Hester Creek whites showcase the 2022 vintage

Photo: Hester Creek winemaker Mark Hopley (courtesy of Hester Creek)

Mark Hopley, the winemaker at Hester Creek Estate Winery, was one of the earliest winemakers to rave about the quality of the Okanagan’s 2022 vintage. These wines support his enthusiasm. In notes that accompany the wines, Hester Creek writes:

With the addition of new vineyards, the 2022 harvest yielded a larger crop than average. Due to cooler-than-expected spring temperatures and more rain than is typical of the South Okanagan, the season was off to a late start. By summer, temperatures rose and lasted into the autumn, extending the season with the warmest September and October on record. Growing degree days reached 1676 on average. This longer growing season led to longer hang times for the fruit as it developed phenolic ripeness.

Harvest began on September 9th with our Ti Amo [sparkling wine] and finished on December 1 with our Old Vine Cabernet Franc. For the white varietals, longer hang times resulted in delicate aromatics. The red varietals hung on the vine throughout November, allowing the grapes to concentrate their colours and flavours. The 2022 vintage will be remembered as a milestone year for producing exceptional fruit-forward and age-worthy wines.”

Here are notes on Hester Creek’s 2022 whites. I await the reds with anticipation.

Hester Creek Old Vine Pinot Blanc 2022 ($19.99). This wine begins with aromas of melon and apple. It is crisp on the palate, with intense fruit flavours – apple, honeydew melon – and with a spine of minerality. The finish lingers. 92.

Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2022 ($18.99). A long, cool ferment preserved the aromas and flavours of pear and apple in this crisp wine. There is a touch of lemon on the finish. 91.

Hester Creek Character White 2022 ($17.99). This wine is about two-thirds Pinot Gris and one-third Gewürztraminer, fermented cool in stainless steel and aged a further four months in steel. This is a refreshing wine, beginning with aromas of pear, citrus and lychee. The palate has flavours of pear mingled with green melons and stone fruit. 90.

Hester Creek Cabernet Franc Rosé 2022 ($19.99). A three-cold cold soak extracted what the winery calls the “signature electric colour” of this rosé. Those of us who do not care for anaemic rosé wines will appreciate one that makes a strong statement in the glass. The wine begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. On the palate, there are juicy flavours of cherry and strawberry. There is a lingering finish. 91.

Hester Creek Old Vine Trebbiano 2022 ($24.99). The fruit for this wine is from a block of vines that were planted in 1968. The berries were destemmed and pressed and the juice was given a month-long cool fermentation in stainless steel. The wine was then matured four months in stainless steel before bottling. The aromas are complex: notes of herbs mingled with grapefruit and even the slightest hint of fresh dill. The palate is generous with flavours of citrus and passion fruit. The finish is crisp, fresh and exceptionally long. 93.

Hester Creek Viognier 2022 ($23.99). After pressing whole clusters or whole berries, the juice was fermented very cool for 31 days before being racked and aged four months in stainless steel. The wine is packed with fruit aromas and flavours. It begins with aromas of peach and pineapple. On the palate, there are flavours of peach and nectarine with a hint of pink grapefruit and a touch of minerality on the bright and long finish. 92.