SpearHead releases two Pinot Noirs from 2022

Photo: Winemaker Grant Stanley

Pinot Noir is now the second most widely planted grape variety in British Columbia and the fastest-growing red. Arguably, no winemaker has contributed more to the success of the varietal in BC than Grant Stanley. Grant was born in Vancouver in 1967 but started his winemaking career in New Zealand, including six vintages with Ata Rangi, a legendary Pinot Noir producer. He returned to Canada to join Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in the Okanagan in 2003.

“You know I am a Pinot guy,” Grant told me at the time. “I don’t advertise it but with all the different varieties I make, I still spend about 80 percent of my time thinking about Pinot Noir. I think it has a positive spin-off on the other wines. There is a lot you can learn about Pinot that you can apply to other winemaking. It really is the tricky grape to make. If you can learn with it and understand it, you can ask: if that works for Pinot, will it work for Merlot?”

He left Quails’ Gate for several years at 50th Parallel Winery in Lake Country, another Pinot Noir specialist. Since 2017, Grant has been the winemaker and general manager at SpearHead Winery, an East Kelowna producer also with a major focus on Pinot Noir. Like most East Kelowna producers, SpearHead has been struggling with winter damage in recent vintages. Not much wine was produced from the 15-acre estate vineyard in the 2023 vintage and none in 2024. SpearHead got “not a single grape from SpearHead or grower vineyards this year!” Grant writes. Next spring, the winery intends to replant both of its vineyards, Gentlemen Farmer and Saddle Block, with Pinot Noir and Riesling. Happily for SpearHead fans, the winery has inventory from 2022 that it is releasing now.

The lack of BC grapes has not deterred SpearHead from making wine this fall. Indeed, it is expanding the selection of wines in its portfolio. “Vintage 2024 has been excellent with some fabulous grapes from Washington and Oregon arriving by refrigerated truck,” Grant writes. “From Washington, I have Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Syrah. From Willamette Valley in Oregon (Amity Eola hills AVA), Pinot Noir has come from the magnificent Cherry hill Vineyard. I am excited and grateful that we were allowed access to amazing grapes from our colleagues in the US.”

Consumers should look forward to SpearHead’s releases from the 2024 vintage. Meanwhile, here are notes on two current releases from 2022.

SpearHead Okanagan Valley Pinot Noir 2022 ($36 for 758 cases). The fruit is from vineyards in East Kelowna and Summerland. This wine was made with clones 115, 777 and 667. They were fermented separately and aged 13 months in French oak (25% new). This is something of a thespian wine, strutting on stage with dramatic aromas of cherry, mocha and spice. These are echoed on the silky textured palate. The upfront fruit gives this wine immediate appeal. 92.

SpearHead Cuvée Pinot Noir 2022 ($46 for 310 cases). This wine, again with fruit from Summerland and East Kelowna, is SpearHead’s age-worthy flagship Pinot Noir. It is made with clones 667, 115, 828 and 777 and was aged 13 months in French oak (40% new). The aromas of dark cherry and spice are mingled with flavours of dark fruits with earthy forest floor notes on the finish. The texture is robust. The wine should be decanted for current consumption. 92.