Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Handcrafted in small lots and available exclusively at our Golden Mile Bench estate, the Storied Series Pinot
Bianco saw only 400 cases produced. Fresh and focused, it shows fragrant apple blossom aromas with hints
of almond and toast. The palate follows with crisp apple and zesty citrus flavours, along with a mouth-filling
texture. An intriguing and absolutely delightful version of an Italian classic. Try with pork loin with a citrus sea
salt and garlic rub or chargrilled vegetable skewers.
Vineyard Notes
The 2021 growing season in the South Okanagan was one for the history books as the driest on record, due
in large part to the “Heat Dome” and its record breaking high temperatures. It was also one of the warmest
years, seeing the most growing degree days GDD (1758) since 2015. Following flowering, we experienced
an extremely dry and hot June during fruit set. The heat led to a lighter fruit set and smaller berry size than
usual. While there was less fruit per vine and the yield was light in volume, on the upside the smaller berries
in the clusters resulted in more concentrated flavours and colours on the red varietals. Similarly, for the white
varietals there are intense flavours and vibrant aromatics. With the warm dry season, the grapes reached
phenolic ripeness earlier than usual with harvest commencing and finishing early. We began picking the
whites on August 27th for our Ti Amo (Prosecco-style sparkling wine). We started picking our first reds in midSeptember with our Block 10 Merlot on September 14th at our historic Golden Mile Bench estate vineyard.
We finished our last estate reds pick with Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 8 of our Golden Mile Bench vineyard
on October 28, 2021. Overall, the 2021 harvest produced wines of outstanding quality and varietal character.
We expect to see some intense, fruit driven wines, with excellent depth of flavour.
Winemaker Notes
Crafted with our best lots of Pinot Blanc, this year’s vintage was made primarily with fruit from Blocks 4 and
9 of our historic estate vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench. Approximately 1/3 of the grapes were from long
time grower Stone’s Throw vineyard on Black Sage Road in Oliver. The lots were handpicked, sorted and
whole berry pressed for more delicate aromatics and flavours. The majority of the juice was cool fermented
in stainless steel. The remaining portion (13%) was fermented in two French François Frères oak barrels,
to contribute a rounder mouthfeel and more texture to the wine. The fermentation lasted 32 days at 12°C.
Following fermentation the wine aged on fine lees for 5 months, and was then blended and bottled. The two
premium south Okanagan terroirs deliver an elegant, interesting wine, with layers of complexity.
Other Notes
90 Points ~ Jenn Havers, 92 points ~ Deborah Podurgiel, 90 points ~ Natalie MacLean
