2020 Renegade

Every Maverick needs a Renegade – someone who is able to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Maverick’s Renegade is where we start when blending for our red wines. We start with a clean slate, taste through all of the different lots and barrels, and then select the barrels that best fit our interpretation the vintage. The blend changes from year to year, and the idea is the same – show the best our south Okanagan vineyards have to offer for the year.

The 2020 Renegade is a concise blend of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French oak barrels. This robust wine approaches the palate with elegant aromatics, a firm yet appealing grip and balanced acidity reminiscent of the old world with a distinct South Okanagan flair

“92 points – A full-bodied wine with dark cherry aromas. There are rich flavours of black currant, plum and chocolate, with a lingering finish.” – John Schreiner on Wine

TASTING NOTES:
Lovely deep dark cherry red colour and showing some maturity after 18 months in French oak. Nice oak spice up front aromatically, with subtle vanilla, coconut. Chocolate mousse, dark chocolate orange, stewed cherries or black forest cake, finishing with a hint of root beer or cola. Opens with a big rich mouthfeel with chocolate and cherries, before showing some orange liquor, red licorice then black licorice and finishes with a lovely sweetness. Tannins are present but nicely softened. Screaming for bbq ribeye.

WINEMAKING NOTES:
This blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc shows the power and seductiveness of South Okanagan Merlot. Both Merlot and Cabernet Franc were picked at the end of October. The fruit was destemmed and gently crushed, fermenting in open top fermenters. The wines were pumped over twice a day and allowed to warm up as much as possible to extract all the colour and flavour from the grapes. After 8 weeks on skins the wine is pressed and transferred to French oak barriques for 18 months of aging. Bottle aged for a year, this wine is ready to drink now and will age well for a decade.

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
Our first vintage at the helm of Maverick was full of typical excitement and completely unpredictable weather. Initially, the growing season was steady, a cold wet spring carried into the early summer only to have a heat wave (40°C) in early August. We started picking the first week of September and by mid October were picking the reds when we had a freak snowstorm that blanketed the valley with heavy snow. A few days later we had a hard frost which brought the growing season to a close. We toiled through deep snow before it warmed up again, melting all the snow in time for us to bring in the rest of the harvest by early November. The short growing season led to wines with lower alcohol, beautiful fresh flavours and bright tasty wines.

NOTES:
Production – 499 cases produced
Alcohol – 12.5%
Varietals – 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc
Vinification – hand-picked, destemmed and fermented in open top fermentor, aged for 18 months in new and neutral French oak barriques
Cellaring – can be cellared for 10-15 years