Hillside wines: more 2025s and one icon

Photo: Winemaker Kathy Malone (courtesy of Hillside Winery)

The impressive new releases from Hillside Winery show off the great 2025 vintage, along with a 2019 Mosaic, the winery’s icon red. Mosaic was one of the wines included in my 2017 book, Icon: Flagship Wines from British Columbia’s Best Wineries. The wine has been crafted since 2008 by Kathy Malone, who persuaded Hillside’s owners to use just Naramata grapes not just for Mosaic but for the entire portfolio. Here is an extract from the book:

The first three vintages [of Mosaic] were primarily blended with grapes from the South Okanagan. Hillside only began planting its Hidden Valley Vineyard, now an important source for Merlot, in 2002 in the hills above the winery. Since 2006, however, Mosaic has been made entirely with Naramata Bench grapes. “Before I came here, I would not have thought that was wise,” says winemaker Kathy Malone. She came to Hillside in 2008 from Mission Hill, where she had worked primarily with South Okanagan fruit, not Naramata grapes. She is now one of the strongest advocates of the Naramata terroir. “I love the type of ripeness we get on the Naramata Bench,” she says. In the 2010 and 2011 vintages, Hillside lost one source of Naramata Bench Cabernet Franc. Rather than compromise on the winery’s commitment to terroir, Kathy made those two vintages with no Cabernet Franc in the blend. That varietal returned to the wine in 2012 when Hillside secured a new source. The 2006 vintage was the first Mosaic to win a gold medal (at the Northwest Wine Challenge). While fermenting just Naramata fruit brought the first upgrade to Mosaic, subsequent advances also reflected winemaking changes. Early vintages spent only nine months aging in French and American oak barrels. By 2008, barrel-aging had been extended to 13 months. Now the wine spends at least 14 months in barrel, all in French oak, and more than a quarter of the barrels are new.

Kathy has refined Mosaic even further from when that was written. The current release had a total of 28 months of barrel-aging. Here are notes:

Hillside Heritage Muscat Ottonel 2025 ($26). This is arguably Hillside’s signature white made from vines planted in 1984. The handpicked grapes had overnight skin contact and were fermented cool in stainless steel. The wine begins with appealing aromas of rose petals and spice. There are mouth-filling flavours of peach and citrus. The wine is slightly off-dry, which enhances the exotic fruit flavours. 92.

Hillside Heritage Pinot Gris 2025 ($35 for 318 cases). Two hours of skin contact have given this wine a delicate golden pink hue. This wine was fermented 75% in Tokaj oak barrels and then aged five months on the lees with stirring every two weeks, The result is a full-textured wine with spicy aromas of tropical fruits leading to a rich palate of pear and apricot. 92.

Hillside Chef’s Whites 2025 ($35 for 367 cases). The blend is 58% Chardonnay, 37% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Pinot Gris. The wine was fermented in terracotta (37%) and neutral French oak barrels. It was aged four months on the lees. The wine is complex, with aromas and flavours of apple, stone fruits and spice. The texture is full and the finish is long. 92.

Hillside Heritage Viognier 2025 ($28 for 340 cases). The fruit had overnight skin contact. The wine was fermented 50% in French oak (17% new) and 50% in stainless steel. The wine has aromas of tropical fruits and flavours of mango and vanilla on a rich palate. The finish lingers. 92.

Hillside Below The Road Rosé 2025 ($35 for 290 cases). This is a Pinot Noir rosé that was fermented in French oak (three to five years old) and aged four months on the lees. It presents assertively with a dark pink hue and with aromas and flavours of strawberries and ripe apples. The finish is long and refreshing. 91.

Hillside Mosaic 2019 ($70 for 280 cases). The winery’s flagship red, this is a blend of 51% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, all sourced on the Naramata Bench. The wine was aged for 16 months in French oak (55% new) plus an additional 12 months in neutral oak after blending. This wine begins with aromas of cassis and dark cherry mingled with notes of oak. That leads to flavours of dark fruits on a palate of long, silky tannins. The persistent finish adds to the superb elegance of this wine. 95.

