2012 Allegretto

Winemaker's Notes

Allegretto or a medium-brisk and playful tempo, is a very special single vineyard wine we call a true Merlot. The vines are planted on their own rootstock (pie franco) in white silica sand (what glass is made out of). Each and every vintage we are rewarded with a trueness and transparency in the flavour that is not seen elsewhere. We also believe the white silica sandy soil of this vineyard contributes to the elegant style of this wine. After three atypical vintages in a row, the 2012 growing season is a return to a more typical summer growing season in the South Okanagan Valley.

After an initial scare of unusually high record rainfall in late spring, the remainder of the growing season was an absolute dream come true. Mid July until late fall gave us very hot days combined with typical cold desert nights. Growing degree days for the South Okanagan were above average and certainly much higher than 2010 and 2011. One of the hallmarks of this vintage was extremely uniformly ripe and pristine grapes with minimal need for sorting (quite the opposite of 2008, 2010 and 2013). The resulting wines are more fruit forward with round structure thanks to plenty of sunshine and heat units; the cool nights resulted in excellent, piercing aromatics and bright acidity in the wine.

2012 Allegretto is as the name suggests, a medium bodied playful red. A wine that caresses the palate as opposed to forcing itself on you. Integrated tannins and a melange of red and black fruit approach you politely in poise. The 2012 vintage, as in the past, continued to give us a special Merlot but with the outstanding plushness that is the signature of the 2012 vintage in the south. 

Food Pairing

Bistecca Fiorentina with salsa verde, side of Tuscan white bean and grilled radicchio is a simple and classic pairing