SpearHead keeps a nervous eye on its vineyard

Photo: SpearHead's Grant Stanley

The fans of SpearHead Winery will be dismayed the note from general manager and winemaker Grant Stanley which accompanied several spring releases. “At SpearHead, we are glad to be through the 2022 growing season and onto a new one,” Grant wrote. “Winter damage reduced our 2022 harvest by 50% and it looks as though some parts of the Okanagan will suffer crop loss again this year. We are keeping a close eye on the vineyard and will react as necessary once we get a sense of what Mother Nature has in store for us this year.”

There have been similar comments from other wineries, although the winter damage may not be as dismal as some had feared. Now that the vines have begun to grow, the viticulturists are able to assess whether a particular vineyard just lost buds or actually lost vines last winter. As well, some parts of the Okanagan were less impacted than other areas, usually reflecting whether the nearby lakes moderated the cold winter.

Cross your fingers for SpearHead. Since joining this East Kelowna winery in 2017, Grant has produced very good wines. Canadian born but New Zealand trained, he has previously made the wines at Quails’ Gate Estate Winery and then at 50th Parallel Estate. His strongest suit is Pinot Noir. He once told me that he thinks about Pinot Noir 80% of the time. I replied that the rest of the wines in the portfolio never taste like orphans. Here are notes on current releases.

SpearHead Pinot Gris 2022 ($22 for 2002 cases). For this wine, 90% of the fruit was fermented in stainless steel and 10% in two-year-old French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of pear and white peach, leading to flavours of crisp green apple and citrus. Bright acidity gives the wine a lingering and refreshing finish. 90.

SpearHead Chardonnay 2021 Clone 95 ($33 for 285 cases; also 48 magnums). The fruit for this came from the Duncan Vineyard on the Naramata Bench. The wine was fermented in French oak barrels and puncheons and was aged 10 months in barrel (25% new). Only partial malolactic fermentation was allowed, preserving good fruit flavours. The wine begins with aromas of ripe pear, apple, citrus and vanilla. The palate is luscious, with tropical fruit flavours (nectarine and peach). The finish is quite long. This is a delicious wine. 92.

SpearHead Saddle Block Pinot Noir 2021 ($38 for 410 cases). This estate-grown Pinot Noir has emerged as one of the best examples of this varietal; and still affordable. After the grapes were harvested by hand, 90% of the clusters were destemmed. After a seven-day cold soak, fermentation was done with indigenous yeast. The wine was aged 13 months in French oak barrels (25% new). Aromas of cherry and raspberry leap from the glass. On the palate, there are flavours of dark cherry and blackberry with notes of forest floor to add complexity. 94.