The Red Wine Enthusiast

Vineyard Manager's Notes

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.

PINOT NOIR

Pinot Noir is known the world over as the “heartbreak grape” because of how difficult it is to grow well. The slightest bit of moisture in the air can spell trouble so it is critical that we stay vigilant during the growing season. Our sustainable practices mean we are in the vineyards routinely, so we can spot the beginnings of a problem and stop it from developing.
Our sustainable 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.

CABERNET-MERLOT

Cabernet Franc is one of Niagara’s signature grape varieties and the most widely planted red vinifera in the Peninsula. We have blocks on three of our four vineyards dating back to 1985. Cabernet Sauvignon, while less widely planted in Niagara, has roughly the same acreage as Cabernet Franc in our vineyards. It is not generally known that Cabernet Sauvignon is the offspring of Cabernet Franc. It is an 18th century cross of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. All three varieties are native to the Bordeaux region of France. The grapes for this wine were grown exclusively in our own vineyards.

2016 MERLOT

We are fortunate to be able to work with the St. David’s Bench Vineyard. It is an incredible sight. Because it is so far from the lake and nestled against the Escarpment, we are able to achieve full maturity and ripeness in our reds. We do a lot of hand-work in the rows to help the vine concentrate flavours. For example, we select the best bunches on each vine and remove the rest, we expose the bunches on the East side of the rows in late August then the Westside in September, and we will remove individual berries from the hanging bunches if they are not up to par. But the best wines are made in the vineyard so we want to give the winemaking team the best grapes we possibly can.

CABERNET ICEWINE

Cabernet Franc has acclimatized extremely well to the Niagara Peninsula so it is a good candidate to make into Icewine. Cabernet Sauvignon has a thick skin which allows the grapes to stay intact while we wait for the deep freeze. We tend the blocks earmarked for Icewine like any other blocks by carefully managing the yields and of course keeping the bunches clean by removing any grapes at the first signs of breakdown. Then we wait. And in the winter, when the temperature drops to -10ºC we hand-harvest the bunches by the light of the moon.

CABERNET-MERLOT ‘OLD VINES’

The grapes for this wine were grown exclusively in our vineyards. We made this Cab-Merlot from hand-selected grapes from several of our vineyards focusing on only our oldest vineyard blocks. We selected the best bunches on each vine and removed the rest, we exposed the bunches on the east side of the rows in late August then the west side in September and we removed individual berries from the hanging bunches if they were not up to par. But the best wines are made in the vineyard so we want to give the winemaking team the best grapes we possibly can.