Blend: 100% Merlot
Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.5 % | PH: 3.59 | Titratable acidity: 6.31 g/L
Bottling Date: May 2022
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
A deep, rich Merlot showing intense aromas of black plum, blackberry, stewed blueberries and cocoa with complex pastry crust, graphite and dried black olive notes. The palate is full bodied with ripe soft tannins, crisp acidity, lots of ripe black cherry fruit with pretty floral violet, sage, mint and marzipan with a long finish. Plenty of structure to cellar for a decade. Pair with ground lamb stuffed in eggplant and roasted or cumin rubbed and grilled duck breast.
– Rhys Pender, Master of Wine
Wine Making:
The 2020 growing season was a rather average one characterized by certain weather events. Spring’s arrival was delayed, followed by bouts of rain in late May and early June which led to slightly lower yields and resultingly high-quality grapes. August added ideal summer heat, ripening the grapes slowly which extended into September. Sunny, clear skies in the fall helped make up for the late start to the season and benefited flavour development in the grapes while cool nights helped retain acidity.
The Merlot grapes for this big and lush wine were harvested by hand from our vineyards in Oliver and Osoyoos from mid- to late-October once ideal ripeness was achieved. They were hand-sorted, destemmed, gently crushed and gravity-fed into stainless tanks for a cold soak of 3 days before fermentation which lasted 28 days (fermentation temperatures ranged from 16 to 30 °C). Both “free run” and “pressed” wine were then moved into oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and 14 months of ageing. The selection of barrels helped round out the tannins, and contributed to complex savory and spice notes. After the blending of the barrels, the wine was bottled unfiltered and left to mature in bottle until its release.
