2022
SYRAH
VQA Niagara Peninsula
Harvest Date: November 2
Brix at harvest: 22.5
pH: 3.63
TA: 6.1
Alc: 13.2%
Production: 900 Bottles
Price: $27.00
WINEMAKER’S NOTES:
Follow a fairly very wet late fall in 2021 and a very cold snap in January of 2022. This cold event was troublesome, some varieties such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc being badly damaged Winter continues well into April with a cooler than normal temperatures. Summer months were favourable for grape growing with lots of sun and heat with just enough rain, maybe too heavy at times but just enough at the right times!! Conditions for harvest were very good. Fruit quality was impressive but yields were lower than normal.
The grapes for this wine were harvested from a small vineyard in Niagara on the Lake. Grapes were harvested by hand, crushed and destemmed before transfer to small fermenting bins. Punch downs were done by hand 2-3 times daily, extracting colour and flavour from the skins. After 18 days of skin contact the wine was pressed off the skins and moved to tank for a couple of days to settle. Following that, the wine was transferred to French and American oak barrels where malolactic ferment was completed. The wine continued to age in the barrels for another 18 months. The wine was lightly filtered before bottling.
TASTING NOTES:
Dark purple colour with warm aromas and flavours of ripe plum, blueberries and mulberries. There are also notes of dried fig and date and cracked black pepper. Rich texture and great balance of acidity. The finish is long with notes of plum pie, stewed blackberry and Christmas cake spice.
2018
SYRAH
Harvest Date: November 2
Average brix at harvest: 22
pH: 3.6
TA: 5.7
WINEMAKER’S NOTES:
Growing conditions throughout the spring and summer were dry and very warm through May to late August giving great optimism for the harvest of 2018. Late August and in to September was extremely hot, this produced severe thunderstorms with some very heavy rains. The humidity levels remained high throughout September giving some concern for breakdown in many varieties of grapes. The grapes for this wine are grown very close to the shores of Lake Ontario where light breezes off the lake tended to keep the intense heat and humidity at bay just a little bit. Grapes were harvested in great condition, crushed and destemmed before transfer to small fermenting bins. Punch downs were done by hand 2-3 times daily, extracting colour and flavour from the skins. After 20 days of skin contact the wine was pressed off the skins and moved to tank for a couple of days to settle off the heavier sediment. Following that it was transferred to French and American oak barrels where malolactic ferment was completed. The wine continued to age in the barrels for another 18 months. The wine was lightly filtered before bottling.
TASTING NOTES:
Dark purple colour with aromas of black raspberry, blueberries and cooked blue plum. There are also notes of black olive and white pepper with very pretty floral aromas – lavender and violet. The palate is rich with intense flavours dark blue fruit, a soft texture and great balance of acidity. The finish is long with hints of butterscotch and Christmas cake spice.
