A mild but long winter with lots of late-season snowfall delayed bud break by a few days compared to our long-term average, and resulted in a slow start to the growing season. Once spring arrived however, the vines switched gears and caught back up to a more normal pace by June. Flowering took place under ideal conditions (dry and warm) and resulted in the potential for high yields, especially in our Chardonnay blocks.
July brought us beautiful Okanagan summer conditions. A couple weeks of haze from wildfire smoke slowed the vines down in August and delayed veraison and subsequent ripening slightly. Fortunately, our grapes and wines were not impacted by the smoke. Harvest began in early September and, thanks to cool, dry weather which allowed our grapes to ripen gently, lasted until the end of October.
