Hillside: exclusively Naramata Bench

Photo: Hillside winemaker Kathy Malone

When Kathy Malone joined Hillside Winery in 2008 as winemaker, she was told it was an “ABC” winery, meaning anything but Chardonnay. “I’ve made enough Chardonnay in my life,” she thought. “I am probably okay with that.” Recently, the winery’s owner and several of the staff have suggested that Hillside should add a Chardonnay to the portfolio. Since Hillside does not grow that varietal, it means buying fruit – and from the Naramata Bench because, under Kathy’s hand, the winery has limited its fruit sources just to the Naramata Bench.

That geographic self-discipline has never hindered Hillside from making interesting wines including remarkable single vineyard Merlots and even Syrah. “When I first came here, we talked about pulling it out and planting something else but the wine just kept getting better and better; and we could not bear to do it,” she says. “We have almost three acres of Syrah planted.” That varietal suffered the most damage in the Okanagan and Similkameen last winter. Hillside does not expect to harvest much fruit from the vines this fall. Yet there seems no talk on giving up on it. After all, the first Syrah planting in the Okanagan was at Nichol Vineyard, one of the first wineries on the Naramata Bench. Like Nichol, Hillside’s Syrah grows in hot site on one of the winery’s vineyards.

Hillside was an early winery on the Naramata Bench. The history is set out on the winery’s website: “In the early 1900s this site was owned by the Riddle family who operated an apricot orchard. Their property stretched about 100 yards north to what is now Riddle Road; the original farmhouse stood on what is now the site of our tasting room. The cherry trees, which were on the Riddles’ front lawn, were planted in 1926. “In 1979, the property was purchased by Bohumir and Vera Klokocka who had recently immigrated to the Okanagan Valley from Czechoslovakia. Vera had a dream. In her mind’s eye she saw the sloping land carpeted by orderly rows of grapes – grapes that she would turn into luscious wines, even though she had no experience at either growing grapes or fermenting them. In 1984 she and Bohumir pulled out the apricot trees and planted 3.5 acres of vineyards. The last surviving apricot tree from the Riddles’ orchard remains on the bank just below the Kettle Valley Railway (on the northeast side of the building). The grapevines thrived in the gravelly soil and warm Okanagan sunshine and Vera’s dream took shape. “In 1989 Hillside, together with Lang Vineyards and Wild Goose, lobbied the Provincial Government to bring about the Farmgate Winery Policy that was instrumental in changing the B.C. Wine Industry. The new policy allowed small vineyards of five acres or less to not only produce wine but also to sell it directly from their premises.”

The winery’s ownership has changed several times since. Former Alberta oilman Duncan McCowan is now the president. The current winery, designed in 1997, was the first Okanagan winery designed by Robert Mackenzie, the valley’s premier winery architect. The design was inspired by designs for grist mills. The winery’s portfolio includes a Muscat Ottonel. It was the first white varietal planted at the Hillside farm in 1984. Here are notes on that wine and other current releases.

Hillside Muscat Ottonel 2021 ($26 for 1,285 cases). The wine appeals with floral aromas and flavours of spice and orchard fruits. 90.

Hillside Unoaked Pinot Gris 2022 ($25 for 2,289 cases). Fruit for this wine came from six vineyards, all on the Naramata Bench. The grapes had between two and six hours of skin contact, enough to give the wine a blush. Fermentation, slow and cool, was in stainless steel. The wine has aromas and flavours of peach, apple and melon. 92.

Hillside Rosé 2022 ($26 for 686 cases). The backbone of this delicious rosé is Merlot crushed directly into the press, given minimal skin contact before being pressed. Additional juice was secured by saignéeing blocks of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc while those grapes were soaking cold on the skins. A bit of Gewürztraminer and Viognier were added to the blend to turbocharge the floral aromatics. The wine has an electric hue, which means it looks as good in the glass as it smells. There are juicy flavours of strawberry and watermelon. 90.

Hillside Below the Road Rosé 2022 ($35 for 299 cases; wine club exclusive). The wine is so named because the fruit is from vineyards below Naramata Road where the soils impart what the winery calls an umami character. The blend is Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Viognier. The three reds were destemmed to press and then immediately drained to stainless steel for a cool ferment. The wine was transferred to barrel for four months with frequent lees stirring. Viognier was added to lift the floral aromas. This is a savoury, textural wine with aromas and flavours of watermelon, cherry and herbs. 91.

Hillside Gewürztraminer 2022 ($23 for 1,266 cases). This is made dry in the Alsace style; the winemaker recommends it with South Asian cuisine. The wine has aromas and flavours of lychee, grapefruit and ginger. 92.

Hillside Pinot Noir 2020 ($32 for 310 cases). The fruit for this wine is from a vineyard below Munson Mountain that was planted in 2014. This is a surprisingly generous wine, given the youth of the vineyard. It has a juicy texture, with aromas and flavours of raspberry and cherry. 92.

Hillside Merlot 2020 ($24 for 1,730 cases). This is terrific value – a blend of grapes from four Naramata vineyards. The wine has aromas of cassis and black cherry, leading to flavours of blackberry, cherry, black currant and chocolate. The texture is full. 90.

Hillside Hidden Vineyard Merlot 2018 ($45 for 168 cases). This vineyard is in a bowl above and behind the vineyard. The yield is low (2.2 tons an acre) and thus the fruit has concentrated flavours. After a long maceration and a controlled fermentation, the wine was aged 12 months in French oak (28% new). The wine is intense, with aromas and flavours of cassis, dark cherry, raspberry and cloves. 93.

Hillside Gjoa’s Vineyard Merlot 2018 ($45 for 168 cases). This vineyard, which is below Naramata Road, is distinguished by its lacustrine soils (that is, laid down by an ancient lake). The winery attributes the meaty undertones in the flavours of the wine to the soil. There are aromas and flavours of dark fruit, with a touch of cedar. The wine was aged 21 months in French oak (37% new). 92.

Hillside Dickinson Vineyard Merlot 2018 ($45 for 168 cases). This vineyard is on a bluff halfway between the winery and Naramata Village. The technical sheet for this vintage has not yet been posted on the winery’s website; however, the 2016 release was aged 15 months in French oak (28% new) and this tastes like the wine had similar treatment. The tannins have some grip, supporting a wine with aromas and flavours of dark fruits. 91.

Hillside Syrah 2019 ($36 for 754 cases). This wine, with fruit of the Hidden Valley Vineyard, begins with aromas of pepper and raspberry. While the wine is light for a Syrah (11.8% alcohol), the flavours deliver classic meaty notes along with dark fruits. 92.