2003 Vintage Report
By John Simes, Winemaker
2003 Vintage Report
By John Simes, Winemaker
2003 dawned, bringing with it a very mild winter. Bud burst was slightly earlier than usual, but not significantly so. There were a number of temperature swings during the early part of the spring, but that gave way to a hot, dry summer with almost no precipitation.
The key ripening period from the end of August to the end of September when the berries take on their sugar and flavour was briefly interrupted by cooler weather, but that was followed by an amazing Indian summer. It was the warmest fall in the last dozen years. Temperatures were anywhere from six to seven to even 10 degrees above normal at some sites and the red wine varieties, in particular, really benefited from the prolonged heat.
Harvest began earlier than in past years, partly because of the warm fall and partly because we are actively targeting lower yields. Interestingly, with our grapes now being grown in vineyards from north of the Kelowna airport to the southern most point of the valley at the Canada-US border, our harvest is actually extended because of the significant climatic differences.
We have seen Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon at the winery with sugar levels of 24 to 24½ brix. The red wines are inky and deep, with some of the Bordeaux varieties being almost black in colour. The Pinot Gris from our Naramata Ranch is some of the best quality fruit we’ve ever seen from that site. Bursting with fresh fruit flavours, it has sugar levels of 23 brix. As I write this, we’ve harvested the Riesling grapes that I set aside for Icewine production. It was the earliest Icewine harvest on record for Mission Hill Family Estate and our first since 2001.
This is also the first year for our new red wine production facility. We now have tools at our disposal that we haven’t had before, including two additional barrel-aging cellars, a separate cooling system and a new red wine fermentation area.
Overall, the fruit this year is showing excellent flavours and balance. I’m especially intrigued with the potential for our red wines. The vines are older and our decision to target lower yields and the investment in the new production area at the winery has allowed us to continue raising the bar.
In terms of taste profile, the wines will be similar to 2002. Our white wines should have rich tropical aromas and flavours on the nose and palate and the red wines will be full bodied, with depth and complexity.
