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 handpicked from our Burrowing Owl Vineyard in Oliver on October 7. They were hand-sorted, destemmed and slightly crushed before being gravity-fed into stainless steel tanks. The “must” (juice + skins + seeds) was cold soaked for 1 day prior to fermentation for ideal extraction of colour from the thin-skinned berries. Strict temperature-controlled fermentation, followed by another 4 days of extended maceration, helped retain the Pinot Noir’s delicate flavours. The wine was pressed and transferred into barrels for malolactic conversion and ageing. The ageing program, based on French, Russian, and Hungarian oak, enhances the wine’s velvety texture while elevating aromatics and adding spice. During ageing, the wine was regularly racked off of its lees.

To barrel age the 2018 Pinot Noir, we used: 85% French, 12% Russian, 3% Hungarian with 6% new, 41% one-year-old, 24% two-year-old, and 29% three-year-old oak.