Winemaker's Notes
2023 ALIGOTÉ
We have been growing Aligoté since 1978 and it’s a pleasure to work with in the vineyard. It is quite generous in producing fruit so we do have to keep the yield in check so each vine produces ripe, concentrated grapes. But the canopy doesn’t grow too high and the canes are not as woody as most vinifera so they are easy to tie in the spring and trellis in the summer. Aligoté’s leaves are bigger than average providing ample surface area for photosynthesis, producing ripe juicy grapes.
Aligoté is a rare vitis vinifera variety native to the Burgundy region of France. Aligoté can be a chameleon by exuberantly expressing its terroir. Our Aligoté will remind you of green apples and fresh pears on the nose while on the palate the minerality and zing of crisp acidity is mouthwatering. That’s why we believe it doesn’t need to be oak aged – it’s delicious on its own.
2024 SAUVIGNON BLANC
The grapes for this wine were sourced exclusively from our vineyards. We hand select the fruit as it is being picked to make sure only top-quality grape bunches are used. We choose fruit from our St. David’s Bench vineyard for this wine because of the heavier clay-based soils found in this sub-appellation adds depth and character. All the while making sure we are farming both our vineyards responsibly and sustainably, like we have done since 1978.
We bottle this wine in a clear Bordeaux shaped bottle, so you can see how clean and vibrant the wine is. You can also see from the colour that it’s unoaked. This is the way we like Sauvignon Blanc; fragrant with classic hints of gooseberry and citrus fruit with an herbal note on the finish. We chose to use a screwcap on this wine to signal that we believe this wine is best enjoyed young.
2024 BARREL AGED CHARDONNAY
The grapes for this wine were sourced exclusively from our vineyards. We hand select the fruit as it is being picked to make sure only top-quality grape bunches are used. We choose fruit from our St. David’s Bench vineyard for this wine because of the heavier clay-based soils found in this sub-appellation adds depth and character. All the while making sure we are farming both our vineyards responsibly and sustainably, like we have done since 1978.
Chardonnay is still one of the most popular white varieties in the world. It may have to do with how versatile it can be; you can have unoaked, lightly oaked and full-on, no-holds barred woody Chardonnay. We believe that if you are going to oak-age any wine it should be done judiciously so the fruit notes can still come through and this is a terrific example of that approach. This Chardonnay was barrel fermented with extended lees contact and aged for about nine months in the same French oak barrels. It has a creamy, buttery texture with melon and pear flavours. The wine is quite rich and can develop in the bottle for a few years.
2021 GAMAY NOIR
We believe we are custodians of the land and have been practicing sustainable agriculture right from the beginning. Our practices include never using herbicides; we control weeds by tilling them into the soil where they add nutrients; our cellars are geothermal environments where heating and air conditioning are not needed at any time during the year. These are just a few examples of our environmentally friendly practices both in the vineyards and in the winery.
Our Gamay Noir is a medium-bodied, easy-drinking red wine. It has a purplish red colour and will remind you of cherry and berry fruit on the nose. The tannins are soft but still apparent to give a little structure. Fermentation and aging are done in stainless steel so the flavours are strictly the grape. The finish is smooth and it lingers just long enough.
2024 PINOT NOIR
There are two distinct styles of Pinot in the world of wine: big, jammy fruit bombs typical of hot climates, and a more delicate, nuanced and balanced wine with silky tannins that is more typical in cool climates. Our Pinot Noir most often is described in the latter style. It should remind you of strawberries and violets on the nose with a hint of mushrooms. On the palate the tannins are nicely integrated giving the wine structure and ageability.
2024 CABERNET-MERLOT
This Cabernet-Merlot is a classically styled blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot that has been aged for six months in French oak barrels. We use the time-honoured tradition of sourcing grapes from our vineyards in order to combine the best flavour profiles of each site. Each variety is vinified separately then combined to create the final blend. The resulting wine is medium-bodied with layers of flavours. It will remind you of dark chocolate, raspberry and cassis. It is certainly ready to drink now but has the structure to continue to develop in the bottle for 3-5 years.
