Ruby 2015

2015 was another fantastic year for Viticulture in the Okanagan. Winter ended early giving the grapes a head start and a longer growing season than expected. Spring had hotter than average temperatures, reminiscent of the record breaking 1998 season. This translated into our first bud break happening at the beginning of April. Summer was a hot one and June saw record breaking temperatures, about 30% hotter than the 1998 season. With these temperatures, the vineyard team gave priority to controlling vine vigour and closely monitoring and managing soil moisture levels. The jump start in June put the grapes about 3 weeks ahead of schedule in terms of growth. We started our harvest with Chardonnay in mid-August. The last week of August brought the first major hurdle for 2015: heavy smoke hung over the Okanagan Valley due to large forest fires burning in the South (most dramatically in Oliver/Osoyoos). Smoke cooled the valley and slowed growth due to photosynthesis debilitation, giving the grapes the opportunity to slow sugar production and develop flavour characteristics and tannin. Safe and sound: there was no smoke taint detected in any of the berries. The remaining fruit was harvested by mid-October. In summary, 2015 was one of the best harvests on record: long and hot with just a touch of summer rain on the finish.