Archive Pinot Noir Vertical

Where it was grown
Arrowleaf Estate, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
2020 was a year of ups and downs in the vineyard. An unusually warm stretch of winter weather started the year off in a pleasant way until an arctic cold front moved in and damaged a lot of the fruitful buds on the vines. This resulted in a 40% reduction in overall yield. The silver lining, of course, is that with reduced yield generally comes exceptional quality. It turned out that the vines needed a light load this vintage as the summer and fall were cooler than normal causing the fruit to ripen late. All in all, 2020 is a stellar but scarce vintage.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in multiple batches in mid October at a ripeness level suited to the production of elegant Pinot Noir. The grapes were destemmed, partially crushed and fermented with a low dose of yeast to allow wild yeast naturally present on the grapes to co-exist in the early part of fermentation. After primary fermentation, the wine was moved to premium French oak barrels for malo-lactic fermentation and aging. It was bottled in late summer of 2021 and aged another nine months before release.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.5 g/l
Acidity 5.2 g/l
Alcohol 13.0%
Cases Made 300

Where it was grown
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2019 vintage was a welcome return to cooler weather that was more in line with the long-term average. The forest fires that caused widespread smoke in the previous three vintages did not happen in 2019; instead, we got clear skies for most of the summer and early fall. An extended rainy period proved tricky during harvest, but the wines turned out to have great balance, finesse and aromatics. 2019 is a true Pinot Noir vintage.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in multiple batches in early to mid October at a ripeness level suited to the production of elegant Pinot Noir. After primary fermentation, the wine was moved to French oak barrels for malo-lactic fermentation. In the spring, each separate batch was assessed for quality, the best of which created the blend. The wine was then returned to the best French oak barrels (25% new) for a further six months of aging.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.0 g/l
Acidity 5.3 g/l
Alcohol 13.5%
Cases Made 186

Where it was grown
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, Okanagan ValleyRitchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan ValleyBeaumont, West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2018 vintage started off with a mild winter and plenty of snow. A cool spring led to a later than average bud break in the vineyard. The large snowpack left a lot of groundwater in the soil and the vines grew fast with little or no irrigation until summer. July was very hot and the heatwave that would have continued into August was interrupted by high atmospheric smoke from multiple forest fires that provided a cooling effect and slowed the ripening of the grapes. Cool temperatures stuck around in September further delaying ripening and allowing the grapes plenty of time to develop flavour. The skies cleared in October and the valley enjoyed beautiful weather that made for an ideal grape harvest.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in mid-October with fermentation taking place in multiple batches; some were inoculated with yeast and others were left to go wild.

After primary fermentation, the wine was moved to French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. In the spring, each separate batch was assessed for quality, the best of which created the blend. The wine was then returned to the best French oak barrels (25% new) for a further six months of aging.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.0 g/l
Acidity 5.8 g/l
Alcohol 13.5%
Cases Made 158

Where it was grown
Beaumont Vineyard, West Kelowna, BC (59%)
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, BC (34%)
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, BC (7%)

When it was grown
The 2017 vintage started with a cool and wet spring that delayed the onset of bud break in the vines. The melting snowpack and spring rains caused flooding in the valley bottom and a lot of ground water in the vineyards. Once the weather warmed in June, the vines responded with vigorous growth. The summer was hot and dry which caused many forest fires in the mountains around the valley. The conditions in the vineyards remained favourable and ripening of the grapes started in early September. The fall remained dry and warm, allowing the grapes to fully ripen despite the late start in the spring. The quality of the grapes was excellent with lower than average yields and smaller berry size.

How it was made
We hand-harvested and fermented all of our Pinot Noir in many small batches. Some underwent a natural fermentation with no added yeast; others were inoculated with proven yeast strains. Each batch was kept separately in barrels until we assessed them for quality after 6 months of aging. A blend of the best batches was determined based on ripe fruit, tannin structure, acidity and complexity. The blend went back into 500L oak puncheons for an additional 6 months of aging before bottling.

Technical Details
Residual sugar 2.5 g/l
Acidity 5.7 g/l
Alcohol 13.5%
Cases Made 420