JoieFarm 2011 En Famille Reserve Pinot Noir, Okanagan Valley, $40

Robert Thielicke works alongside Heidi Noble as the winemakers for JoieFarm, one of British Columbia’s best producers. He is a veteran winemaker who has spent more than a decade in the valley’s cellars. This reserve-level Pinot Noir uses grapes from the Naramata Bench and other nearby vineyards, and only the top barrels are chosen. This opens with aromas of ripe watermelon, black cherry, cedar and moist earth. On the palate, it provides suave flavors of pomegranate, black cherry and red plum, all backed with mild tannins.

Rating: Excellent

Production: 204 cases

Alcohol: 13.5%

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