Blend: 100% Merlot
Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.5% | PH: 3.76 | Titratable acidity: 5.75 g/L
Bottling Date: April / May 2023
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
A textural and alluring combination of ripe mixed berries, fruitcake, black cherry and fresh raspberry with savoury notes of burlap, sage, vanilla and dried rose petals. The full-bodied palate, crisp acidity with round medium tannins shows cocoa and dark chocolate, dried blueberries, mint, paprika, hazelnut and pie crust along with the mixed berry fruit. Pair this with Tourtière, stewed eggplant with puy lentils or roast beef with red wine demi-glace.
– Rhys Pender, Master of Wine
Wine Making:
After a mild winter, the 2021 growing season got underway with early bud break occurring in March followed by timely fruit set. 2021 will be remembered as a very hot year with record-breaking temperatures in late June. Less frequent cooler nights coupled with the heat led to efforts to retain acidity in the grapes by picking earlier. While yields were somewhat impacted by the exceptional temperatures, phenolic ripeness was more easily achieved in the grapes harvested.
Our Merlot grapes were hand-harvested from Burrowing Owl Vineyards’ blocks in Oliver and Osoyoos between October 1st and 19th. They were sorted by hand, destemmed and then gently crushed before being gravity-fed into stainless tanks for a cold soak (3 days) and vinification (14 days). Alcoholic fermentation temperatures ranged from 16 to 30 °C. Both “free run” and “pressed” wine were then moved into barrels for malolactic fermentation followed by 15 months of ageing. The selection of barrels helped round out the tannins and contributed to complex savoury and spice notes. After the blending of barrels, the wine was bottled and left to mature until its release.
