Analysis:
Alcohol: 14.5% | PH: 4 | Titratable acidity: 6.38 g/L
Bottling Date: May 2016
Cellaring: 5+ years
Tasting Notes:
Concentrated and intense from the ripe 2014 vintage this is packed with ripe blackberry, blueberry and baked wild berry fruit with complex notes of charred meat, black pepper, bacon and liquorice. The palate is full bodied and rich with more dark berry flavours, dark chocolate and ripe, firm tannins that should allow ageing for a decade. There is some pepper and paprika on the long finish along with a hint of the dried wild sage typical of the region. Pair this with grilled flank steak with a peppercorn sauce or spit roasted leg of lamb. Rhys Pender, Master of Wine
Wine Making:
The 2014 season presented the ideal profile for the production of intensely aromatic and concentrated wines for both whites and reds: the dry and warm Spring favored blossoming, exceptional levels of heat during summer time provided for sufficient energy for an even ripening and the beautiful late season gave us time to pick the grapes at will, when they had reached our optimum standards of maturity.
The Syrah grapes were harvested by hand from November 3rd to 5th 2014 from Oliver Black Sage and Osoyoos Lake Eva’s vineyards. They were hand sorted, destemmed and slightly crushed before being dropped by gravity into the tank for fermentation under temperature control (17-25 Celsius). The juice was then pressed off and moved into barrels to allow for the malolactic fermentation followed by ageing. It was aged for 18 months in a combination of barrels selected for their ability to underline the natural flavor profile of the wine. Racked off its lies several times during its ageing, the wine was bottle unfiltered.
Ageing: 70% French, 22% American, 3% Hungarian, 4% Russian with 20% new oak, 20% one-year-old oak and 60% neutral oak
