Township 7 wines showcase three vintages

Township 7 winemaker Mary McDermott

The latest releases from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery provide into three different vintages: the outstanding 2022 and 2025 vintages and the less-heralded, but not to be overlooked 2023 vintage.

The winery calls 2022 a year of extremes. “The weather was unpredictable, with an unusually cool spring (one of the coolest springs ever on record in the Okanagan), followed by a remarkably warm autumn,” the winery writes. “… By fall harvest, the fruit was in excellent condition with good acidity and balance, and higher yields than in the previous three years.” The result: “one of the best vintages in recent decades.”

The 2023 vintage “continued the trend of unpredictable and extreme weather patterns,” the winery writes. A cold snap in December, 2022, caused severe damage in the vineyards, reducing the 2023 yields by 40% to 50%. During the season, the vineyard team dealt with disease pressures in the spring, extreme heat and wildfire smoke in the summer, with an early harvest. But the winery reports: “The resulting wines achieved full ripeness … Although smaller than previous vintages, the 2023 vintage will be one to savour.”

There was no Okanagan vintage of consequence in 2024 due to devasting winter frost. The winery had to replant eight acres of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc at its Blue Terrace Vineyard. “The 2025 growing season brought a welcome rebound,” the winery writes. “Fruit quality was excellent, and yields surpassed our early expectations. … By season’s end, yields matched our largest harvest on record, marking a remarkable recovery for the vineyards.”

Winemaker Mary McDermott offers a comment on 2026’s encouraging start. “We are relieved to report that winter has been relatively mild in the Okanagan, with healthy looking buds and encouraging conditions in the vineyard so far,” she wrote in early April. Here are notes on the wines.

b>Township 7 Provenance Series Sauvignon Blanc 2025 ($26.97 for 750 cases). The fruit is from the winery’s Blue Terrace Vineyard at Oliver. The largest portion was fermented cool in stainless steel while a smaller portion was fermented at higher temperatures in barrel. This added more texture without taking away from the vibrant flavours. The wine begins with aromas of lime that mingle with stone fruit on the palate. There is a lovely mineral backbone. 91.

Township 7 Provenance Series Pinot Gris 2025 ($26.97 for 730 cases). This wine is made with Naramata Bench fruit, fermented cool in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of pear and peach. The palate is fleshy; yet the finish is bright. 92.

Township 7 Benchmark Series Riesling 2023 ($29.97 for 145 cases). The fruit is from the Fool’s Gold Vineyard at Oliver. The juice was fermented cool and primarily in concrete, with a small portion in stainless steel. This is an elegant Riesling, with aromas and flavours of citrus and green apple. Just a hint of petrol emerges. 93.

Township 7 Benchmark Series Gewürztraminer 2025 ($29.97 for 136 cases). This is a serious dry Gewürztraminer made with Naramata Bench fruit. Equal parts of the juice were fermented in stainless steel (cool) and in neutral oak barrels (warmer). The wine has classic aromas of lychee leading to flavours of orange peel and ginger. The finish lingers. 90.

Township 7 Benchmark Series Reserve 7 2022 ($44.97 for 499 cases). This is a blend of 56% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Cabernet Franc, from the Blue Terrace Vineyard near Oliver and the Raju Vineyard near Osoyoos. The wine was aged 24 months in barrel (62% French oak, of which 10% was new, and 38% American). This wine reflects a great vintage. It begins with aromas of cassis and black cherry leading to bold flavours of black currant, dark cherry mingled with chocolate and tobacco. The finish is long. 95.

Township 7 Benchmark Series NBO 2022 ($44.97 for 455 cases). This is a blend of 55.9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44.1% Merlot; both from the winery’s Blue Terrace vineyard near Oliver. The wine was aged 24 months in barrel (70% French, 30% American and 15% new). The wine is rich, with aromas of dark fruits mingled with chocolate. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry, red currant, coffee and chocolate. 92.

Hester Creek's 2025 whites are fragrant

Photo: Winemaker Mark Hopley

Hester Creek Estate Winery rates the 2025 vintage as “one of the best vintages the Okanagan valley has ever seen. Mark Hopley, the winemaker, ranks the quality up with the great 2022 vintage. The surprising quality of the 2025 wines – “wines [that] exhibit balance, complexity and develop flavours” – are welcome after the frost-ravaged vintages of 2023 and 2024. “I believe that the vines that survived basically had a two-year hiatus from producing grapes,” Mark says. “The vines were ready to be productive.” And the season was distinguished with lots of “growing degree days.” The vines also produced more abundantly than expected.

