Black Widow's wines impress

Photo: Winemaker Dick Lancaster in the Black Widow cellar

The wines from the Naramata Bench’s Black Widow Winery hold a special interest for me because the winery’s co-founder, Dick Lancaster, and I once belonged to the same amateur winemaking club. I reached a certain level of proficiency before conceding that commercial producers were way ahead of me. And Dick had become one of the best Okanagan winemakers. Three of his current red wines show how accomplished he has become.

I recounted his amazing journey to wine in one of the early Okanagan Wine Tour books. Here is an excerpt.

In the summer of 2000, while looking for a getaway cottage with a few vines, Dick and Shona Lancaster saw this property on Naramata Road. At three hectares (7½ acres), it was bigger than what they were looking for but, with producing vines and a panoramic view of Naramata Bench and the lake, it was too good to turn down. “Classic up-selling,” Dick says of the realtor. “And as soon as we got a vineyard, the goal was to set up a winery.”

Born in Toronto in 1953, Dick was raised in Montreal, picking up an interest in wine from his father, Graham, then Air Canada’s food services manager. Dick began making wine from wild grapes while still in high school. A three-month tour of European wine regions in 1976 sealed that interest. In Vancouver, where he and Shona lived from 1970 until moving to the Okanagan a few years ago, Dick was an award-winning home winemaker for more than 25 years.

You could call Dick a polymath, given all the skills he has acquired. Starting in biology, he earned a master’s degree. Disillusioned by the lack of well-paying jobs, he took a real estate course, then sold cars and became district manager for a leasing company. Then he got a master’s degree in business administration and finally qualified as an accountant. From 1992 until 2008, he was a vice-president with Imasco Inc., western Canada’s largest stucco manufacturer. Naturally, Black Widow’s gravity-flow winery, which he designed, is finished in tawny-hued stucco. “How can I not use stucco?” he says with a laugh. The vineyard already had Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Schönburger when the Lancasters bought it. In 2001 they added Merlot and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, selling grapes to Kettle Valley winery until launching Black Widow in 2006. “We like wines that have some real flavour and character to them, and that comes from really ripe grapes,” Dick says. Targeted production is 1,200 cases a year.

The winery is named after the indigenous desert-dwelling spider that is, fortunately, so shy it is seldom seen. The insect should be avoided because the bite (only females bite) is highly venomous.

Here are notes on three top reds from Black Widow.

Black Widow Hourglass 2022 Reserve ($55 for 220 cases). This is a blend 75% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon an 8% Cabernet Franc, aged 21 months in French oak. Aromas of cassis jump from the glass. The wine has a rich palate with flavours of black cherry and black currant. 94.

Black Widow Red Back Reserve 2022/2023 ($N/A for 225 cases). This is a blend of equal portions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Merlot, blended from two vintages. The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits, leather and chocolate, which is echoed on the palate, mingled with a hint of black licorice. 91.

Black Widow Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Reserve ($60 for 110 cases). This was aged 21 months in French oak. This is a polished wine with aromas of cassis, dark cherry and spice, leading to flavours of dark cherry mingled with chocolate. 93.

SpearHead's Dual Citizens stand in while vineyard recovers

Photo: Winemaker and General Manager Grant Stanley SpearHead Winery in East Kelowna decided to replant its entire vineyard in 2025 after two hard winters caused major damage to its vines.

“Approximately 24,000 vines were planted, with material sourced from top tier nurseries with a continued emphasis on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling,” the winery writes. “The replant provided an opportunity to reassess varietal placement and site expression, informed by years of experience farming the property.”

General manager Grant Stanley and Lisa Jansen, the vineyard manager, chose to plant half the vines on their own roots. This was “a deliberate choice aimed at improving long-term resilience in the face of extreme winter events.” The explanation is that own-rooted vines can be regenerated from the roots if damaged in a freeze. When vines on rootstock are damaged, they may regrow from the rootstock which produces no fruit. The winery expects the first crop from the estate will be harvested in 2027.

With no estate grapes available in the 2024 vintage, SpearHead – like many of its peers in the Okanogan – sourced grapes in Washington and Oregon. “Working with U.S. vineyards during the 2024 harvest allowed SpearHead to maintain a continuity in winemaking,” the winery writes. “These wines are crafted in Canada by the SpearHead team.” The wines are released as the Dual Citizen series wines and are “an intentional exploration of site and variety beyond the Okanagan without compromising house style.”

Here are notes on current releases.

SpearHead Dual Citizen Chardonnay 2024 ($36). The grapes came from Upland Vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley. The fruit was fermented in French oak (25% new) and aged 10 months in barrel. The wine begins with aromas of vanilla and apple, leading to flavours of stone fruits on a rich palate. 91.

SpearHead Dual Citizen Clone 777 Pinot Noir 2024 ($39). The fruit is from Cherry Hill Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The crushed grapes had a six-day cold soak before ferment. Wild yeast was allowed to ferment the wine which was then aged 13 month in French oak (25% new). As is often the case with Oregon Pinot Noirs, this is a pretty wine with cherry aromas and flavours. The finish is silky. 91.

SpearHead Dual Citizen Pommard Clone Pinot Noir 2024 ($39). The fruit is also from Cherry Hill Vineyard. After a six-day cold soak, the fruit was fermented with natural yeast and aged 13 months in French oak (25% new). This is an exuberant wine with aromas and flavours of dark cherry on a juicy texture. 93.

SpearHead Dual Citizen Syrah 2024 ($42). The fruit was sourced from Inland Vineyard in Washington’s Columbia Valley. In the winery, the fruit was handled gently, almost like Pinot Noir and was fermented with natural yeast. I would recommend cellaring this wine for another year to allow the aromas and flavours to develop. The winery is not releasing the wine until spring because it needs more time to develop in bottle. Dark in the glass and full-bodied, the wine has flavours of plum and dark cherry. 90.