2023 Library wine VAULT

Archive Reserve Duo

The Archive label denotes our premium series - barrel-select wines that are made to our highest standard and meant to be aged and collected. Due to limited yields, we haven’t been able to make our highly coveted Archive Reserve in several years - but we’ve secretly stashed some away. These are the last remaining bottles of 2017 and 2018 Archive Reserve.

  • 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

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