Appellation
Okanagan

Harvest Date
September 30, 2013

Sugar
2.5g/L

Acid
5.0g/L

pH
3.8

Alcohol %
14.5

This small cap release is a tribute to how wine was made a thousand years ago. Using a hands-off winemaking approach, we decided to try something completely different by using the ancient technique of fermenting in terracotta clay Amphorae. VRM, short for Viognier, Roussanne & Marsanne, is a typical Rhone-style blend and rather unique in BC, as there are limited plantings of Roussanne and Marsanne in the Okanagan Valley.

wine profile
This luscious, richly aromatic honey-hued blend displays notes of wild meadow flowers, fresh apples, mineral and apricots. The mouth feel is voluptuous and slightly waxy, displaying the unique qualities of Amphorae usage. The finish is an expression of baked apples, spice, marmalade and a touch of brine.

Winemaking Notes
Grapes were sourced from both our Perfect Hedge Vineyard in Osoyoos as well as the Golden Mile in Oliver. Picked on the same day, the grapes were placed on the skins into two 500L clay Amphorae acquired this year from Chianti, Italy. The grapes were left to start fermenting without the addition of commercial yeasts and after two weeks, the ferment started naturally. Wild ferments are having a resurgence in modern winemaking and it suggested that amphorae provide a more natural expression of the grapes. After the ferment slowed down, we pressed off the skins and re-filled the Amphora for an additional month of aging. See our Facebook photo album.

Vintage Notes
In 2013, we were again blessed by Mother Nature with a warm growing season. However, every year always brings its challenges and while we had solid heat units through the summer months, it also brought some humidity which is not usual for the Okanagan. For whites, this meant more mildew pressure than normal, but with prudent farming strategies, our vineyards were only slightly affected. It can be tempting in a good growing year to leave extra crop on the vines, but our approach is to be conservative and crop the vineyard lightly to deal with the unpredictability of weather. Fortunately, after some rains in September, the weather dried up through October which allowed us to pick on schedule at optimal ripeness levels.

vineyard source
Grapes are sourced from our estate Perfect Hedge Vineyard on East Bench Osoyoos and the Rousanne & Marsanne from the Golden Mile in Oliver

Edit this Article