The vines for this wine were meticulously maintained to maximize fruit ripening. All Pinot Noir bunches were exposed to as much light as possible through leaf removal to promote maturation and flavour development. "Green Harvest" - meaning the elimination of under-ripe bunches - was performed at the first sign of véraison. Véraison is the colour change from green to red for Pinot Noir berries.

A meager 5-6 bunches per vine were left in order to encourage ripening, concentration of flavours and expression of our Beamsville Bench terroir.

The grapes were handpicked, sorted, de-stemmed and chilled for 7-10 days - this cold-soak encourages fruit flavours to be released from the whole berries. The wine was fermented with native yeasts and the skins were hand-plunged one to four times a day during fermentation and the skins were gently pressed in a traditional basket press. This Pinot Noir spent 14 months in a mixture of new and older French Oak barrels and aged a further six months in small stainless steel barrels.

Winemaker's Comments

A vibrant nose of sweet cherries, tea roses, smoke and cranberry. The wine then changes on the palate, bringing dark forest fruits together to mix with minerality and a savoury note all framed by tight tannins that will preserve the wine for 5-8 years from the vintage. There is a refreshing, silky acidity that makes the wine lively on the palate.