Noble Ridge wins sparkling wine of the year

Photo: Winemaker Benoit Gauthier (photo courtesy Noble Ridge

At the recent All Canadian Wine Championships, the flagship sparkling wine from Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery was named Sparkling Wine of the Year -- for the second time. The One, as the wine is called, was the sparkling wine of the year at the 2017 competition as well.

“We see it as a wonderful milestone not only for Noble Ridge, but also for Okanagan Falls and the continued momentum behind BC traditional-method sparkling wine,” writes Jennifer Tocher, the winery’s new publicist. The Okanagan Falls viticultural area is indeed well-established as a premium sparkling wine region. Blue Mountain Winery, which does not enter competitions, has been making traditional method sparkling wine since the early 1990s. The winery’s basic sparkling wine is excellent value and its late-disgorged bubblies are exceptional.

Noble Ridge, which opened in 2005, is owned by Jim and Leslie D’Andrea, former Calgarians who once looked at properties in France before concluding it made more sense to develop a vineyard near Okanagan Falls. The D’Andreas planned to make sparkling wine as soon as they purchased the property in 2001. That was why they planted Pinot Noir on a north-facing slope. “I just love Champagne,” Jim told me once. The winery began making The One in the 2010 vintage. The wine has won numerous awards over the years, including a Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in 2015. The wine has always been a blend of estate-grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, just like many Champagnes.

The current winemaker at Noble Ridge is Benoit Gauthier (Canadian-born), who is also the winery’s chief operating officer. “Traditional-method sparkling wine is one of the most demanding styles to produce,” he is quoted in a winery news release. It requires “years of patience, precision, and an unwavering commitment to quality.”

I was once a member of the judging panel at the All Canadians as well as the panel for the Lieutenant-Governor’s competition. I had a hand in adjudicating both of the awards and I know how rigorous the competitions are. This spring, I tasted a number of Noble Ridge’s recent releases, including the 2019 The One. Here is my review of that wine. Try finding a Champagne this elegant for this price.

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.

Mt. Boucherie and Rust show off 2025s

Photo: Mt. Boucherie Winemaker Jeff Hundertmark

The latest releases from sister wineries Mount Boucherie and Rust Wine Company confirm that both are recovering well from the vineyard damage in the 2024 vintage. “The harvest of 2025 was a bit of a shocker for us,” writes Jeff Hundertmark, the general manager and director of winemaking at West Kelowna’s Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery. “Mother Nature promised a little present for us and surprised us with a bounty.”

The quality of the 2025 wines from both wineries is excellent, as are so many wines from the 2025 vintage in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. “We are proud to farm estate vineyards that are some of the oldest in both the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys,” the winery says. In the technical notes for its signature red blend, Solus, Rust Wine Company observes that its vineyard “is home to some of the oldest vines in the Okanagan.” That includes a Gewürztraminer planted in 1973 and a Zinfandel planted in 2002.

Unfortunately for Rust, the January 2024 freeze devastated the winery’s Zinfandel, an important varietal in the Solus blend. It is 34% of the just released 2021 Solus. I expect there is a 2022 Solus and perhaps a 2023 aging in Rust’s cellar.

When the label continues, the blend will change dramatically. Rust Winemaker Ryan de Witte has begun to make major changes in the vineyard and in the portfolio, adding Pinot Noir and soon Sangiovese, Mondeuse and Barbera. “Planting Sangiovese was a way of future proofing the vineyard to warmer summer temperatures as well as being hardier than the Zinfandel it is replacing,” Ryan told me last fall. “It is mostly intended as a blending component for Solus, our halo wine but, if the vintage is good and the crops are equally generous, then we will bottle a varietal Sangiovese.”

Here are notes on current releases both wineries. Rust, which is on the Golden Mile south of Oliver, takes its name from the steel cladding on the winery, which is intentionally allowed to rust. The labels on the bottles mirror the rust as well.

