Small Lots Petit Verdot 2009

FLAVOUR PROFILE
Deep garnet colour with a wonderful, complex bouquet of sweet oak, Chai spice, blackberry, black currant, boysenberry, violet and leather.This rich, juicy, full-bodied wine has velvety tannins and great structure, backed-up by amazing flavours of ripe black fruits and spice. The perfect balance of black fruits, spice and oak flavours linger on the finish. Serve with red meats with rich reductions; braised meats; marinated roasted leg of lamb; full-flavoured game meats; Osso Buco; rich lentil dishes; Beemster XO cheese and aged Canadian cheddar.

GROWING CONDITIONS
The 2009 growing season arrived late as the cold temperatures of a long winter seemed to drag on, much like 2008; the cold temperatures resulted in some reduced crops.  However, unlike the 2008 vintage, the vines did catch up so that by early summer, vine development was at its normal stages.  Summer was extremely hot and dry, which quickly advanced the ripeness of the slightly smaller than usual crop load, foretelling an early quick crush. On Thanksgiving weekend, temperatures dropped to about -9˚C in the South Okanagan, halting any further ripening of the grapes.  However, at this point all our grapes were essentially ripened and ready to pick. We have some great white wines and the reds are excellent, especially with the reduced crop; wines are rich and intense, yet smooth.

WINEMAKER NOTES
“Petit Verdot is rarely produced in the Okanagan Valley.  This is one of the first single varietal Petit Verdots in Canada.  This  interesting wine is used to add intensity and body to Bordeaux blends or on its own it shows a splendid expression of fully ripened fruit.”                             - Howard Soon, Winemaker