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Cedar Creek Tasting

Cedar Creek Tasting at Taylorwood Wines
a wine blog

By Daniel Fishman
Eat Vancouver writer
Friday, July 13th, 2007

I recently stopped by for another of Taylorwood Wine’s Thursday tasting sessions, this time featuring the wines of Cedar Creek Winery. I should point out one of the nice things about Taylorwood, if I haven’t already, which is that all of their wine comes at BC Liquor Store prices, so at least you know that you aren’t getting ripped off (or at least, ripped off any more than normal—you have to hate the liquor taxes in this country).

Cedar Creek was one of the first BC wineries that I tried when I moved out to Vancouver a few years ago, and I seem to remember enjoying several of their wines, so I was excited about this tasting. Unfortunately, either my memory was wrong, my tastes have changed, or their wines have changed, because this was not a very impressive tasting overall. Our top pick was the 2006 Pinot Blanc.

2006 Pinot Blanc $14

Very fruity on the nose, with a mix of tropical and citrus fruit. Quite acidic, with a hint of oak, but still fairly light bodied. Not much finish to speak of. This would be a nice wine to sip on its own on a warm day before dinner, or maybe with some sashimi. Pretty decent value for the money, and the only wine we tasted that I would feel comfortable suggesting you try.

2006 Pinot Gris $17

Not much of a nose at all. A bit like watered down apple juice, it was quite thin, and fairly bland. Not a very interesting wine for me, I would much prefer the Pinot Blanc, and it’s cheaper!

2005 Platinum Chardonnay $30

What does $30 buy you in a BC white these days? Not much apparently. Some vanilla and pineapple on the nose, a lot of oak in your mouth, and what is very nearly a cheesy taste. I would definitely not pay $30 for this wine.

2005 Estate Select Pinot Noir $27

Red fruit, but almost a bit of a vodka smell to it. Slightly vegetal and VERY thin. I didn’t think this was even as good as the Pinot Noirs I tasted last week that were in the $15-$17 range.

2004 Estate Select Meritage $30

Mostly Merlot with Cab Sauv and a little Cab Franc, this wine was aged in some French oak, which is its most noticeable attribute. Other than that it is thin and a little boozy, with barely a hint of the black fruit flavors you would like to see. I certainly wouldn’t buy it at this price (or any, really).