All varieties were picked from our Lakeshore Farm vineyard, our June’s Vineyard as well as other select vineyards in the Creek Shores appellation starting in early-October and ending in mid November. They were all were handled separately and after manual sorting, were crushed and destemmed, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with cold soak and post-fermentation skin contact totalling two weeks. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were moved to 500 and 600 litre seasoned oak casks as well as second and third use French barriques, while the Cabernet Franc was aged in 100% seasoned barriques. Following primary fermentation, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was left on fine lees with regular racking over 9 months before bottling in September 2021 after light fining and filtration.

VINTAGE NOTES

Winter of 2020 started with warmer than average temperatures from January through March followed by a cooler than average April. Bud break was in the second and third week of May. From thereon, temperatures increased and the summer months were above average temperatures with little precipitation, allowing for full phenolic development. Harvest remained dry and sunny with cool nights, important for maintaining acidity. There was little to no disease pressure, resulting in clean and ripe fruit. Harvest started in the second week of September with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay for sparkling, followed quickly by aromatic whites and then later ripening whites. Gamay was the first red variety harvested in early-to-mid October followed closely by Pinot Noir and Merlot. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon were the last varieties to be harvested, taking place the last week of October through early November. Berry size was recognized to be smaller than previous years with an intense dark colour, suggesting the potential for increased concentration of flavour and colour extraction. The quality of the grapes was very good to excellent throughout the portfolio. Wines should have the capacity to age for the medium to long term.