Black Hills heralds Year of The Snake

Photo: Black Hills winemaker Ross Wise MW

Black Hills Estate Winery is offering two vintages of its flagship Nota Bene red – 2013 and 2022 – to mark the current Lunar New Year’s Year of the Snake. “As we step into the Year of the Snake, we’re reminded of the qualities this symbol embodies: wisdom, transformation, and understated sophistication,” the winery writes. “Much like the Snake’s graceful movement, this year encourages us to pause, reflect, and embrace moments of growth and renewal. It’s a time to celebrate quiet confidence, strategic thinking, and the beauty of transformation, both in nature and in business.”

2013 was the previous Year of the Snake while the 2022 vintage was arguably the finest vintage so far in the Okanagan. Black Hills is offering this Nota Bene pair for $190, warning that the availability is limited. If you miss out on this offering, let me suggest a different pair of Black Hills red wines from the 2021 vintage, which comes close to matching the quality of 2022. Keep in mind that the weather events of 2023 and 2024 have required Black Hills to replant its vineyards. Winemaker Ross Wise still made wines in the 2024 vintage with grapes from Washington State. Since he would have sourced quality grapes, I am looking forward to those wines. In the meantime, seize the chance to buy wines from previous Black Hills Okanagan vintages while they are still available.

Black Hills Tempranillo 2021 ($60 for 258 cases). This wine is for the Black Hills wine club. Tempranillo is a Spanish varietal that does well in hot climates – and 2021 was a hot vintage in the Okanagan. This wine was fermented with wild yeast and aged 18 months in French oak barrels (36% new). The wine begins with aromas of blackberry, dark cherry and red licorice. The palate is both bright and savoury, with flavours of dark cherry and blueberry. The long, ripe tannins give the wine a lingering finish. 93.

Black Hills Per Se 2021 ($60 for 744 cases). This is a blend of 82% Cabernet Franc and 18% Merlot, fermented with wild yeast and aged 18 months in French oak barrels (38% new). The wine begins with aromas of cherry, blackberry and raspberry with a note of chocolate. All of this is echoed on the opulent palate and concentrated flavours. The finish is rich and persistent. 94.

40 Knots is a "top-flight" winery

Photo: Brenda Hetman-Craig and Layne Craig (courtesy of 40 Knots)

Winemaker Kalem Magny joined 40 Knots Vineyard & Estate Winery in the summer of 2023. In the vintage that fall, he stamped his mark on the industry by making a top-flight Vancouver Island Pinot Noir. Pun intended. The winery’s 40-acre vineyard is within earshot of the Comox air force base. It was planted, beginning in 2007, by Bill Montgomery, a retired owner of a tugboat company. He eventually discovered he had taken on more than he wanted to manage and put the winery on the market. In 2014, it was acquired by an energetic husband and wife team from Fort St. John, Layne Craig and Brenda Hetman-Craig.

They provided some background on a early website: “Layne, who grew up on a Saskatchewan farm wanted to put his love of the land into play, while Brenda wanted to put her business management skills toward building a successful family business, one that would ultimately involve their grown children. It was an added bonus for Layne, a pilot, that the Comox air force base is nearby. Planes can often be seen overhead adding to the force of energy that surrounds the site.”

Initially, they relied on an Okanagan winemaker, Matt Dumayne, to make their wines until his full-time job at Okanagan Crush Pad Winery precluded consulting winemaking. Kalem Magny has a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from Brock University (2016) and is a 2018 graduate of the winemaking course at Niagara College. He started his British Columbia career as a cellar hand at Laughing Stock Vineyards in 2018, moving on to Quails’ Gate Estate Winery and then spent three years as assistant winemaker at Road 13 Vineyards before moving to 40 Knots.

The opportunity at 40 Knots involves making one of the largest portfolios on Vancouver Island. The two estate vineyards, totalling 24 acres, grow Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Auxerrois, Schönburger, Siegerrebe, Maréchal Foch, Castel and, of course, Pinot Noir. 40 Knots also buys grapes from grower vineyards, including one on Quadra Island. 40 Knots is one of the most northerly wineries on Vancouver Island. However, its location near the moderate east cost of the island enables it to succeed with cool climate varietals in its vineyards. The terroir also is suited to the production of crisp Champagne-style sparkling wines.

Here are notes on three recent releases.

40 Knots Pinot Noir 2022 ($45 for 800 cases). This wine was made with clone 777 fruit from the estate vineyard. The fruit was destemmed without crushing. During fermentation, the cap was punched down two or three times a day. The wine was aged in an amphora. It is a light to medium-bodied wine. Aromas of cherry are echoed on the palate, along with flavours of red currant and cranberry. The texture is silky. 88.

