Burrowing Owl Pinot Noir 2022

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, located in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, has been producing premium VQA wines since its establishment. The winery is committed to sustainable practices and meticulous vineyard management, ensuring the highest quality in their offerings.

The 2022 Pinot Noir is a ripe-flavoured and silky-textured wine. The nose shows ripe black cherry, blackberry, blueberry pie, vanilla, cinnamon, and clove notes with a lilac floral complexity. The medium-bodied palate is smooth-textured, light in tannin, balanced by crisp acidity, and very fruit-driven with flavours of blueberry, lingonberry, and raspberry alongside some Mexican chocolate and a slight bacon, meaty note on the long, silken finish. This wine is expected to develop further complexity over the next three years and beyond.

This Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with a roasted beet salad, barbecued pork ribs, or a Portobello mushroom burger. Together, these pairings enhance the wine’s depth and create an unforgettable dining experience.

The 2022 growing season in the Okanagan Valley was notable for its very late start and remarkable finish, allowing for an abundance of quality grapes and fine wines. An uncharacteristically cool spring resulted in bud break occurring in early May. With delays in fruit development by as much as three weeks, careful vineyard management and cooperative conditions were needed to reach proper sugar levels and ideal natural acidity. The summer months were spectacular, offering the perfect amount of heat and sunshine to allow for the largest yield of grapes to date, followed by an unbelievable fall heading into a condensed harvest that began in October.

As Rhys Pender, Master of Wine, noted, this Pinot Noir is "a ripe flavoured and silky textured Pinot Noir" with a "long, silken finish."