Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Athene 2013

Deborah Podurgiel WSET IV Candidate rated this wine as 93/100 with the following review:

Prior to leaving for Ontario, one of my best wine-loving girlfriends went on a two-week wine tour and wine-buying spree in the Okanagan. Before she left, she gifted me with Burrowing Owl Estate Winery's Athene 2013 and I promised that I would hold onto it until she got back so that we could both enjoy it. Well, while I am so glad we did, I am also so sorry we did.... because there is no more. This wine still had enough lush fruit, acidity and tannins to keep it in cellar for another three or more years.

Produced from 52% Syrah and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine was aged in 90% French and 10% Hungarian oak barrels (50% new). Deep and dark dusty red (unfiltered) in the glass, there was only a bit of bricking on the meniscus. The first scent I caught was spice cake and dried wild sage, thyme, olive and a touch of dried lavender on the nose. Dry, rich, full and tangy on the palate with ripe blackberry, raspberry and blueberry compote, with just a hint of vanilla and smoke along with cinnamon and pepper spice flavours, smooth and elegant caressing the mid-palate and flowing around it. It was a beautiful story in wine... and now the book is read. Am I really sorry we enjoyed it? Nah *(* Tasted May 2022.

Jon Steeves rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Rich and densely concentrated fruit. Thick mouthfeel, and very full bodied. Inky ruby red. Cherry, dark chocolate, mocha, and black pepper. Succulent and very tasty plum / cherry / mocha long finish. Paired well with braised beef short-rib. Tasted April 2017. 91 points

Heather Wall rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

Certainly a most handsome wine with a dark and brooding persona in the glass. Coincidence that Fifty Shades Darker opens in theatres for Valentine's Day? Masculine aromas of pencil lead, swirling sweet cigar, cedar, dark cherry, and chocolate. Rich and full-bodied with youthful tannins and balanced acidity. Lingering toffee and cherry finish. Oh, and there is a little vanilla. ?? Happy Valentine's Day. Pair with finer cuts of beef or braised lamb.
Tasted: January 2017