2020 Stratus Merlot

The young nose is still quite dense and has rich dark chocolate notes swaddled in fresh cherry and baked black plum aromas, and a little Dutch tobacco that grows in the glass. Already really appealing, forecasting a great future. The palate’s young expression of Merlot’s black fruit is still gaining weight: medium-plus to full-bodied already but all the components line up promising pure, full-bodied power. The midpalate shows a slightly inky, savoury quality that isn’t yet evident on the nose. The dark fruit isn’t tannic or drying but a light textural grain on the midpalate and growing finish confirm the 2020’s age worthiness.

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