40 Knots Classic Pinot Noir 2023 ($75 for 800 cases). The wine is made with clone 777 and clone 115 grapes. The grapes were harvested over a period of seven weeks, allowing the winemaker to select fruit at its prime. The fermentation process began with a cold soak of four to seven days. The wine was aged in a variety of vessels, including an amphora. The wine begins with aromas of raspberry, cherry and spice. There is good weight on the palate, with flavours of cherry and pomegranate. The finish lingers. 92.

40 Knots Spindrift Extra Brut 2021 ($47 for 356 cases). This is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This is a traditional method sparkling wine which was en tirage almost two years. There is a delicate note of brioche in the aroma and on the palate, where it mingles with tangy notes of apple and citrus. The wine has a crisp, refreshing finish. 90.

Little Engine is powering through a difficult vintage

Photo: Little Engine's Stephen and Nicole French

Stephen and Nicole French set very high standards for a Little Engine Wines when they opened in 2016 on a Naramata Road vineyard. Wines were released as silver, gold or platinum wines, with the object of getting 60% of the wines to the platinum standard as soon as viticulture allowed that level of quality. Everything was going to plan until the damaging freeze in January 2024 interrupted the progress.

Naramata Bench vineyards suffered production losses but it seems likely the vines will rebound in the 2025 season. Little Engine’s harvest of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the estate was about a third of the normal harvest. “We are however very optimistic about 2025 for our estate vineyards as well as our leases here in Naramata,” writes marketing director Natasha Sadowy. “The vines are looking healthy and we take the upmost care of them through meticulous organic and sustainable methods, so we anxiously await to see what the winter and spring bring.”

“Our small harvest from this year will be used to create our Silver Chardonnay and a Member Exclusive Rosé,” Natasha continues. “We have most of our 2022 and 2023 wines still to be released so we decided to NOT to bring in fruit from anywhere else this year.” Merlot on the Naramata Bench showed freeze-related decline in 2024. “We have also seen a loss on our Merlot vines here on the Naramata Bench, but we are hoping to add some new vineyards to the 2025 season which should bring some Merlot back into production for us.”

The news has not been so good from Little Engine’s contract growers in the Oliver/Osoyoos area, which there was damage not just to the fruit production but, in some instances, to the vines. “Sadly, the losses down south makes this is the end of our Sauvignon Blanc program for the foreseeable future,” Natasha says. “Our 2023 Silver Sauvignon Blanc is the final release, so it is a Wine Club Exclusive.”

Here are notes on new releases from Little Engine from vintages prior to 2024:

Little Engine Silver Chardonnay 2023 ($43 for 800 cases). This wine combines portions fermented in stainless steel and portions fermented in neutral barrels. The wine is fruit forward, with aromas of apples and other orchard fruits. On the palate, there are flavours of apple and peach which a hint of vanilla. 91.

Little Engine Gold Chardonnay 2021 ($59 for 357 cases). The wine was fermented in French oak and aged 17 months on the lees in French oak (50% new). The wine begins with aromas of ripe apple, nectarine and vanilla. The wine is rich on the palate with flavours of stone fruit perfectly integrated with notes of oak. 92.

Little Engine Platinum Chardonnay 2022 ($97 for 100 cases). This is a bold and rich Chardonnay with a golden hue in the glass. A portion of the fruit had 12 hours of skin contact before being pressed. Fermentation was long and cool in French oak barrels; and the wine was aged 18 months French oak puncheons. The wine begins with aromas of orange marmalade mingled with vanilla and shortbread. The palate delivers flavours of marmalade, ripe peach, and nectarine. The finish just goes on and on. 94.

Little Engine Silver Pinot Noir 2021 ($46 for 781 cases). The grapes were fermented in one-ton fermenters, with a total maceration time (including a seven-day cold soak) of three weeks. The wine was aged 14 months in barrel (none new). The wine begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. The palate is firm, delivering flavours of cherry, spice and forest floor. 90.

Little Engine Gold Merlot 2020 ($68 for 557 cases). This wine was aged 16 months in French oak (55% new). The wine begins with aromas of cassis, blackberry and spice, leading to intense flavours of dark fruits mingled with notes of herbs and spices on the finish. 92.

Little Engine Platinum Merlot 2022 ($115 for 95 cases). This is an exceptional wine, as it should be for the price. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (75% new). The wine is bold and intense, beginning with aromas of cassis. There are layers of flavour on the palate, including black currant, blueberry, dark cherry and spice. 95.

