Winemaker Notes

Passito is named for the art of drying grapes after harvest for elevated intensity and roundness. We started drying harvested organic Estate Leon Millot on October 28 and used a controlled flow of air over clusters for 30 days, monitoring sugar concentration and quality development every day.

 Traditional appassimento methods of ripasso winemaking are famous in northern Italy using double fermentation on dried skins. We researched this red wine style for five years at Kentville Research and Development Centre in the winery’s early years and find parallels to dried fig characters of Italian versions.

 Passito is a blend of Marechal Foch from two vintages. Estate Leon Millot dried to 25 Brix. Matured 12 months in American oak barrels. The goal is to develop round tannins during barrel aging with balanced subtle oak flavour. Dry with notes of cherry, cocoa, cracked pepper and soft tannins.