Hester Creek's 2025 whites are fragrant

Photo: Winemaker Mark Hopley

Hester Creek Estate Winery rates the 2025 vintage as “one of the best vintages the Okanagan valley has ever seen. Mark Hopley, the winemaker, ranks the quality up with the great 2022 vintage. The surprising quality of the 2025 wines – “wines [that] exhibit balance, complexity and develop flavours” – are welcome after the frost-ravaged vintages of 2023 and 2024. “I believe that the vines that survived basically had a two-year hiatus from producing grapes,” Mark says. “The vines were ready to be productive.” And the season was distinguished with lots of “growing degree days.” The vines also produced more abundantly than expected.

The winery has just released its white wines, all of which are notable for bright flavours and superb balance. “The reds are shaping up well,” Mark adds. “Early indications led to a memorable vintage.”

Hester Creek whites and rosé wines reflect Hester Creek’s use of the AromaLoc technology which was invented in the Okanagan and has been commercialized by an Italian firm. The units – Hester Creek has several – sit on fermentation tanks to capture the CO2 while preserving the wine’s aromas. Mark believes the technology “really allows the aromatics to shine through.”

Here are notes on the 2025 whites from Hester Creek.

Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2025 ($19.99). The fruit was fermented cool in stainless steel with the use of AromaLoc to preserve the aromatics. The aromas of apples and cantaloupe lead to flavours of pear and apple. 91.

Noble Ridge releases exceptional 2025s

Photo: Winemaker Benoit Gauthier

Noble Ridge Vineyard & Winery at Okanagan Falls is another producer celebrating the nearly miraculous vintage in 2025.

The winery credits its sustainable farming practices for the resilience of the vineyard. “Following the devastating January 2024 cold snap that resulted in a complete crop loss,” the winery reports, “the 2025 season delivered an extraordinary rebound, yielding more than 125% of the vineyard’s average harvest.”

That took immense work in the vineyard by winemaker Benoit Gauthier and his crew. “Every damaged vine across the estate was removed, and new trunks were retrained from the base of each vine, effectively renewing 100% of the vineyard and setting the foundation for the future,” the winery writes. As has become a hallmark of wines from the 2025 vintage, the quality is high. The wines are bright and fresh and inviting. Here are my notes on Noble Ridge’s 2025 wines, along with a recently released sparkling wine.

Noble Ridge The One 2019 ($34.99 for 450 cases). This is 77% Chardonnay and 23% Pinot Noir. This is a traditional method sparkling wine with fine, active bubbles and a classic but restrained brioche aroma. On the palate, there are flavours of apple and citrus mingled with a hint of brioche. 93.

Noble Ridge Mingle 2025 ($22.99 for 570 cases). This is a blend of 45% Chardonnay, 43% Riesling and 12% Pinot Noir with no skin contact. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. The wine is crisp and fresh, with aromas of apples and pears leading to flavours of stone fruits and citrus. 90.

Noble Ridge Classic White 2025 ($21.00 for 940 cases). The blend is 52% Riesling, 36% Chardonnay and 12% Pinot Gris. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. The wine has aromas of pear and citrus leading to flavours of orchard fruits and citrus. The wine is full on the palate with a long and delicious finish. 92.

Noble Ridge Classic Pinot Grigio 2025 ($21.00 for 370 cases). The fruit is from vines planted in 2002. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. The wine is bright and refreshing with aromas and flavours of apples and pears. 91.

Noble Ridge Reserve Pinot Grigio 2025 ($25.99 for 31o cases). The fruit is from vines planted in 2002. Fermentation was entirely in stainless steel. With aromas of pear and apple, this full-boded white delivers flavours of peach and apple. 92.

Noble Ridge Unoaked Chardonnay 2025 ($25.99 for 500 cases). The fruit is from vines planted in 1999. The wine was fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel to preserve the aromatics. Aromas of apple mingle with peach leading to flavours of pear and citrus. The finish is long, crisp and fresh. 92.

