Hester Creek releases a Super Tuscan red

Photo: Winemaker Mark Hopley

Hester Creek Estate Winery has just added a Super Tuscan red blend to its family of ultra-premium Bordeaux red blends. That family already includes The Judge and Garland. The former is built around Merlot and Cabernet Franc while the latter is anchored with Cabernet Sauvignon.

It is perhaps coincidental that the winery’s estate vineyard was established originally in 1968 by Joe Busnardo, an Italian immigrant. But he was from northern Italy, not Tuscany. He planted a number of Italian varietals, the most successful of which was Trebbiano, arguably Hester Creek’s flagship white.

The grapes for this Super Tuscan wine come not from the estate vineyard but from a newer Hester Creek vineyard on the Osoyoos East Bench. Hester Creek regards it as an exceptional vineyard. It is nicknamed Vineyard Eleven because it produces grapes that the winery rates 11 on a 10-point quality scale. That inspired the name for this wine: Undici, which is Italian for 11. The debut Undici is from the outstanding 2022 vintage which produced fruit with great flavour and wines with ability to age.

The vineyard did not produce significant fruit in 2024 because the deep freeze that winter had killing fruiting buds. “Vineyard Eleven fared very well through the cold snaps,” says Mark Hopley, Hester Creek’s winemaker. It is an “amazing site, very little replanting [required]on that property. The Sangiovese fared quite well. Although we had no crop in 2024, it rebounded nicely in 2025. We already have the 2025 version [of Undici] in barrel which is showing well.”

Mark says that the debut Undici is “one of the best wines I have made in my 25-year career.” To make this wine, he blended Sangiovese (61%) with Merlot (19%), Cabernet Sauvignon (16%), Petit Verdot (3%) and Malbec (1%). The grapes were harvested by hand and sorted before being destemmed and pressed. The juice was cold-soaked two days on the skins before a 20-day fermentation in the winery’s Ganimede tanks. Ganimede is Italian technology. Hester Creek is the only Okanagan winery that has invested in these tanks, which recirculate, rather than vent, the carbon dioxide generated during fermentation. This is a gentle method for macerating the skins to extract flavours and colour but not excessive tannin. After ferment, the wine was pressed off the skins into French oak barrels, where it was aged for 24 months before being bottled.

The debut Undici was bottled June 5, 2025. Hester Creek says the wine can be enjoyed now, which reflects the gentleness of the Ganimede fermenters. But the winery says it can age up to 10 years. Here are my notes on the wine and its partners.

Hester Creek Undici 2022 ($60). The wine begins with bright aromas of cherry, cola, mocha and spice. The palate is polished and layered with flavours of cherry, chocolate and vanilla mingled with sagebrush. 96.

Hester Creek Garland 2022 ($64.99). The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak. A hint of oak comes through on the bold palate as cedar, mingled with cloves and dark fruit. The palate delivers rich flavours of plum, dark cherry and cassis. The long, ripe tannins mark this as a wine with good aging potential. The winery recommends up to 15 years. 95.

Hester Creek The Judge 2022 ($49.99). This is 47% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% each Petit Verdot and Malbec. The wine was aged 24 months in French oak. The wine begins with aromas of dark cherry, cocoa and cedar, leading to flavours of dark cherry and black currant with hints of tobacco on the lingering finish. 93.