Stratus Cabernet Franc, 2020

VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake

Tasting Note:

An inviting medium deep purple ruby gives you a sense of what’s to come from this iconic Niagara variety in this remarkable vintage. Cedar, ash, blackberry, dark cherry mingles with licorice, black olive, and mint leaf. You can smell the ripeness here with some light prune and liqueur notes but it’s all dark and brooding in need of time. A perfect combination of dense, rich fruit and moderate silky tannins all a round a spine of fresh acidity that keeps this wine alive and ultra food friendly. After significant aeration, this bruiser continues to offer dark plum and blackberry with liqueur-like concentration. There is still plenty of attractive wood char, black olive, and licorice with new aromas of bay, damp earth, and grilled mushroom. The palate has barely moved which is a sign of the power and age-ability of this gem.

Vintage Report: 

2020 was a remarkable year for weather and wine in Ontario. Warmer than average winter months led to a cool dry April and May. The approach of summer brought a return of the hot weather with low precipitation and humidity. Similar conditions continued through August with only short, isolated, but intense thunderstorms. While temperatures began to naturally cool, sunshine remained throughout the autumn. The dry, sunny conditions were ideal for the full and complete maturation of grapes and contributed to a smooth harvest. Across the region, unseasonably warm weather delayed the icewine harvest, resulting in a loss of tonnage. These temperature conditions postponed picking into the last week of January. While the overall grape crop was low, quality across all varieties was exceptional.

Cooperage: Aged 549 days in French Oakbarrels |30% New oak, 70% neutral oak barrels