Noble Ridge Classic Rosé 2025 ($21.00 for 345 cases). This is 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. Two hours of skin contact captured a delicate pink hue and aromas of strawberries. The juicy palate delivers flavours of strawberry and red currant. The finish is crisp and refreshing. 90.

Noble Ridge Noble Rosé 2025 ($25.99 for 350 cases). This is made with Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from a vineyard in Oliver. The berries had two hours of skin contact and the juice was fermented cool in stainless steel. In the glass, the wine presents with a lovely pink hue and aromas of dark fruits. The palate delivers luscious flavours and a long finish. 93.

Blue Mountain's excellent vineyard block wines

Photo: The iconic Blue Mountain vineyard

The many fans of Blue Mountain Vineyard & Cellars may want to stock up on these wines recently released from the 2023 vintage if only because there is no 2024 vintage from this winery. The hard freeze in 2024 killed most of the buds in the vineyard but, fortunately, not the carefully tended vines. Blue Mountain, like its peers, produced a 2025 vintage; several of the white wines are scheduled for release in June.

Winemaker Matt Mavety, unlike many of his colleagues, did not import grapes for a 2024 vintage. From the beginning in 1991, the Mavety family has made Blue Mountain’s wines exclusively from the picturesque estate vineyard near Okanagan Falls.

“We believe that great wine is made in the vineyard,” the winery says on its website. “At Blue Mountain all of our wines are made from estate grown grapes, a single contiguous site with unique microclimates that are apparent in each vineyard block. Our dry climate allows for low intervention vineyard practices, reducing the need for sprays. We focus on soil health through cover crops, composting and encouraging biodiversity in the vineyard. Our preferred vineyard vehicle has two wheels and a battery. Electric bikes help us move quietly through the rows, care for the vines, and tread lightly on the land.”

In recent vintages, Matt has released special wines from vineyard blocks that show particular individuality. While Blue Mountain’s vineyard blends are excellent quality and value, the wines from specific blocks each reflect different characteristics. These are wines worth seeking out. Here are notes on five wines from individual blocks plus a reserve Pinot Noir, all from 2023 and all fermented with wild yeast

Blue Mountain Alluvium Reflection Block 32 Chardonnay 2023 ($44). The fruit for this wine is from a western-facing block planted in 1990. This is an elegant wine which was aged 18 months in French oak. The wine has notes of new hay and sage in the aroma. The rich palate delivers flavours of apple mingled with vanilla. 93.

Blue Mountain Blossom Slope Block 17 Chardonnay 2023 ($44). Block 17 is a warm site, with a westerly exposure and coarse and loamy sand soils. The wine, made with three clones of Chardonnay, was aged 18 months in French oak. Lightly golden in the glass, the wine has aromas of stone fruits minged with a touch of vanilla. The palate delivers luscious yet fresh fruit flavours, with a long finish. This is a wine of exceptional elegance. 96.

Blue Mountain River Flow Block 23 Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). This sandy loam block, planted in 1994, has a slight northern and eastern exposure. The clones in this wine are 113 and 114. This is a firm wine with a spine of minerality; decanting helps the wine open up to show savoury flavours of dark cherry and sage. 92.

Blue Mountain Gravel Force Block 14 Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). The winery says this wine, made from the fruit of 36-year-old vines, is “an overt, brooding and textural wine with strength.” I found the wine to be full-bodied with classic aromas and flavours of dark cherry. 93.

Blue Mountain Wild Terrain Block 9 Pinot Noir 2023 ($48). This wine is so-named because the topography is, the winery says, “the most extreme and varied” of the Pinot Noir blocks. “Significant South-Western exposure reveals a wild complexity, at once handsome and delicately pretty, savoury and boldly free,” the winery writes. I liked the aromas and flavours of cherry, raspberry and spice, along with the silken finish. 93.

Blue Mountain Reserve Cuvée Pinot Noir 2023 ($39). This is exceptional value for a wine of this quality. It is made from vines that are 26 to 36 years old. Four clones are used: 113, 114, 115 and 667. The wine, fermented entirely with wild yeast, is dark in colour reflecting the concentrated yet silky texture. It has aromas and flavours of dark cherry mingled delicately with spicy oak. 94.