WineAlign - Awards - 2021 NWAC Cabernet Sauvignon

Results of the 2021 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Cabernet Sauvignon

Category Overview by Judge John Szabo, MS

The 2021 edition of the NWACs was a topsy-turvy one for the country’s bigger reds, historically most successful in the Okanagan Valley. There were plenty of lows and highs, and no small measure of controversy provoked by the 66 entries. Aside from constantly evolving quality thanks to better viticulture, and the continued, more judicious use of oak for ageing (better balanced flavours, less obvious wood influence), the biggest story in the cabernet sauvignon category this year was the prevalence of smoke taint in wines from the 2018 vintage in the Okanagan.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

Few winegrowers like to talk about it, but the damage caused by wildfires is real. And I’m not referring to the horrifying loss of property and vineyards, but the more insidious damage caused to grapes by smoke hanging heavy in the air. Smoke molecules become affixed to grape skins and are brought into the winery. Reds wines are more affected, since for most whites, grapes are pressed immediately and skins discarded, whereas for reds the skins stay in contact with the must/wine for a longer period to extract necessary red pigments and tannins, but also those smoky molecular precursors.

The real problem is that the unmistakable whiff of fireplace often doesn’t manifest itself until several months later, often when it’s too late to do anything about it. The most effective remedy is also expensive: a reverse osmosis machine that removes the culpable molecules. Few wineries can afford R-O, and in any case, it strips out not only smoke taint, but plenty of other desirable molecules as well. “It beats up the wine”, as one wine maker put it. Cabernet can handle it better than most, but it’s still a fix in extremis.

The 2018s were not yet released for the 2019 edition of the NWACs. A few trickled in to the paired-down, pandemic version of the awards last year and raised the alarm, but 2021 brought the issue into much sharper relief. It’s not universal, and some pockets of the valley emerged unscathed (or with expertly applied reverse osmosis), as shown by the three 2018 Okanagan cabernets (and one from the neighboring Similkameen) in the golds, but it was prevalent enough to engender discussion about “terroir effect” and “vintage variation”. Is smoke taint a new regular reality for the Okanagan Valley (and large swaths of California wine country, among other regions)? The idea that smoke taint is a legitimate aspect of the character of a growing season was first proposed to me by an Australian winemaker 15 years ago as he handed me a big smoky shiraz.

Philosophically the NWAC judges may have different positions on the terroir/vintage typicity question. But the debate is really only beginning. The bottom line is: choose the 2018s Okanagan reds carefully. The good news is that there are plenty of excellent 2017s still available, and the 2019s show fine precision and freshness, so there’s plenty of quality wine to go around.

And the winners are…

Culmina 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Adamo 2016 Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Lenko Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Blasted Church 2018 Small Blessings Cabernet Sauvignon, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2018 Micro Lot Series Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Dirty Laundry 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2018 Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Painted Rock 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Phantom Creek 2017 Phantom Creek Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
TIME 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia