2002 Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris (Okanagan Valley) -- from one of the best wineries in British Columbia, this has been their most consistent wine IMO (if you ever run across them, the Syrah and Chardonnay are worth trying). A friend brought me 6 bottles directly from the winery last summer, and our first bottle last August was slightly frizzante. Four or five months have settled it down. Pale gold color; nice fruit cocktail nose; pear, light pineapple flavors, some smokiness, with decent acidity; medium length finish with lots of fruit. Lacks the intensity of the previous vintage, but still a nice wine. May improve a bit more, but right now app. 87-8 pts.

I've liked their Merlot as well.

More than I did, I guess, Jones.

There's quite a few good whites being produced in the Okanagan now, but reds are still problematic. The most consistent red that I've had has been Blue Mountain Pinot Noir, though the last vintage I tried (either '01 or '02) took a downward turn. There's a couple of reds that I've picked up a short while back because they got some good press (Nota Bene, Nichols Syrah, Township 7 Merlot) but I'm not wild about them. If you ever come up this way, I'll locate a few bottles of the best reds for you to try, and then we'll move on to some better stuff.

The winemakers for Burrowing Owl are the former Sterling Vineyards winemaker who now consults for them (I think his name is Fred Dyer, but I may have gotten that slightly wrong) and his wife who was winemaker at Domaine Chandon, so they bring a strong California lean to their winemaking. So far, they've been very successful here; it'll be interesting to see what they produce from the hot, sunny '02 and '03 vintages.

Is there any place in the States that carries this winery's offerings?

Not that I'm aware of, Jones, but then I wouldn't actually look for it in a wine shop in the US for obvious reasons.

I know that WS has occasionally rated Burrowing Owl products, so it must available on the East Coast at least.

BTW, we'll be in SF in mid-March for a couple of nights. Gird your loins.

That sounds great.