The winery has just released its white wines, all of which are notable for bright flavours and superb balance. “The reds are shaping up well,” Mark adds. “Early indications led to a memorable vintage.”

Hester Creek whites and rosé wines reflect Hester Creek’s use of the AromaLoc technology which was invented in the Okanagan and has been commercialized by an Italian firm. The units – Hester Creek has several – sit on fermentation tanks to capture the CO2 while preserving the wine’s aromas. Mark believes the technology “really allows the aromatics to shine through.”

Here are notes on the 2025 whites from Hester Creek.

Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2025 ($19.99). The fruit was fermented cool in stainless steel with the use of AromaLoc to preserve the aromatics. The aromas of apples and cantaloupe lead to flavours of pear and apple. 91.

Noble Ridge releases exceptional 2025s

Photo: Winemaker Benoit Gauthier

Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery at Okanagan Falls is another producer celebrating the nearly miraculous vintage in 2025.

The winery credits its sustainable farming practices for the resilience of the vineyard. “Following the devastating January 2024 cold snap that resulted in a complete crop loss,” the winery reports, “the 2025 season delivered an extraordinary rebound, yielding more than 125% of the vineyard’s average harvest.”

That took immense work in the vineyard by winemaker Benoit Gauthier and his crew. “Every damaged vine across the estate was removed, and new trunks were retrained from the base of each vine, effectively renewing 100% of the vineyard and setting the foundation for the future,” the winery writes. As has become a hallmark of wines from the 2025 vintage, the quality is high. The wines are bright and fresh and inviting. Here are my notes on Noble Ridge’s 2025 wines, along with a recently released sparkling wine.

Noble Ridge The One 2019 ($34.99 for 450 cases). This is 77% Chardonnay and 23% Pinot Noir. This is a traditional method sparkling wine with fine, active bubbles and a classic but restrained brioche aroma. On the palate, there are flavours of apple and citrus mingled with a hint of brioche. 93.

Noble Ridge Mingle 2025 ($22.99 for 570 cases). This is a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 43% Riesling and 12% Pinot Noir with no skin contact. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. The wine is crisp and fresh, with aromas of apples and pears leading to flavours of stone fruits and citrus. 90.

Noble Ridge Classic White 2025 ($21.00 for 940 cases). The blend is 52% Riesling, 36% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Gris. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. The wine has aromas of pear and citrus leading to flavours of orchard fruits and citrus. The wine is full on the palate with a long and delicious finish. 92.

Noble Ridge Classic Pinot Grigio 2025 ($21.00 for 370 cases). The fruit is from vines planted in 2002. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. The wine is bright and refreshing with aromas and flavours of apples and pears. 91.

Noble Ridge Reserve Pinot Grigio 2025 ($25.99 for 31o cases). The fruit is from vines planted in 2002. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. With aromas of pear and apple, this full-boded white delivers flavours of peach and apple. 92.

Noble Ridge Unoaked Chardonnay 2025 ($25.99 for 500 cases). The fruit is from vines planted in 1999. The wine was fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel to preserve the aromatics. Aromas of apple mingle with peach leading to flavours of pear and citrus. The finish is long, crisp and fresh. 92.

Noble Ridge Classic Rosé 2025 ($21.00 for 345 cases). This is 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. Two hours of skin contact captured a delicate pink hue and aromas of strawberries. The juicy palate delivers flavours of strawberry and red currant. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 90.

Noble Ridge Noble Rosé 2025 ($25.99 for 350 cases). This is made with Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from a vineyard in Oliver. The berries had two hours of skin contact and the juice was fermented cool in stainless steel. In the glass, the wine presents with a lovely pink hue and aromas of dark fruits. The palate delivers luscious flavours and a long finish. 93.

Blue Mountain's excellent vineyard block wines

Photo: The iconic Blue Mountain vineyard

The many fans of Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars may want to stock up on these wines recently released from the 2023 vintage if only because there is no 2024 vintage from this winery. The hard freeze in 2024 killed most of the buds in the vineyard but, fortunately, not the carefully tended vines. Blue Mountain, like its peers, produced a 2025 vintage; several of the white wines are scheduled for release in June.

Winemaker Matt Mavety, unlike many of his colleagues, did not import grapes for a 2024 vintage. From the beginning in 1991, the Mavety family has made Blue Mountain’s wines exclusively from the picturesque estate vineyard near Okanagan Falls.

