Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.8% | PH: 3.80 | Titratable acidity: 6.09 g/L
Bottling Date: August 2016
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
From the warm 2014 vintage comes this lush fruited and complex Merlot. The nose shows damson plum, violets, black cherry, vanilla, Christmas cake and complex baking spices. The palate is soft, rich, ripe and round with intense dark chocolate dipped liqueur cherries, black plums, blueberry, a full body, smooth tannins and liquorice, dried sage and spice notes on the long finish. Pair this with rich braised short ribs or lamb shoulder slowly roasted with rosemary. – Rhys Pender, Master of Wine
Wine Making:
The 2014 season presented the ideal profile for the production of intensely aromatic and concentrated wines for both whites and reds. The dry and warm Spring favored blossoming, and exceptional levels of heat during summer time provided for an even ripening. Finally, the beautiful late season gave us time to pick the grapes at will, when they had reached our optimum standards of maturity.
The grapes were harvested by hand from Burrowing Owl’s Vineyards in Oliver and Osoyoos, from October 9th to 23rd. They were sorted by hand, then destemmed and gently crushed before being gravity fed into stainless tanks for cold soak (4 days) and alcoholic fermentation (10 days). Fermentation temperature ranged from 16 to 26 Celsius. Both “free run” and “pressed” wine were then moved into barrels for the malolactic fermentation followed by ageing for 18 months. The selection of barrels helped round out the tannins, and contributed to complex notes such as smoky, savory and spice. After the blending of the barrels, the wine was bottled unfiltered and left to mature in bottle until its release.
Ageing: 65% French oak, 18 % American, 10% Hungarian, 7% Russian with 23% new oak
