Production: 65 Cases
Availability: Winery direct and select restaurant accounts
Vintage: 2016
Variety or Blend: Muscat Ottonel
Vineyard Designation: Niagara Lakeshore
Region: Niagara Lakeshore
Vine Age: 10-20 years
Soil: Sand and loam
Wine Style: Sweet
Oak: 100% New French Oak, aged for 6 months
Alcohol Content: 15.5%
PH: 4.0
TA: 4.4 g/L
RS: 76.2 g/L
Ageing: Drink now through 2027
Serving Temperature: 8 – 14 degrees Celsius
Winemaking:
At harvest we decided to pick by flavour and concentration in the grapes. We then dried these clean, flavourful grapes in our kilns to increase sugar and concentration. With careful monitoring and testing we dried the berries for 4 weeks before carefully removing them from the kilns and whole cluster pressing them in our gentle bladder press. At the juice tray, we tasted the juice to cut off at the exact flavour profile we wanted and did not extract too many phenolic characters from the grape skins and seeds. The juice was cold settled and racked to a new, French oak barrique for alcoholic fermentation. Our sweet Muscat is best noted for its aromatics and texture. When the alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation were complete and flavours are perfect, we then stop the fermentation with the addition of sulphur. Finally, we removed the 6 month aged wine from barrel to tank, then protein stabilized it with the use of bentonite and filtered prior to bottling.
Appearance:
Straw with a clear hue.
Aromas:
Floral, sweet, perfumed and concentrated. Orange blossom, honeysuckle, citrus and tropical fruits burst out of the glass. Honey, mango, orange, peach and spice join the intensely fruity nose.
Palate:
The palate of this wine reflects the aromatics. A very concentrated floral, fruity and full flavoured dessert wine with spicy notes and a full bodied mid-palate. The harmony of the ripe fruit flavours, acidity, new oak and sweetness enliven the weight of this wine and carry a long, full finish. A great wine to have with cheese, some special desserts and on its own after dinner.