“We believe that great wine is made in the vineyard,” the winery says on its website. “At Blue Mountain all of our wines are made from estate grown grapes, a single contiguous site with unique microclimates that are apparent in each vineyard block. Our dry climate allows for low intervention vineyard practices, reducing the need for sprays. We focus on soil health through cover crops, composting and encouraging biodiversity in the vineyard. Our preferred vineyard vehicle has two wheels and a battery. Electric bikes help us move quietly through the rows, care for the vines, and tread lightly on the land.”

In recent vintages, Matt has released special wines from vineyard blocks that show particular individuality. While Blue Mountain’s vineyard blends are excellent quality and value, the wines from specific blocks each reflect different characteristics. These are wines worth seeking out. Here are notes on five wines from individual blocks plus a reserve Pinot Noir, all from 2023 and all fermented with wild yeast

Blue Mountain Alluvium Reflection Block 32 Chardonnay 2023 ($44). The fruit for this wine is from a western-facing block planted in 1990. This is an elegant wine which was aged 18 months in French oak. The wine has notes of new hay and sage in the aroma. The rich palate delivers flavours of apple mingled with vanilla. 93.

Blue Mountain Blossom Slope Block 17 Chardonnay 2023 ($44). Block 17 is a warm site, with a westerly exposure and coarse and loamy sand soils. The wine, made with three clones of Chardonnay, was aged 18 months in French oak. Lightly golden in the glass, the wine has aromas of stone fruits minged with a touch of vanilla. The palate delivers luscious yet fresh fruit flavours, with a long finish. This is a wine of exceptional elegance. 96.

Blue Mountain River Flow Block 23 Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). This sandy loam block, planted in 1994, has a slight northern and eastern exposure. The clones in this wine are 113 and 114. This is a firm wine with a spine of minerality; decanting helps the wine open up to show savoury flavours of dark cherry and sage. 92.

Blue Mountain Gravel Force Block 14 Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). The winery says this wine, made from the fruit of 36-year-old vines, is “an overt, brooding and textural wine with strength.” I found the wine to be full-bodied with classic aromas and flavours of dark cherry. 93.

Blue Mountain Wild Terrain Block 9 Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). This wine is so-named because the topography is, the winery says, “the most extreme and varied” of the Pinot Noir blocks. “Significant South-Western exposure reveals a wild complexity, at once handsome and delicately pretty, savoury and boldly free,” the winery writes. I liked the aromas and flavours of cherry, raspberry and spice, along with the silken finish. 93.

Blue Mountain Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2023 ($39). This is exceptional value for a wine of this quality. It is made from vines that are 26 to 36 years old. Four clones are used: 113, 114, 115 and 667. The wine, fermented entirely with wild yeast, is dark in colour reflecting the concentrated yet silky texture. It has aromas and flavours of dark cherry mingled delicately with spicy oak. 94.

Hillside 2025 whites signal a fine vintage

Photo: Hillside Winery's Kathy Malone

The three white wines recently released by Naramata Bench’s Hillside Winery, all unoaked wines from the 2025 vintage, signal that the vineyards have recovered brilliantly from the devastation on 2024.

Other 2025 whites also have begun to arrive. The wine are consistently impressive: crisp, fresh, full of flavour and with good palate weight. As good as the 2024s were – made with imported grapes – I think consumers will prefer the 2025 wines from British Columbia-grown fruit.

In her covering note with the samples, Hillside winemaker Kathy Malone does not explain why she released all three of these wines in the unoaked style. Traditionally, Hillside’s portfolio has had just an unoaked Pinot Gris (since 2008). She should be congratulated for expanding the unoaked portfolio, releasing the wines in their pristine glory.

Here are my notes on the three:

Hillside Unoaked Pinot Gris 2025 ($26). Two to four hours of skin contact have given this wine a pale pink hue as well as adding layers of flavour. Aromas of fresh peach mingle with raspberry, leading to flavours of pear and peach. 92.

Hillside Unoaked Chardonnay 2025 ($27). Winemaker Kathy Malone writes that while she “generally prefers carefully selected commercial yeasts for whites,” she allowed a spontaneous wild fermentation of this wine. “It paid off in spades,” she writes. This is a delicious wine with aromas and flavours of apples, stone fruits and citrus, and good weight on the palate. 93.

Hillside Unoaked Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (N/A). This is an such appealing wine that you will want a second glass right away. It has aromas of lemon and lime mingled with fresh grass. All that is echoed on the palate. 92.