Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Analysis:
Alcohol: 13.5% | PH: 3.80 | Titratable acidity: 5.74 g/L
Bottling Date: September 2024
Tasting Notes:
Pale ruby in colour, this Pinot Noir unfurls with fragrant dried rose petals, tangy raspberry, and red cherry, layered with subtle clove and nutmeg alongside a touch of dusty earthiness. The palate showcases ripe, juicy red berries with toasty baking spices, all framed by fresh acidity and polished, silky tannins. Savoury and nuanced, it offers a refined complexity. Pair with mushroom and herb, aged cheddar quiche or duck breast, slow-cooked charred cabbage, pomme puree, with truffle kohlrabi, pickled mustard, and black current jus.
Wine Making:
Following a winter that included a significant cold snap, the 2023 growing season itself was warm, steady, and free of temperature extremes. Spring’s arrival was only marginally delayed while June through to the first half of August saw ideal temperatures for ripening and flavour development in our grapes. The fruit benefited even more from sunny, clear skies in the early fall, while the grapes’ natural acidity was preserved by the cool nights provided.
After the third week of September, the grapes were picked from our Burrowing Owl Vineyard in Oliver and Sumac Slope Vineyard in Okanagan Falls. They were hand-sorted, destemmed, and gently crushed before being gravity-fed into stainless steel tanks. The “must” (juice, skins, and seeds) underwent a three-day cold soak followed by
a fermentation of twenty-five days. Optimal temperature control was maintained for an ideal extraction of colour from these thin-skinned berries, helping to retain the Pinot Noir’s delicate flavours. The wine was pressed and transferred into barrels for malolactic conversion and aging for nine months in oak. The maturation of the wine in 100% French oak enhances the wine’s velvety texture while elevating aromatics and adding complimentary spice notes.
