"A nose of apple, melon, pear, citrus and a subtle ginger note. It's delicious on the palate with ripe baked apple, pear, a hint of spice and a note of citrus zest on the finish" - Rick Van Sickle, Wines of Niagara, May 2017.
Beautiful soft yellow and a hint of effervescence at time of release. Nose is incredibly lifted and wafts intensely from the glass. Pear, pineapple and subtle anise come first, with apple pie and lemon just behind it. Palate is fresh fruit salad, dominated by orchard fruit and nashi pear, finishing with tropical fruit, citrus and banana. Lots of fruit sweetness this year. Great approachability and will pair well with a large assortment of cheeses and lighter meat dishes. Salad too if you're into that.
Beautiful soft yellow and a hint of effervescence at time of release. Nose is incredibly lifted and wafts intensely from the glass. Pear, pineapple and subtle anise come first, with apple pie and lemon just behind it. Palate is fresh fruit salad, dominated by orchard fruit and nashi pear, finishing with tropical fruit, citrus and banana. Lots of fruit sweetness this year. Great approachabillity and will pair well with a large assortment of cheeses and lighter meat dishes. Salad too if you're into that.
A record early bud break had us thinking that we were in for another hot ripe year as in 2015, but a cool June and July slowed the growing season significantly. There was some moderate disease pressure for the first time in years so diligent work in the vineyard was required to keep the fruit clean and free from mould. In September the sun came out and resulted in an excellent year for whites, with slow steady sugar accumulation and beautiful acids retained with the cool nights. The Pinot Gris was picked over a two week period in the middle of September, with each block selected at optimal ripeness.
The Pinot Gris was crushed and de-stemmed before pressing, with the pressing cycle for this varietal being unique to dark skinned whites. We typically have a longer press program that emphasizes slow extraction with extended skin contact as well as a higher pressure at the end. This allows the clear juice to be in contact with the skins longer, which is where much of the flavour in this variety is stored. There is a delicate balance of flavour extraction and phenolic extraction (tannins are also in the skins) that plays out, plus the wine can go pink if it's in contact with the skins too long as the skins are a light red colour at harvest. Once settled the clear juice was racked to stainless steel barrels and tanks and fermented using native and selected yeast. The wine was then kept on fine lees and stirred to add weight and texture to the palate.