Cabernet Sauvignon is a late-ripening variety that can struggle to achieve phenolic ripeness. When unripe, it shows green bell pepper notes due to its pyrazine content, but as the grapes ripen, pyrazine levels decrease, giving way to more appealing flavours of mint and fresh herbs. At Corcelettes, the goal is to achieve optimal ripeness and flavour concentration. From bud break onward, the vineyard crew carefully manages each stage of the growth process. By limiting each shoot to just one cluster, they ensure a lighter crop load, allowing the fruit to fully absorb the season’s sunlight and concentrate its flavours.
Perched on the Keremeos Upper Bench, Corcelettes Estate Vineyard works its magic with the alluvial Stemwinder soil, a rapidly draining mix of silt and gravelly loam. This soil composition is particularly beneficial for Cabernet Sauvignon, much like the gravel-rich soils of Bordeaux’s Left Bank. In both regions, the gravelly soils limit water retention, which naturally leads to smaller, more concentrated berries. The result is a wine with enhanced structure, tannin profile, and aromatic complexity. The 2022 Corcelettes Cabernet Sauvignon is a great example of this character, showcasing distinctive dusty minerality, desert shrub, and the salinity of the Similkameen region.
Tasting Note
Expect a distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon with thorny black currant and blackberry, offering a lovely, fresh, sappy character to this medium-full wine. It’s firmly structured at this stage, but with the fruit concentration to support the level of extraction. Best from 2028 to 2034.
Food Pairing
Slow cooked short ribs with fresh rosemary.