Blend: 92% Sauvignon Blanc, 8% Sémillon
Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.5% | PH: 3.20 | Titratable acidity: 5.51 g/L
Bottling Date: July 2022
Cellaring: 1-3 years
Tasting Notes:
An intense, powerful Sauvignon Blanc with complex layers of zesty fruit and silky oak. The nose shows ripe tropical passionfruit and gooseberry along with peach, dusty vanillin oak, caramel, custard, toasted hazelnuts and lemon, lime leaves and lemon sherbet with fresh cilantro and mint notes. The dry, racy palate is intense with salty, stony minerality, ripe stone fruit, pineapple, grapefruit and lime with a hint of quince and custard apple and crème brûlée richness on the long finish. Pair this with lemon, oregano and garlic marinated prawns, fresh goat’s cheese or Okanagan peaches wrapped in prosciutto.
– 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.
The Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon grapes were harvested by hand between September 13th and 24th from our vineyard in Keremeos. They were hand sorted and dropped whole bunch by gravity into the pneumatic press for gentle extraction of the juice. After completion, 40% of the juice was fermented and aged in a selection of barrels in order to develop the mouthfeel and to infuse woodsy, toasty and spicy undertones. The other 60% was fermented and aged in stainless steel to promote the delicate and fresh fruit flavours. After 8 months and 4 rackings, the wine was filtered, stabilized and bottled.
