Spring, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, what a magnificent combination!
March is a great month at the house of Fitz. With St. Patty’s Day and our Founder’s Irish heritage, there is International Riesling day and most notably on, March 8th, it is International Women’s Day. We wanted to take the time to (re)introduce our Winemaker Sarah Bain since she is the conduit from our grapes to your glass.
Sarah has been with us since we first opened the winery in 2016. We called the first harvest the “hardhat harvest” since the rest of the winery was still in various construction phases.
Before Sarah joined us, she was the Assistant Winemaker at Quartz Reef in New Zealand, specializing in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sparkling wines. Can you see a reason why we were keen to have her join us? Before Quartz Reef, she was the Assistant Winemaker working under the iconic Winemaker Ted Lemon at Burn Cottage, another Central Otago winery focusing on Pinot Noir. While working at Burn Cottage, Sarah was instilled with a desire to work sustainably in both the winery and vineyards. She was able to see how the attention to sustainability translated to the purer expression of the terroir and made for a healthier ecosystem as a whole.
We have been very fortunate to have her drive to convert Greata Ranch to sustainable viticulture. It is an ongoing process that is front and centre with any decision we make at the winery. Every year we make continuous improvements to the vineyards, from composting onsite, planting various cover crops to aid in biodiversity and increase the microbiome in the soil leading to healthier plants. Ultimately, all of these steps lead to wines with great purity and depth that need minimal intervention on the winemaking side.
In honour of Sarah’s love of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, we focus on those two wines for this month’s newsletter.
2020 Pinot Noir
The 2020 Pinot Noir is 100% estate grown and a single block selection from our organically farmed South Block.
A dark ruby hue with aromatics of dark plums and blackberries, earthy notes and a touch of spice. The front of the palate leads with dark berry fruit with firm but smooth tannins into great mid-palate weight—the acidity blends with the fruit and tannin for a long-focused textural finish.
$28.50/bottle
**Wine Club Members receive a 15% discount and free shipping! Log in under ‘Shop’ to receive your special club pricing.
2020 Chardonnay
The 2020 Chardonnay is made from a blend of estate-grown fruit and grapes sourced from the South Okanagan. The grapes were fermented half in stainless steel tanks and half in neutral French oak. This Chardonnay has aromatics of honeydew, stone fruit and citrus with a slight butterscotch edge—nice acidity with great weight and length. The palate shows a crisp minerality that is textural and refreshing.
$24.50/bottle
**Wine Club Members receive a 15% discount and free shipping! Log in under ‘Shop’ to receive your special club pricing.
Information and image courtesy of the winery.
