Our Further Afield Series has emerged out of a desire for our winemaking team to explore British Columbia’s most revered varieties, beyond our vineyard borders. Sourced from compelling sites but crafted with a Tantalus perspective.
A deep maroon in colour, this wine displays wonderful spiced and nuanced aromatics. Blueberry and blackberry compote with dusty white pepper and a touch of nutmeg. There is a buoyant floral quality to the wine with a hint of classic charcuterie notes in the background.
The palate is fruity and structured with rich black and blue fruits carrying through the palate. Long and velvety with a plush round mouth feel this wines shows cardamom and pepper with orange peel and a touch of pomegranate and red licorice, adding intrigue. The finish is long and lifted with great clarity and minerality. The tannins are fine grained and very well integrated.
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
The Syrah entered the winery at the end of our estate acreage harvest in perfectly ripe condition from Blind Creek vineyard, located in the Similkameen Valley. Strikingly different to our East Kelowna soils and climatic conditions, the vineyard plot sits on a gentle slope, comprised of broken granite and stony soils. This unique site is nestled against the mountain, which provides heat reflection back on to the vineyard, offering ideal ripening conditions for this fuller body red variety.
Eight separate batches of fruit were vinified, each one fermented at slightly different temperatures and percentages of whole cluster, all with wild fermentation. Ferments took place over various lengths of time to gain layers and complexity. The wine was then pressed and settled to French oak barrels, of which 10% were new. Further élevage took place in barrel for 11 months of maturing before racking and a gentle filtration. Bottled in the fall of 2023.
ACCOLADES
GOLD MEDAL - National Wine Awards of Canada 2024
93 points - Treve Ring, Gismondi On Wine
"Ample cracked pepper imbues crushed violets, fragrant cassis, thorns, and scrubby, stony desert herbs streaming along the medium+ palate. Tannins are long and fine, and acidity is buoyant, lifting this through the lingering, peppery finish. A finessed, joyous syrah, drinking beautifully now and with time ahead. Well done."
92 points - Jacky Blisson, MW Wine Align
"A bold, yet balanced Syrah with well-integrated oak spice, and layers of red cherry, baked plum, violets, and subtle meaty notes. The palate is broad and expressive, with great concentration and ripe, muscular tannins."
TECHNICAL INFO
Varietal: 100% Syrah
Alcohol: 13.9%
Residual Sweetness: 0.18 g/L
pH: 3.67
Total Acidity: 5.7 g/L
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VINTAGE NOTES
Weather patterns in the Similkameen Valley weren‘t too far off what we experienced in our neck of the woods here in Kelowna. Above average rainfall in May charged the soil with water and gave the vines everything they needed to hit the ground running after a long winter and late bud break. The rain continued into June meaning no irrigation was needed for the vines till much later than average and allowed the cover crop to flourish.
Summer was mild though some hot spells in late July and early August helped push the season along. September and October were perfect for developing flavours in the grapes while not having too much sugar produced. This resulted in balanced wines with moderate alcohol.
