FEATURED WINE OF THE 12-WINES-OF-XMAS PACKAGE = WEEK SIX VIRTUAL

*BRONZE MEDAL - WINEALIGN NATIONAL WINE AWARDS OF CANADA 2022* 

 WINEMAKER NOTES: 2019 was generally cooler and wetter year than normal, but overall, a good season. A slow, wet, and cool start of spring slowed the progress in the vineyards until the later part of May. Thanks to warm June and July months, conditions accelerated and caught up to where we want them to be by August. A few rainy streaks in August boosted the size of the berries and resulted in a challenging véraison transition into the pre-harvest with heavy crop levels. After fruit thinning, only clean and healthy clusters were left on the vines to achieve full ripeness. Cool, dry and sunny fall days allowed us to hang the grapes into late November, achieving full phenolic ripeness and keeping the fruit clean from any damages. An early cold snap and snow in mid-November concentrated flavors. Grapes were picked the week after the cold snap, and were machine harvested and sorted to eliminate any leaves, stems and petioles before grapes reached our crush pad. Post-frost, this would be an impossible task for a hand crew. Fermentation was conducted at a high 20’s temperature with pump overs performed twice daily. Gentle pressing of the fermented grapes helped to extract all the flavours and good tannins. Following the settling of the gross lees, the wine was transferred into barrels for 16 months of aging. It was then racked in the middle of the summer of 2021, filtered and bottled right before the start of the 2021 Harvest.

TASTING NOTES: This medium to full-bodied wine has intriguing aromatics of raspberry jam and toasted cedar, while dark chocolate-covered cherries hold you captive. This wine’s youthful vibrancy is balanced with a weightiness on the palate, medium firm tannins and a long finish. Enjoy this wine with a variety of food pairings, such as an aged white cheddar grilled cheese sandwich or a grilled steak dinner.