Over the last few weeks and months, many of the new vintage of Burrowing Owl wines have made their way down from the Okanagan—cause for rejoicing for the many fans who’ve been following this operation since the beginning. As is almost always the case with these relative rarities, good restaurants and VQA stores are the best source.

This time around, the rarities aren’t measured in dozens or hundreds of cases, but thousands. Not mega-thousands, but on the order of 1,500 to 2,500 or so. This will come as welcome news to those readers who’ve criticized my frequent listing of B.C. wines that exist in such small quantities as to be frequently sold out within days or weeks of release. It’s a matter I’ll address in more detail in an upcoming column. For now, let’s just taste some of these.

Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir 2005 ($25; 2,000 cases) spent a full year in oak, and the result is a smooth, mellow, surprisingly chocolate-y flavour that bears more resemblance to some valley Merlots than most Pinots. The wine is big and hearty and robust, with none of the linear lightness we sometimes find in Okanagan Pinot. A treat, and worth keeping for another 18 months or more.

Definitely keep the Meritage 2004 ($45) for a few years; it’s just going to get better. The 2002 took a couple of best-of-class awards in California; no reason this one shouldn’t follow suit. It’s clear and bright, with a ton of berry flavours; a fresh and lively wine, once again state of the (Meritage) art, as we’ve come to expect when Burrowing Owl takes on the Bordeaux-varietal project. Safe to say, it has a solid handle on this blending pattern. You might find subtleties of licorice and smoke, but it is, above all, sleek and stylish and elegant, impressive without having to shout about it. Not cheap, but the cost is well worth the pleasure. An interesting comparison would be to see how it acquits itself opposite the Osoyoos Larose, which sits at the same price.

Okanagan Syrahs are really coming into their own. Rewarding if you do it right—Burrowing Owl does, and its Syrah 2004 is an excellent example. At 2,550 cases, it’s one of the biggest batches from the winery, and at $29.90 it’s also on the high end of Okanagan Syrah pricing. Mellow, as befits a good Syrah, soft and round, with defined fruit flavours and not a lot of complexity, it suits a mixed grill perfectly and roasted rosemary-oiled potatoes with a simple green salad on the side. There’s even enough substance to stand up to a not-too- vinegary dressing. I don’t think this one has quite the in-bottle life expectancy that either the Pinot or the Meritage does, but it’s fine for dinner now.

The Merlot 2004 ($27; no numbers were supplied about the extent of the bottling) is unusual, with something Christmas spice–y in the aroma—cloves, maybe—and all kinds of herbal elements. It, too, is very fresh, and lighter than we’ve come to expect from Burrowing Owl. Another one that will provide pleasure at the table, now and for the next 10 to 12 months.

Still to be tasted are the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon, both 2004, as well as the 2005 Chardonnay. So far as I know, all three have now been released, and as soon as I find out where I put my tasting bottles—lost in the Christmas rush, but not irretrievable—I’ll get them into the glass.

A very interesting mini Meritage–type blend has just arrived from the pyramid winery, Summerhill. Calling it like it is, the label reads simply Cabernets ($22.95). The vintage is 2002, and the mix is 100-percent British Columbia Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the most common—and most expressive—of the Bordeaux varieties.

It starts off somewhat sweet to the front of the palate and develops into a pleasant, easy-sipping, don’t-think-too-hard-about-it wine. In fact, based on many past vintages and varietals, I think it is one of Summerhill’s best reds ever. (The Canadian Wine Awards judges agree; it recently tied for best red Meritage.) Great idea: a little oak, a little spice, and nice full fruit—it just works; available at the winery and many VQA stores.

If you want to make yourself a dinner treat to eat alongside (and a “roast” that makes fabulous sandwiches for days to come), find a copy of Mme. Benoit’s The Canadiana Cookbook: A Complete Heritage of Canadian Cooking and look up her recipe for Bacon í  la Mennonite. A big slab of back bacon, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, cloves and pepper, apple juice to roast/poach it in, and a couple of hours in the oven. Also terrific for breakfast: slice or dice, boil a couple of eggs, and make toast. Go, Cabernets. Yes, why not with breakfast; the French do.

And because man cannot live by red wine alone—this one can’t, at least—one white to try and locate. Forget what I said about thousand-case lots, the Stag’s Hollow Chardonnay 2004 filled all of 240 cases. Released late last summer, there may still be some around—at least, the winery’s Web site indicates that it isn’t sold out yet. The 2003 was simply sensational—honeyed and ultra-delicate, one of the tastiest Chardonnays to come out of the Okanagan since the whole mad rush began. It was only $14.99 last year, which may have contributed to the fact that it flew out the tasting-room door at breakneck speed.

The ’04 follows in its wake, with a price increase of $2. A blend of both unoaked and barrel-fermented wines, it’s deft, still delicate, but perhaps showing a bit more muscle than its predecessor. Certainly a fantastic fresh-fish wine, particularly with a dollop of minced-herb cream sauce. If you value subtlety—lute music with your Sunday brunch, you know!—this is your Chardonnay. Now go and try to find some. It’s worth the extra effort.