REW 2020 Garrett's Block Merlot

The Vintage:

2020 was a remarkable year for weather and wine in Ontario, with all winegrowing regions being treated with excellent weather conditions. Once spring arrived for good, the growing season went underway with lots of sunshine and low humidity with more rain towards the end of May. During June – July, temperatures were above average with low amounts of precipitation. August displayed similar high temperatures but also brought in a fair share of heavy, but isolated showers. Sunny and dry conditions continued throughout September – October providing ideal weather for the full and complete maturation of grapes. Overall, the quantity of grapes was down slightly, but the quality of the fruit made up for it!

Vinification:

Garrett’s Block Merlot was hand-harvested at 23.1⁰ Brix from 6 special rows within the Heron Pond Benchland Vineyard on October 1, 2020. The grapes were slowly dried in our custom designed Appassimento drying chamber for 60 days to concentrate their natural flavor and sugars by reducing the juice volume by 25%. The dehydrated berries were fermented over a period of 3 weeks, then aged in French oak barrels (50% new) for 27 months.

Impressions:

Garrett’s Block Merlot has a complex nose of dried blueberry, cherry compote, fig and abundant savory spices. The palate is dense and richly textured, with brooding flavors of blueberry jam, prune and smokey oak notes of vanilla and caramel. This wine is approachable now but will continue to develop and age gracefully in the bottle for a decade or more.

Alcohol: 16.0% alc/vol

Appellation: VQA Beamsville Bench VQA

Residual Sugar: 4.1g/L

Cases Produced: 50 cases