2021 Pinot Noir

With each vintage, our flagship Pinot Noir aims to most beautifully capture the evolving maturity of our vineyard; offering us a natural expression of our unique terroir in Southeast Kelowna.

Pouring a brilliant garnet colour in the glass, this vintage release carries bright aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, mushrooms, and cedar with a touch of dried rose and earthy truffle. A subtle dried spearmint adds to the complexity. The palate is awash with sun-warmed plum, pomegranate, baking spices, cedar box, and a hint of cocoa powder and rosemary. The tannins are beautifully refined and support the bright fruit profile seamlessly. Finishing long, warm and inviting with a lovely mineral line that speaks to a common thread in wines made from this historic vineyard site.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES

Crafted from multiple clones from our estate Pinot Noir blocks, along with a small percentage of fruit from a neighbouring Southeast Kelowna vineyard of great pedigree, parcels of fruit were handpicked and vinified in small lots using 100% wild fermentation. Each parcel was fermented separately, with a light working once a day through fermentation, mainly by way of gentle foot-treading.

Anywhere from 10-20% whole bunches were used. Once the wine had finished primary fermentation the must was gently pressed between 15-24 days on skins depending on the block. The wine was then aged in oak barriques (20% new) for 11 months, at which time it was blended and received a gentle crossflow filtration. The wine was bottled in September 2022. Clonal selection: 114, 115, 667, 777, 828, 37, 943.

ACCOLADES

91 points - Anthony Gismondi, Gismondi On Wine
"Southeast Kelowna is coming on strong in the pinot discussion led by wines like this entry Tantalus label crammed full of dry, earthy aromas, and overflowing with Bing cherry and mushroom that dance in light and fresh. The persistent finish is marked with baking spices and sticky youthful tannin, with a dusting of minerality for complexity."

TECHNICAL INFO

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir
Alcohol: 13.4%
Residual Sweetness: 0.24 g/L
pH: 3.57
Total Acidity: 6.32 g/L

  • VINTAGE NOTES

    After a few recent winters with remarkably cold events, we managed to emerge from the 2020/21 winter without much cold damage to our vineyards. Bud break fell on the early end of the long-term average, fueled by warm spring temperatures and marginal rainfall, conditions that would persist until summer. The 2021 heat dome (we measured a temperature high of 48.5C on site) coincided with flowering in the vineyard. The extreme heat at such a sensitive time in the grapes’ development resulted in smaller than average berries and clusters and lower yields.

    Warm temperatures and low rainfall persisted through early summer. Smoky August skies slowed berry ripening and pushed harvest back from what would have been a record early start on our site. Harvest kicked off in early September with our first grapes for our sparkling wines. The weather stayed warm with little precipitation for the rest of the month, allowing us to pick our fruit at peak ripeness and flavour and wrap up harvest on October 5th, two weeks earlier than we commonly do and making for a short but busy end to the growing season! Although a lower crop yield from the season was disappointing, fruit quality was excellent and the smaller bunches led to beautifully concentrated wines.