Hester Creek's year-end quartet is very fine

Photo: Mark Hopley in Hester Creek cellar with Brooke Jesus

Hester Creek Estate Winery is, in my judgement, one of the leading wineries in the Okanagan. The quartet of current releases simply confirms that for me.

Why is Hester Creek so good? Wine quality always begins in the vineyard. The Hester Creek site was established in 1968 by Joe Busnardo, an immigrant from Italy with a good eye for property. The vineyard is on the west side of the valley, not far south of Oliver, on a fertile peninsula with a mountain the west. It slopes toward the valley but retains a good elevation from the valley bottom. Secondly, Joe planted only vinifera grapes at a time when most vineyards still had hybrid grapes. Some of Joe’s original plantings still are producing – or at least were producing prior to the severe freeze in January, 2024. About a third of the vineyard has been, or will be, replanted. Hester Creek made most of its 2024 wines with grapes purchased from growers in Washington State.

The winery was acquired in 2004 by Prince George businessman Curtis Garland. The current quality of Hester Creek wines reflects the owner’s decision to build a new winery, to put in place excellent staff and to give them all the tools they need. Winemaker Mark Hopley’s secrets include Ganimede fermenters, cutting edge Italian technology for making red wines. The technique extracts flavours and aromas that distinguish Hester Creek wines across the range, from budget wines to flagship wines. No other winery in BC has invested in Ganimede fermenters. Most recently, Hester Creek has expanded its barrel cellar considerably, giving even more tools to Mark Hopley and his assistant winemaker, Brooke Jesus.

Here are notes on four current releases.

Hester Creek Old Vine Brut 2021 ($34.99). This wine is made with Pinot Blanc, a varietal that has proven itself well-suited for making good sparkling wines in the Okanagan. The grapes did primary fermentation in stainless steel. The wine did secondary fermentation in bottle in the traditional method and spent 24 months en tirage. The wine is delightful, with a touch of brioche supporting bright flavours of citrus and apple. 92.

Hester Creek Old Vine Cabernet Franc 2022 ($29.99). This is an exceptional wine from a great vintage in which wineries could hang grapes on the vine well into November. The result: dark reds with intensity. This wine was aged 18 months in oak (75% French, 25% American). It begins with aromas blackberry, black cherry and raspberry mingled with a hint of pepper. The palate delivers a potpourri of fruit flavours, including blueberry, black cherry and blackberry. Long ripe tannins give the wine a lingering finish. 93.

Hester Creek The Judge 2021 ($49.99). This is one of Hester Creek’s two flagship red blends. This is 46% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak. The wine is remarkably concentrated, with aromas of sage, dark fruits including plum and cherry which are echoed on the palate. The wine needs to be decanted to cox it to open up. My sample improved continuously over four days. 94.

Hester Creek Garland 2021 ($64.99). This is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon,18% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak. This elegant wine also should be decanted. It begins with aromas of cassis, raspberry, cherry, blueberry and spice. These are echoed on the palate, along with notes of chocolate and vanilla. 95

Township 7 wines for the holidays

Photo: Township 7 winemaker Mary McDermott

Like most Okanagan producers, Township 7 Vineyards & Winery made most of the wines for its 2024 vintage with Washington and California grapes. Look for them next year under a new tier: The Interlude Series. The devastation of the January 2024 freeze did not extend to the Fraser Valley where Township 7 has a satellite vineyard and winery. Mary McDermott, Township 7’s winemaker, writes: “We’re pleased to have harvested 4.6 metric tons of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from our Langley vineyards, soon to be crafted into our beloved seven stars sparkling wines.”

Currently, there are six sparkling wines in the seven stars series, an indication of Mary’s dedication to making sparkling wine. The current releases include Rigel, a traditional method sparking wine made with Riesling grapes from an Oliver vineyard.

Here are notes on the wines.

Township 7 Benchmark Series Riesling 2021 ($29.97 for 283 cases). The fruit, from the Fool’s Gold Vineyard near Oliver, was fermented slowly in concrete (a small portion was fermented in old barriques). It was en tirage for 12 months. This is a classic, dry Riesling with good texture. There is a hint of petrol on the aroma. On the palate, there are flavours of citrus and stone fruit. 91.

Township 7 Benchmark Series Syrah 2020 ($N/A for 539 cases). This is a wine club exclusive. The fruit is from the Fool’s Gold Vineyard. An 18-day fermentation extracted rich colour and flavour. The wine was aged 24 months in French and American oak barriques. The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits and pepper, leading to flavours of plum mingled with pepper and chocolate. The long ripe tannins give the wine a persistent finish. 92.

