2021 Renaissance Merlot
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2021
Varietal
Merlot
Appellation
Okanagan Falls
Vineyard Designation
Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Falls sub-GI
Harvest Date
Sept 24, 2021
Acid
5.7 g/L
pH
3.6
Aging
Decant and drink now, or cellar for enjoyment from 2025 - 2030
Bottling Date
August 2023
Residual Sugar
2.5 g/L
Alcohol %
13.5
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
This wine has a dark ruby core with a brighter ruby rim colour. The nose shows an abundance of ripe fruit: Italian plums, blackberries, red & dark cherries. While the fruit is certainly the star, these notes are balanced by notes of dried herbs, cocoa, liquorice, leather & toasty French oak. The palate is tight and youthful, yet plush and elegant, and with air exposure, it opens up generously. The finish is long with lingering ripe, dusty tannins and lively acidity.
Production Notes
All fruit was hand-harvested, bunch-sorted, destemmed and gravity transferred to 1 T fermenters. Approximately 50% of the berries were left whole and uncrushed. After a 4-day cold soak, the must was warmed and inoculated with selected yeasts. The cap was punched down by hand 3 times daily, and at the ideal tannin extraction, the must was drained of free run juice and the skins were lightly pressed. The wine continued its fermentation in French oak barriques (40% new) through to dryness and then through Malolactic conversion. It was left to mature undisturbed for 18 months before being blended, and is set to be bottled without fining or filtration in August 2023.
Winemaker Notes
Our Estate Merlot block has ideal terroir for Okanagan Merlot: a free-draining gravel soil profile and a southwest facing slope to gather the intense afternoon heat. Having tended our Merlot for over 25 years, we feel we have learned how to grow exceptional Merlot on this site, even in the most difficult of years. With the age of the vines in this block, nature has gradually self-limited the cropping levels so that we are now given an intensely concentrated and naturally balanced yield. Once in the cellar, this Merlot is handled with ‘white gloves’ before being transferred to age in the finest French oak barrels available.
Food Pairing Notes
Classic: grilled meat (steak, sausage, etc.), charcuterie, roast beef, game pies, burgers, turkey dinner, lamb, stews, chilli con carne.
Adventurous: Japanese-style beef dishes, Chinese crispy duck, macaroni & cheese, bacon & eggs.
Other Notes
300 6-pack cases produced.
Varietals: 89.2% Merlot, 10.8% Cabernet Sauvignon.