Blend: 100% Merlot
Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.0% | PH: 3.60 | Titratable acidity: 5.95 g/L
Bottling Date: April 2020
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
A bright, fresh, silky and complex Merlot with lots of black plum, baking spice, ripe raspberry, mixed brambly berries with violet and lavender floral notes, cocoa, marzipan and vanilla and some Earl Grey tea, burlap and cedar. The palate is full-bodied with firm ripe tannins, refreshing acidity, a velvety texture and flavours of plum pudding, black cherry, hazelnut, chilli spiced dark chocolate, paprika, dried sage with some graphite notes on the long finish. It has the structure to age and develop for over a decade. Pair this with lamb shanks braised in star anise and clove infused red wine or vegan chorizo tacos.
Rhys Pender, Master of Wine
Wine Making:
2018 was a moderate growing season that started with an earlier budbreak and a warmer than average May. The season cooled during the summer months and rebounded with favourable September and October temperatures. The cooperative weather allowed us to retain acidity and provide quality fruit with increased crop levels. While the sun and heat create intense fruit flavours, the cool evenings preserve the natural acidity in the grapes keeping the wine fresh and lively.
The grapes were harvested by hand from Burrowing Owl Estate Winery’s vineyards in Oliver and Osoyoos between October 9th and 18th. They were destemmed and gently crushed before being fed by gravity flow into stainless tanks for a cold soak of four days prior to approximately two weeks of alcoholic fermentation.
Both free run wine and pressed wine were then moved into barrels for malolactic fermentation followed by fourteen months of ageing. The selection of barrels helped round out the tannins, and contributed complex savoury, toasted and spicy notes. After the blending of the barrels, the wine was bottled unfiltered and left to mature in bottle until its release.
