Blend: 59% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Analysis:
Alcohol: 14% | PH: 3.75 | Titratable acidity: 6.0 g/L
Bottling Date: August 2019
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
An intense and complex nose of ripe dark fruit with intriguing savoury notes. Cassis, blackberry and ripe black Italian plum mix with gamy, meaty notes, cedar, graphite and some subtle dried rose petal in the background. The full-bodied palate is packed with intense flavour, is firmly structured and built for ageing with ripe tannins and crisp acidity. Powerful cassis, black cherry and some complex pepper, clove, orange zest and dried thyme linger on the long finish. Pair this with roast venison with cassis infused demi-glace, lamb rack with a rosemary and garlic crust or spice rubbed, char-roasted cauliflower.
Rhys Pender, Master of Wine
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 with 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.
Meritage is Burrowing Owl Estate Winery’s flagship blend of Bordeaux grape varieties grown in our vineyards. Percentages of the components vary from vintage to vintage and are selected from the best blocks to highlight the expression of our unique terroir in the South Okanagan Valley. The 2017 features Cabernet Sauvignon as the leading grape with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot providing added colour, structure and complexity. The different varietals were aged in barrel separately for 15 months before the first assemblage. The blend was then aged for another 3 months in barrels of different origins, cooperages and levels of toast that helped integrate the components and smooth the tannins while adding complex savoury notes. At completion of ageing it was bottled unfiltered and allowed to age further before its release.
