Wine Profile

Viognier grows at our Perfect Hedge Vineyard in Osoyoos. An hour south of the Naramata Bench winery site, this vineyard is hotter and provides the extra heat units that Viognier requires to ripen fully. 

The 2021 vintage produced a very aromatic wine with notes of lychee and lemongrass, with jasmine and honeycomb. The heat of the vintage softened the acidity, creating a ripe and round wine, brimming with melon, fuzzy peach, and a spicy oak finish. This decadent style of Viognier will pair nicely with lemon-butter seared shrimp.

Insider Tip: The trick with Viognier is to get optimal ripeness without losing acidity, thus choosing the right day to pick is critical.

winemaking notes

The grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented in 50% neutral French oak, and 50% concrete eggs, and aged sur lie for 6 months. 

Our winemaking team has been using concrete eggs since 2011, however they have been used in winemaking for centuries. Concrete fermenters are slightly porous thus allowing the wine to breathe, while the egg shape keeps the wine in constant movement.

Vintage Notes

The 2021 growing season is one that will be remembered for a long time. The season was marked by intense heat in the Okanagan. The resulting budbreak gave us berries
that grew to a small size and the clusters were loose. These small berries had a high concentration of flavour, colour, and tannins. The vintage started slow but by mid summer the vines were progressing well. The crop was light in general which allowed the quality to really shine. Loosely formed bunches with smaller than average berry size, allowed for full sunlight penetration with resultant development of intense fruit flavours.

The Viognier is from of our Perfect Hedge Vineyard in Osoyoos and Bullpine and Thomas Ranch in Okanagan Falls.