Field Collection Red 2018

What it is
A barrel-aged blend of Merlot (84%), Zweigelt (8%) and Pinot Noir (8%).

Where it was grown
Merlot from Arrowleaf Estate in Lake Country
Zweigelt from Ritchie Farm in Lake Country
Pinot Noir from Beaumont in West Kelowna

When it was grown
The 2018 vintage started off with a mild winter and plenty of snow. The spring was cool and bud break in the vineyard was later than average. 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 would have continued in August but high atmospheric smoke from forest fires provided a cooling effect that slowed the ripening of the grapes. The cooler temperatures stuck around in September; further delaying ripening and allowing the grapes plenty of time to develop flavour. The skies cleared in October for an ideal grape harvest.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in mid to late October and were fermented with a 10-14 day maceration time before being pressed, racked and moved to 225l oak barrels for 12 months. The barrel program consisted of 75% American oak and 25% Eastern European oak (10% new). After barrel aging, the wine was given a coarse filtration before bottling.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.5 g/l
Acidity 5.6 g/l
Alcohol 13.9%
Cases Made 1350