Township 7 Provenance Series Merlot 2022 ($N/A for 750 cases). Merlot from Oliver and from the Naramata Bench were blended for this wine, made in an excellent vintage. This is a concentrated Merlot aged 18 months in French (67%) and American (33%) oak barrels. It has aromas of dark cherry and spice leading to layers of cherry and plum mingled with spice, chocolate and oak. 91.

seven stars Rigel 2022 ($36.97 for 729 cases). This sparkling wine is made with Riesling. The wine is crisp, with bright acidity and aromas and flavours of lemon and apple. The active mousse lends the wine an attractive presentation in the glass. 91.

Foxtrot Winery emerges from receivership

Mike Boyd, new owner of Foxtrot

Foxtrot Vineyards, the storied Pinot Noir producer on the Naramata Bench, is emerging from receivership under the new ownership of Mike Boyd, the proprietor of Therapy Vineyards and its associated winery, Silhouette Cellars. The court documents filed by receiver PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. reveal that Foxtrot has not made money since 2019, the year after Foxtrot founder Torsten Allander sold the winery to Douglas Barzelay, a New York based expert on Burgundy, and his partner, Nathan Todd (pictured below). “As the original owner and creator of Foxtrot winery and brand, I in retrospect deeply regret my sale of the winery to the Americans,” Torsten wrote in a recent Facebook post. “I realized very early that the knowledge to produce a good wine and manage a winery operation was not evident.”

Photo: Douglas Barzelay (left) and Nathan Todd

The court filings show that, at the beginning of December 2024, Foxtrot had liabilities of $11,130,388 ($2,933,199 secured and $8,191,189 unsecured) against assets of $3,971,324. The unsecured creditors include a number of consulting and winery support business in the Okanagan. According to the court filings, the winery operations had “largely shut down” by the fall of 2023 and the winery stopped paying its obligations to CIBC Bank. The winery’s owners blamed the ongoing losses to “issues in the winemaking process in 2019 and 2020 which significantly reduced revenue. Revenues were not sufficient to cover operating expenses, and no income was available to service the Companies’ debts to CIBC.”

Foxtrot was conceived after Torsten (pictured below) a Swedish-born pulp and paper engineer, retired in 2002 to a 1.4-hectare (3½-acre) property on Naramata Road that was planted entirely with Clone 115 Pinot Noir. Two years later, Torsten arranged to have the nearby Lake Breeze winery make wine with the grapes, in a trial that spanned three vintages. Convinced that the vineyard could produce world-class Pinot Noir, Torsten built a modest winery and planted two adjoining vineyards to triple Foxtrot’s size.

Douglas Barzelay, a retired New York lawyer, first encountered Foxtrot Pinot Noir at a tasting in Vancouver. He was so impressed with the quality that, with Nathan Todd, his Alberta-born partner, he bought a peach orchard near the Foxtrot property, intending to plant more Pinot Noir. When they discovered that Foxtrot was for sale, the partners bought the winery with ambitious plans to expand it. Douglas is an authority on, and collector of, Burgundy wines. He is co-author of Burgundy Vintages: A History from 1845, published in 2018. He was also an expert witness at the trial of Burgundy counterfeiter Rudy Kurniawan.

It did not take too long for Torsten to become disillusioned with Foxtrot’s new owners. On Facebook, he writes: “The closing date for the business transfer was missed by the purchasers and delayed quite some time which gave me time to understand their thoughts on managing the winery. I came to the conclusion that I did not wish to proceed with the sale after six months and notified the purchasers but with no success as they refused to annul the contract of sale. It was a sad day when I finally handed over the winery and since that time the new owners never spoke to me nor did they seek any advice how to run the winery and winemaking and marketing. I never contacted them myself either.”

Torsten added that he wishes only success for Mike Boyd. “I know the vineyards can produce an excellent fruit and with a masterful winemaking, an outstanding wine can be produced again for Pinot lovers to enjoy.” Mike Boyd and Jacqueline Johnson, his wife, entered the Okanagan wine business in 2016. For the previous 22 years, they had run a successful oil and gas business in Alberta until they sold it to a larger competitor. That gave Mike the resources to fulfil a longtime ambition to get into wine. After another bidder topped his bid for Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery, which was then in receivership, he and Jacqueline purchased Therapy Vineyards and Inn on Naramata Road. They had also purchased a nearby vineyard property for what has become Silhouette Cellars, a sparkling wine project now based in The District Wine Village. Silhouette was used as the vehicle to purchase Foxtrot.