owned by Steven French and his wife, Nicole. They’re located at the southern entrance of the Naramata Bench. Their winemaker is Scott Robinson. (See https://www.littleenginewines.com/)

A stunningly good Sauvignon Blanc

Little Engine Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($34.00)
Pale straw in colour; grassy, lanolin and green plum nose; medium-bodied, crisply dry, passionfruit and gooseberry flavours; vibrant and mouth-freshening. Very white Bordeaux in style. (93)

Little Engine French Family Release Chardonnay 2020 ($36.00)
Light straw in colour; minerally, slightly salty nose of green apple; medium-bodied, dry, fresh and lively on the palate with apple and pear flavours. Great mouth-feel, vivid, lingering and beautifully balanced. Chablis-esque. (90)

Little Engine Gold Chardonnay 2018 ($57.00)
Light golden straw in colour; toasty, spicy nose of apple and melon with nuances of oak with barnyard notes (very Burgundian); medium-bodied, mouth-filling, creamy flavours of apple, toast and lemon; rich and elegant with a caressing mouth-feel and an unconscionably long finish. (93)

Little Engine Silver Union 2018 ($50.00)
Merlot (68%), Cabernet Franc (30%), and Malbec (2%). Dense purple in colour; cedary, lightly toasty, black fruit and blackcurrant aromas on the nose with oak spice; full-bodied, dry, juicy and richly extracted blackberry, plum and blackcurrant flavours with well-integrated oak. Well-structured with soft tannins, lovely mouth-feel with a finish of dark chocolate and coffee bean. (92)

Little Engine Gold Pinot Noir 2018 ($67.00)
Deep ruby-plum in colour; minerally, struck-flint nose of black raspberries with a suggestion of vanilla oak; medium to full-bodied, dry, ripe raspberry and black raspberry flavours carried on lively acidity, a well-balanced wine with good length and dusty tannins. (89)

Little Engine Gold Merlot 2018 ($62.00)
Deep ruby colour; cedary, spicy, plum bouquet with evident new oak; medium to full-bodied, richly extracted, ripe plum and black cherry flavours; well-balanced with just enough oak to give it a roundness and rich mouth-feel, finishing on a mocha note. (90)

Other wines tasted:

Château Hourtou 2015 ($19.95, Côtes de Bourg, Vintages #630038)
Deep ruby in colour; cedary, toasty, black fruits on the nose with oak spice; medium-bodied, dry, savoury, plum and vanilla flavours. (89.5)

Malivoire Stouck Viognier 2020 ($24.95, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara)
Bright straw colour; honeysuckle and peach bouquet; medium-bodied, dry, perfumed, spicy, peach and melon flavours with lively acidity and a mouth-freshening finish. (90)

Malivoire Stouck Merlot 2017 ($34.95, Lincoln Lakeshore)
Deep purple-ruby in colour; cedary, spicy, plum and cherry nose; medium-bodied, dry, black cherry flavour with soft, ripe tannins carried on lively acidity; a firmly structured wine. (89)

Familia Torres Cos Perpetual 2017 (Priorat)
Cariñena and Garnacha Tinta. Dense purple-ruby colour; black raspberry nose with oak spice and dark chocolate notes; full-bodied, savoury, black fruit flavours with ripe tannins and lively acidity. Firmly structured. (90)

Speck Brothers Family Tree “The Bootlegger” Baco Noir 2020 (Ontario, $17.95, Vintages #16791)
Dense purple colour; toasty, cedary, blackberry nose with oak spice; full-bodied, dry, juicy, herb-tinged  blackberry flavour with fresh acidity. (89)

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