13th Street Pinot Noir Reserve 2018

Tasting notes

Pale ruby in the glass with touches of brick showing on the rim. Intensely aromatic with notes of black cherry, kirsch, baking spice and vanilla complemented by a background of dark chocolate and earthiness. On the palate it is medium-bodied with a velvety mouthfeel and flavours of chocolate covered cherries and a touch of vanilla and baking spice with soft tannins tannins and refreshing acidity. The finish lingers with warming notes of vanilla, fruit and drying tannins.

Pairing

Enjoy on release with roasted or grilled red meats and hard cheeses. A perfect pairing with seared duck breast with cherry jus. Decant to allow the wine to fully express its complexities. The wine will continue to develop with short-to-mid-term cellaring.

Appellation

VQA Creek Shores

Vintage Notes

The winter of 2017/2018 was again mild, with an especially warm February, but a cool April with some snow and ice pushed bud-burst back for an average start to the growing season. Once the summer finally started it was hot and humid, with prolonged periods of extreme heat. Luckily rain started in September, perfect to refresh grapes destined for early picking such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay for sparkling and Pinot Gris and Chardonnay for whites. Unfortunately, the rain did not stop and there was some pressure to pick late ripening whites and early ripening reds before disease set in. Gamay, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Merlot had to be sorted in the vineyard and again on sorting tables in the winery to ensure only pristine bunches were kept. The rain finally subsided in late October so late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon were harvested in pristine condition. Overall yields were low with intense ripeness in most varieties. Early picked whites are crisp and full of flavour while later picked reds are full-bodied with ripe tannins. Wines will be drinking well on release or can cellar for the medium term.

Vinification

The fruit for our Reserve Pinot Noir 2018 was harvested in mid October from our Whitty Vineyard in Creek Shores. It was in nearly pristine condition so minimal sorting was necessary. The grapes were destemmed and crushed, followed by maceration and fermentation over 30 days in stainless steel tanks during which regular pigeage was performed to ensure full colour and fruit tannins were extracted. The wine was then moved to new and seasoned French oak barrels for ageing. After malolactic fermentation they remained in oak for 14 months after which time the blending of wines took place and the wine was moved to stainless steel tanks for further ageing. The final blend was bottled in March 2020.

Production Amount