Mt. Boucherie Pinot Gris 2025 ($27.99). The fruit is from the Similkameen Valley. It was allowed a long, cool ferment in stainless steel. A touch of skin contact gave the wine a delicate blush. There are aromas of peach and apricot. On the palate, the wine is crisp with a medley of orchard fruit flavours leading to a dry finish. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2025 ($29.99). There is Naramata Bench fruit in this wine. After fermentation, the wine was aged four months in French Oak puncheons (none new). While the aroma is restrained, the wine delivers generous fruit flavours, mingling citrus and passionfruit. The alcohol is a moderate 12.5%. 91.

Mt. Boucherie Rosé 2025 ($27.99). This wine is made with a field blend of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. The grapes were allowed a six-hour skin soak and then were fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast. The wine has an appealing pink hue. It has aromas and flavours of watermelon, raspberry and strawberry, with a crisp, dry finish. 90.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Chardonnay 2025 ($34.99). This is a blend of fruit from the Similkameen Valley and from Okanagan Falls. After fermentation, the wine was aged six moths in French oak (30% new). Flavours and aromas of apple, peach and pineapple mingle with a delicate touch of oak spice. 91.

Mt. Boucherie Blaufränkisch 2025 ($27.99). This is a full-bodied, fruity wine that was aged four months in neutral Hungarian and French oak. It delivers aromas and flavours of spice, blueberries and cherries. 89.

Mt. Boucherie Reserve Meritage 2024 ($34.99) The fruit is from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA in Washington State. The blend is 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Malbec and 29% Merlot. After picking, the fruit was shipped quickly to be crushed at the winery in West Kelowna. After fermentation, the wine was aged 14 months in French oak (20% new). The wine is rich on the palate with robust flavours of dark cherries, plum and black currant. 92.

Rust White Crush 2025 ($25). The fruit in this wine from both the Similkameen and Okanagan Valleys. The blend here is 30% Muscat, 26% Riesling, 24% Gewürztraminer and 20% Pinot Gris. The aroma and the palate deliver the spicy notes one would expect from this blend while Riesling and Pinot Gris contribute structure and underlying notes of citrus. The finish dry and persistent.

Rust Cabernet Franc Rosé 2025 ($30). The Cabernet Franc fruit is from the winery’s Golden Mile Bench vineyard. The wine presents with a commanding red plum hue and a rich mixture of red fruits on the nose and palate. Delicious! 91.

Rust Gamay 2025 ($30). The fruit is from the winery’s Lazy River Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. The wine, which was aged six months in neutral oak, presents with a brilliant ruby hue. There are aromas and flavours of bing cherry with a touch of pepper to define the crisp, crunchy finish. 90

Rust Pinot Noir 2024 ($40). The fruit is from the Finnigan Hill Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, described by Rust wiemaker Ryan de Witte as “the landmark region for Pinot Noir in North America.” There are four clones here: Pommard, 667, 777 and 115 (all of which grow in the Okanagan as well). After fermenting with wild yeast, the wine was aged 14 months in neutral French oak. There are aromas of cherry here, mingled with forest floor notes that carry through to the flavour. The silky texture supports a long finish. 92

Rust Solus 2021 ($88). This unusual blend is 36% Merlot, 34% Zinfandel, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Gewürztraminer, with all the fruit from the Golden Mile Bench. The Gewürztraminer was used to start the ferment. Each of the other varietals were added as they were harvested to the rolling co-fermentation, The wine was aged 18 months in French and American oak (50% new). The wine is rich, with aromas and flavours of oak and dark fruits – fig, plum mingled with spice and blueberry pie. 94.

Hester Creek's Mark Sheridan will retire

Photo: Hester Creek president Mark Sheridan

The release of these wines – all 2025 VQA wines except one 2024 Washington red – has almost been overshadowed by the announcement that Mark Sheridan, the winery’s president, will retire at the end of this year.

An Australian-born and trained viticulturist, he was recruited to the Okanagan in 1999 as vineyard manager for Vincor. The late Curt Garland, who bought Hester Creek out of receivership in 2004, he hired Mark as general manager in 2010 to accelerate the turnaround at the winery. “I have a working knowledge of a vineyard but it is not my expertise,” said Rob Summers, Hester Creek’s winemaker at the time. “We have a great vineyard and Mark Sheridan, with his expertise, has taken it up another level.” Mark was soon promoted to president. Under his leadership, Hester Creek has become one of the most respected wine producers in the Okanagan.

