Archive Reds

What it is
Archive Reserve is a premium blend of 84% Merlot and 16% Zweigelt grown in Lake Country, BC. Together, they provide our best example of a bold, structured red wine grown in our region.

Where it was grown
Arrowleaf Estate, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2018 vintage started off with a mild winter and plenty of snow. The spring was cool and bud break in the vineyard was later than average. The large snowpack left plenty of groundwater in the soil and the vines grew with a lot of vigour. When summer arrived, the vines had caught up and were continuing their rapid growth with little or no irrigation. July was very hot and the heatwave would have continued in August but high atmospheric smoke from forest fires provided a cooling effect that slowed the ripening of the grapes. The cooler temperatures stuck around in September; further delaying ripening and allowing the grapes plenty of time to develop flavour without the usual spike in sugar accumulation we would typically see in a hot year. The skies cleared in October and the valley enjoyed beautiful weather that made for an ideal grape harvest

How it was made
Merlot grapes were harvested from the steepest, rockiest part of the vineyard that produces the smallest, most concentrated grapes. The Zweigelt portion came from Ritchie Farm, which produced exceptional quality grapes in 2018. The two components were fermented separately, blended, and moved to premium French oak barrels for 18 months. The wine is unfined and unfiltered to preserve body and structure.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 1.8 g/l
Acidity 5.9 g/l
Alcohol 14.0%
Cases Made 86

What it is
Archive Reserve is a premium blend of 76% Merlot and 24% Zweigelt grown in Lake Country, BC. Together, they provide our best example of a bold, structured red wine grown in our region.

Where it was grown
Arrowleaf Estate, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2017 vintage started with a cool and wet spring that delayed the onset of bud break in the vines. The melting snowpack and spring rains provided a lot of ground water in the vineyards. Once the weather warmed in June, the vines responded with vigorous growth. The summer was hot and dry and the conditions in the vineyards remained favourable for ripening the grapes. The fall remained dry and warm, allowing the grapes to fully ripen despite the late start in the spring. The quality of the grapes was excellent with lower than average yields and smaller berry size.

How it was made
Merlot grapes were harvested from the steepest, rockiest part of the vineyard that produces the smallest, most concentrated grapes. The Zweigelt portion came from Ritchie Farm, which produced exceptional quality grapes in 2017. The two components were fermented separately, blended and moved to premium French oak barrels for 18 months. The finished wine was bottle aged for another 12 months prior to release.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.8 g/l
Acidity 5.7 g/l
Alcohol 14.5%
Cases Made 187

What it is
A premium Pinot Noir blended from the best grapes of the vintage and aged in the finest oak.

Where it was grown
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley
Beaumont, West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley

When it was grown
The 2018 vintage started off with a mild winter and plenty of snow. A cool spring led to a later than average bud break in the vineyard. The large snowpack left a lot of groundwater in the soil and the vines grew fast with little or no irrigation until summer. July was very hot and the heatwave that would have continued into August was interrupted by high atmospheric smoke from multiple forest fires that provided a cooling effect and slowed the ripening of the grapes.

Cool temperatures stuck around in September further delaying ripening and allowing the grapes plenty of time to develop flavour. The skies cleared in October and the valley enjoyed beautiful weather that made for an ideal grape harvest.

How it was made
The grapes were harvested in mid-October with fermentation taking place in multiple batches; some were inoculated with yeast and others were left to go wild.

After primary fermentation, the wine was moved to French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. In the spring, each separate batch was assessed for quality, the best of which created the blend. The wine was then returned to the best French oak barrels (25% new) for a further six months of aging.

How it tastes
A rich example of Pinot Noir showing dark cherry, raspberry, hints of spice, rose petal and subtle, well-integrated oak components. It is silky on the palate but has the structure to age gracefully.

Technical Details
Residual Sugar 2.0 g/l
Acidity 5.8 g/l
Alcohol 13.5%
Cases Made 158

What it is
Premium Pinot Noir made from the best grapes of the vintage and aged in the best French oak barrels.

Where it was grown
Beaumont Vineyard, West Kelowna, BC (59%)
Ritchie Farm, Lake Country, BC (34%)
Wendell Orchards, Lake Country, BC (7%)

When it was grown
The 2017 vintage started with a cool and wet spring that delayed the onset of bud break in the vines. The melting snowpack and spring rains caused flooding in the valley bottom and a lot of ground water in the vineyards. Once the weather warmed in June, the vines responded with vigorous growth. The summer was hot and dry which caused many forest fires in the mountains around the valley. The conditions in the vineyards remained favourable and ripening of the grapes started in early September. The fall remained dry and warm, allowing the grapes to fully ripen despite the late start in the spring. The quality of the grapes was excellent with lower than average yields and smaller berry size.

How it was made
We hand-harvested and fermented all of our Pinot Noir in many small batches. Some underwent a natural fermentation with no added yeast; others were inoculated with proven yeast strains. Each batch was kept separately in barrels until we assessed them for quality after 6 months of aging. A blend of the best batches was determined based on ripe fruit, tannin structure, acidity and complexity. The blend went back into 500L oak puncheons for an additional 6 months of aging before bottling.

Technical Details
Residual sugar 2.5 g/l
Acidity 5.7 g/l
Alcohol 13.5%
Cases Made 420