2020 Rubeus

Rubeus is what we create to enjoy every day. This wine was originally called “Rubicon,” a river in Italy that marked the point of no return. After a polite request from another winery that holds the copywrite, we renamed it “Rubeus”, or “reddish”, which is the base of the Rubicon River’s name. It symbolizes passion, power, and strength. And for Harry Potter fans out there, Rubeus is also the half-wizard, half-giant who was Harry’s friend at Hogwarts – I’m sure there is a drinking game hidden somewhere in there.

The 2020 Rubeus champions Merlot (85%) blended with Syrah (13%) with Cabernet Franc (2%) providing the bass notes of this versatile player. The result is a delicious medium-bodied red wine that can be enjoyed on any occasion. Enjoy a glass on its own or with BBQ, plates of pasta, grilled vegetables, and charcuterie and cheeses.

“92 points – This is a blend of Bordeaux varietals with a healthy dollop of Syrah. The wine was aged 18 months in older French oak barrels. Aromas and flavours of dark fruit mingle with pepper and chocolate in this delicious wine” – John Schreiner on Wine

TASTING NOTES:
This wine is a lovely blend of Merlot with small additions of Syrah and Cab Franc. The result is a delicious medium bodied red wine that can be enjoyed on any occasion. Aromas include cherries and strawberries with a hint of cedar and black pepper. Bright fruit flavours of cherries, strawberries and plums with a touch of barrel char to give it a nice finish.

WINEMAKING:
The grapes for this blend were carefully hand harvested in October 2020 into small bins ensuring the berries remain whole to preserve freshness. The bins of freshly picked fruit are then whisked to the winery for immediate processing. The grapes are fermented in 1 tonne bins punched down twice a day until ferment is complete. All varieties for this blend are barrel aged for 18 months.

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
Our first vintage at the helm of Maverick was full of typical excitement, chaos and completely unpredictable Okanagan weather. Initially, the growing season was steady, a cold wet spring carried into the early summer only to have a heat wave (40℃) in early August that got the vineyards caught up. 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 – 1,610 cases produced
Alcohol – 14.2%
Varietals – 85% Merlot, 13% Syrah and 2% Cabernet Franc
Vinification – hand-picked, destemmed and fermented in open top fermentor, aged for 18 months in new and neutral French and Hungarian oak barriques
Cellaring – can be cellared for up to 10 years