Winemaker’s Notes: Growing conditions in the spring 2019 were quite slow with cooler weather and lots of moisture delaying budbreak and slowing early spring growth. June was warmer, in fact we had some quite hot spells throughout the month giving great flowering conditions. by the end of the month the vines had caught up following the slow start. The rest of the summer was mainly sunny and warm with just enough moisture for steady development of the vines. September was cooler, but mainly sunny giving a great beginning to the harvest season. October was warmer with more moisture and humidity but in general conditions remained favorable for the earlier ripening varieties.
Grapes were hand picked from Vagner Vineyards in Niagara on the Lake. A warmer site for growing Pinot Noir developing great flavours naturally balanced.
Fermentation began naturally in small bins with manual punch downs 2-3 times each day. Ferment began to slow down towards the end of ferment and the ferment was completed using a selected yeast. After 18 days on skins the wine was pressed off and moved in to 2nd and 3rd fill French oak barrels for aging. Malolactic ferment was completed in barrel. The wine was aged for 20 months in the barrels before racking to tank before a light filtration and bottling.
