Fort Berens vineyards are back to normal

Photo: Heleen Pannekoek of Fort Berens

The 2025 vintage at Fort Berens Estate Winery in Lillooet was a sharp and welcome turnaround from the two previous freeze-limited vintages. “For our 2025 harvest,” writes winery chief executive Heleen Pannekoek, “we ended up with healthy grapes and close to a full crop with 90% of a normal harvest. We even had to drop some fruit to ensure the highest quality from our estate vineyard. … With such a bountiful harvest, we’ll be able to really showcase wines from our Lillooet VQA with the 2025 harvest.”

As the notes below show, Fort Berens managed to release very good VQA wines from the difficult 2023 and 2024 vintages. In the latter year, the winery also released a line of wines made with Washington State grapes. I reviewed those in a previous blog. Many wineries in the Okanagan and Similkameen also turned to imported grapes in order to make enough wine to serve their customers. Two hard winters had reduced the production at the interior wineries to about five percent of normal. It was not quite as disastrous at Lillooet.

A hard freeze in December 2022 killed a lot of buds in the Lillooet vineyards. “The total harvest in Lillooet was only 33% of a normal crop in 2023,” Heleen writes. In January, 2024, a cold snap at Lillooet saw the temperature drop to -24.9◦C. “We are incredibly grateful to have had about 30% of a normal harvest in 2024 from our estate vineyard,” Heleen writes. “We are excited to be able to share a very limited release of estate-grown 2024 wines.”

After two such challenging years, fans of Fort Berens will be delighted to learn the 2025 wines should be abundant. “We are happy to report that our estate vineyard is in great shape this year, and things are getting back to normal,” Heleen adds. “Despite the challenges, our commitment to Lillooet, our beautiful community, the B.C. wine industry and our Lillooet VQA remains unwavering. Our goal is to ensure our business is sustainable and that we can continue to produce world-class wines in Lillooet.” Here are my notes.

Fort Berens Riesling 2024 ($22.99 for 784 cases). The fruit came from the winery’s two estate vineyards, where the production was 30% of normal due to the early 2024 freeze. The grapes were crushed and allowed 12 hours of skin contact before a long cool ferment. Fermentation was stopped when there was 9.7 grams of residual sugar to balance the 9.1 grams of natural acidity. The wine has aromas and flavours of lemon and grapefruit. The full texture and the long finish add to the appeal of the wine. 90

Fort Berens Riesling Reserve 2023 ($29.99 for 246 cases). The fruit for this wine came from vines cropped to ensure good concentration of flavour and texture. Sixty per cent of the grapes were whole cluster pressed while 40% were crushed and left on the skins for 12 hours. Fermentation was long and cool in oak barrels, followed by seven months aging in mostly neutral barrels. This is a complex but also elegant wine, with aromas of lemon and petrol. On the palate, it delivers flavours of lemon lifted with bright acidity. 92.

Fort Berens Small Lot Pinot Gris 2024 ($27.49 for 275 cases). The fruit for this wine is from the winery’s Dry Creek Vineyard and from a vineyard near Lytton. The 2024 freeze reduced the volume to 30% of normal. The winemaker went to some lengths (such as using dry ice to reduce the oxygen exposure when the juice was on the skins). Fermentation was long and cool. The structure is somewhat austere but opens nicely as the wine breathes. There are aromas and flavours of pear, apple and spice. 90.

Fort Berens Chardonnay Reserve 2023 White Gold ($34.99 for 253 cases). The fruit for this wine is from Fort Beren’s Dry Creek Vineyard at Lillooet. Half the fruit was whole cluster pressed while the other half was destemmed, crushed and left on the skins four hours. The wine was fermented cool in barrel with natural yeast and then aged seven months in French oak barrels (16% new, 33% second fill and 51% neutral). The result is a rich wine with aromas of apple and citrus mingled with vanilla. The palate is delicious with buttery fruit framed subtly by oak and fresh acidity. 93.

Fort Berens Pinot Noir 2024 ($34.99 for 211 cases). The fruit for this wine was from the winery’s Dry Creek Vineyard where enough fruiting buds survived the 2024 freeze to produce 30% of the normal crop. The grapes, after a long hang time, were destemmed, crushed and allowed to cold soak two days before being inoculated with Burgundy yeast. There were three daily pump-overs during fermentation. The wine was aged six months in neutral French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of cherry and raspberry and delivers bright, mouth-filling fruit with silky tannins. 92.

Fort Berens Cabernet Franc Reserve 2022 ($43.99 for 330 cases). The fruit is from the winery’s two estate vineyards. This a blend of 88% Cabernet Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes had a two-day cold soak before fermentation, followed by punch downs and pump-overs during ferment and eight days of maceration after ferment. The wine was then aged 15 months in French oak barrels (61% new, 39% second fill). This wine is big and bold with aromas of black berry and dark fruits leading to rich flavours of dark cherry and chocolate. 93.