As a family, we’ve always made big reds, but the site at Greata Ranch doesn’t lend itself to growing those kinds of wines, so we hand-sourced the grapes for this wine from the South Okanagan near the Osoyoos airstrip – a nice coincidence given its label. The 2018 vintage started with an unusually early and hot spring. This was followed by cooler temperatures in the summer months and a long, moderate autumn lending to long hang times for the fruit to mature and develop great flavour and complexity. The Meritage – a blend of Merlot, Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon – was cold soaked for 5 days with 10% being whole bunch. Each varietal was fermented separately in stainless steel then all lots were blended before barrelling down to French oak for 12 months aging. A natural, wild malolactic fermentation occurred in spring which was followed by further aging to add complexity and depth.