When Mark leaves, he will be succeeded by Roger Gillespie, the current Director of Operations at the winery. In a news release, the winery said: “Roger joined Hester Creek in March 2012 and has a long history in the Canadian wine industry. Roger's deep understanding of Hester Creek's operations, culture, and values will ensure a smooth transition.”

One of Mark’s most consequential decisions for the winery was securing Washington State grapes for the 2024 vintage. The object was to keep Hester Creek in production, its staff intact and its customers needs met despite devastating frost damage to the vineyards in two consecutive years. “We had a 35% crop in 2023 and will have a zero crop in 2024,” Mark told me in July, 2024. “You have a 17% crop averaged over two years. That is devastating. I have never heard of a wine region in the world that is predicting a 97% crop loss. 97% for the Okanagan valley! Sure, when I was in the Barossa and when I was in Coonawarra, you get a local frost and you might lose 10 or 15% of a crop. But I have never heard of a wine region forecasting a 97% crop loss. I have never heard of that world-wide.”

He moved decisively in February, 2024, when the vineyard damage had become evident in the Okanagan, to line up a supply of Washington grapes. By good fortune, there was a surplus of grapes there, with growers more than willing to sell to Canadian wineries. Typically, Mark was hands on. “We have been talking with a grower [in Washington] since the very early spring,” Mark told me. “We had a contract in place and they were holding the grapes for us. I have been down there multiple times and have had input into how they grow the grapes. We have our own section of their vineyard that they have allocated to us. I have full input as to how they are growing the grapes on that section. All the viticultural inputs are being directed by myself.”

At the time of that interview, Mark made it clear that Hester Creek would resume making VQA wines from British Columbia grapes as soon as the vineyards were back in production. While Hester Creek has replanted a third of its vineyards, the remaining vines at the estate and at some of its growers recovered well. The 2025 whites just released are among the best ever made by Hester Creek. It enables Mark Sheridan to leave the B.C. wine industry on a high note. These are the wines.

Hester Creek Riesling 2025 ($24.99). The fruit is from one of Hester Creek’s Okanagan growers. The handpicked berries were crushed gently and fermented cool for 36 days in stainless steel. The wine has an appealing aroma of lemon and apple leading to flavours of apple, honeydew melon and lemon. The balance is exquisite, with a touch of sweetness on the long finish. 93.

b>Hester Creek Viognier 2025 ($24.99). The hand-picked grapes were pressed gently. After one day of cold settling, the wine was racked into stainless steel for a 37-day cold fermentation. Floral aromas of jump from the glass, followed by intense flavours of mango and Honeycrisp apple. 93.

Hester Creek Pinot Noir Rosé 2025 ($27.99). Made with South Okanagan fruit, the hand-picked grapes (clone 777) were crushed and allowed three hours of skin contact t0 extract the appropriate pink hue. The wine was fermented cool for 30 days in stainless steel and aged another four months in tank. Aromas of strawberry and mingled with hints of rhubarb; these are echoed on the full palate on the long finish. 91.

Hester Creek Cabernet Franc Rosé 2025 ($22.99). The hand-harvested grapes were crushed and left on the skins for three days to achieve the desired deep ruby hue in the glass. There are aromas of cherry, cranberry and pomegranate leading to flavours of ripe strawberry mingled with red plums. The wine is full-bodied and perhaps a little awkward for a rosé but is delicious none the less. 90.

Hester Creek Ti Amo 2025 ($24.99). This is a blend of 50% Gewürztraminer, 41% Pinot Gris and 9% Muscat. Each varietal was cool fermented separately for 25 days. The wine was blended and refermented in a Charmat tank for six weeks to create the lively bubbles. The wine is crisp and refreshing, with spicy notes in the aroma and one the palate. 90.

Hester Creek Petit Verdot Malbec 2024 ($29.99). The fruit for this wine was from Washington State’s Red Mountain region. The blend is 67% Petit Verdot and 33% Malbec. The wine was aged 13 months in French and American oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of spice and cherry leading to flavours of blueberry and fig. 90.