Blend: 73% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Syrah, 1% Petit Verdot/Malbec
Analysis: Alcohol: 13.5% | PH: 3.68 | Titratable acidity: 5.88 g/L
Bottling Date: September 2020
Cellaring: 3+ years
Tasting Notes:
A nose that shows both vibrant cassis, cranberry, raspberry, red plum and cherry alongside a floral violet note as well as sage and dried thyme. The palate is juicy, energetic and fresh with a medium body and medium tannin level and some intriguing layers of dark chocolate, cocoa, paprika, pepper and some graphite supporting the cherry, currant and mixed berry fruit. Pair this with spaghetti and meatballs or a lightly spiced white bean and tomato vegetarian stew.
Wine Making:
Spring arrived early in 2019, allowing for early and even bud break, flowering and fruit set. This was followed by a warm, yet more moderate summer. The summer heat was enough to produce nicely concentrated levels of ripeness in the grapes and the cool autumn provided conditions for acidity to be retained in the fruit as well, providing the wine with a lively freshness to balance the ripe fruit notes.
All of the grapes for this blend were hand-picked from vineyards in Osoyoos and Oliver. They were hand sorted then gently crushed before being dropped into tanks for alcoholic fermentation. At completion, the wine was transferred separately into oak barrels for malolactic fermentation to occur. It was then racked and barreled down for ageing in a majority of 3-year-old oak barrels of French origin, lending very small amounts of woodsy and toasty flavours. After 9 months in barrel, the wines were blended and filtered before bottling.
