In honour of a couple of great friends we had over tonight, I opened the La Stella 2008 Maestoso we purchased in Osoyoos). This was after we enjoyed a bottle of Vindication Cellars’ rosé and realized we’d been in Osoyoos and Oliver at the exact same time).

The flagship wine of La Stella, Maestoso is a 100% Merlot that is described as being the ‘perfect accompaniment to great cuts of meat that are prepared simply’.

We hand rubbed the prime rib with Montreal steak spice and roasted it and served the wine alongside rice, barbecued vegetables and a tomato-bocconcini salad with basil. La Stella doesn’t fine or filter their wines, so we probably should have decanted this beauty; there was sediment in the bottle. But, it didn’t detract in the slightest from the tasting experience

The alcohol is high but integrated and the mouthfeel, flavours and aromas intense. Opaque purple, the wine was brimming with blueberries and black plums, mocha and cedar with some gamey notes over the evening.  It’s young but not astringent.  Wonderfully balanced and round with ripe tannins showing the perfect grip for our prime rib. The finish was long.

WSET Outstanding wine; drink now, not meant for additional aging.

An expensive (premium priced) wine at $95. This is evidence that the Okanagan CAN compete on the world stage albeit at a cost that is substantially more than it probably should be to the consumer.