2018 Equinoxe Syrah

Équinoxe: equal day, equal night. Equal heat of the day, equal cold of the night. Equal new world, equal old world.

The 2018 Équinoxe Syrah is comprised of fruit grown in various sub-appellations in the South Okanagan Valley. A traditionally made Syrah in the sense that the sum is considered greater than the parts (lieu-dit trumping single cru à la Chez Jamet, JL Chave, Clape). The resulting effort is a very complex wine with a medium+ garnet colour that perfectly and effortlessly combines elements of both old world and new world styles. This monumental wine is at the same time feminine and masculine – it has grace and power, spice and florals, game and savoury notes. Yin and yang come together to showcase a perfectly balanced Syrah.

2018 is a classic growing year, albeit with above average yields. Not to hot, not too cold. A clean and very low disease pressure year resulted in a bumper crop. Yet with the perfect conditions of September and October, we were able to wait for perfect phenolic maturity while keeping the natural alcohol down and a healthy PH up. The fruit profile is at the same time black and dark red bramble fruit-scented, albeit fuller, deeper and a tad darker. The floral notes are distinctly that of Violets, but more savoury notes are layered on top. Ample black pepper with some white pepper and a sprinkling of baking spices are coaxed out of the glass. With age, as it tends to do, we expect those beguiling black olive notes and that pleasant subtly animalic note to come to the foreground. one for wine lovers who are more inclined toward the new world style and those who love the exuberance and fruit-forward quality of big wines. Personally, we like to leave this wine in the cellar and forget about it for a few year, that is after opening and enjoying a few bottles in its youth.