Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.5% | PH: 3.79 | Titratable acidity: 5.8 g/L
Bottling Date: August 2019
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
A deep ruby colour with an intense nose of cassis, blackberry, black cherry, dried sage, lavender and orange studded milk chocolate. Graphite, charred meat, potpourri and pie crust notes add complexity. The palate is dry and full bodied with firm but ripe tannins, crisp acidity and a lovely savoury/fruity mix of graphite minerality, paprika and cocoa with cassis, blackberry, dried blueberry and lots of clove and allspice on the long, savoury finish. Pair this with slow roasted lamb shoulder, beef and black pepper stew with thyme or eggplant parmigiana.
Rhys Pender, MW
Wine Making:
The 2017 growing season got off to a cool, slow start but the vines quickly caught up for lost time in the summer months. The warm temperatures through August and September combined while the cool nights of late summer and early fall produced bold fruit flavors and retained acidity. Nice warm days in October helped to push the fruit to full ripeness prior to harvest.
The estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were harvested by hand from Burrowing Owl Vineyard (Oliver Black Sage Bench) and Eva’s Vineyard (Osoyoos East Bench) at the end of October. They were de-stemmed and gently crushed before being fed by gravity flow into stainless steel tanks where they were allowed to cold soak for 4 days to extract colour prior to fermentation. Once fermented, the wine was pressed off and moved into a careful selection of barrels to help integrate components, smooth out the tannins, and lend complex savoury notes to the wine. After undergoing malolactic fermentation, the wine was then aged for 18 months. It was bottled unfiltered and allowed to further age before its release.
Ageing: 85% French, 15% Hungarian with 25% new, 35% one and two-year, 40% neutral oak
