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.

Blue Mountain's elegant sparkling wines

The International Wine & Food Society has just sent its members an excellent booklet: Sparkling Wines of the World by Essi Avellan, Finland’s first Master of Wine. The Canadian section in this 102-page monograph is a mere two paragraphs. She singles out just five producers to recommend: Benjamin Bridge in Nova Scotia; Huff Estates in Prince Edward County; Tawse Winery and Henry of Pelham Winery in Ontario’s Niagara region; and Township 7 in British Columbia.

I agree with those, having personally tasted exceptional sparkling wines from both Benjamin Bridge and Township 7. But there is also a glaring omission in Ms. Avellan’s recommendation: Blue Mountain Vineyards. This Okanagan winery has produced consistently fine sparkling wines since 1991. The wines have been especially impressive since Blue Mountain began releasing its “recently disgorged” wines about 10 years ago. These well-aged sparkling wines are world class. I am not surprised that Ms. Avellan missed Blue Mountain. I doubt that Blue Mountain sends its wine to the big London wine competitions where Masters of Wine judge and taste. Blue Mountain has never chased awards, confident in the quality of its wines. And the winery has a legion of fans.

The winery began holding back some of its traditionally-made sparkling wines for relatively long aging on the lees about 2011. This is a common practice in Champagne and among top sparkling producers around the world. The object is to make wines that are more complex in flavour. To see the difference, taste a bottle of Prosecco side by side any of the wines reviewed here. Prosecco is the Italian sparking wine that has become massively popular in this market in the past decade, with good reason: the wines are appealing fresh and lively and are amazingly cheap for the quality. Most have been fermented in stainless steel and seldom spend much time on the lees.

Blue Mountain’s R.D. wines may spend as long as eight years on the lees in bottles before being disgorged. Prolonged lees aging allows the wines to develop complex flavours and creamy textures that are the hallmark of top bubblies. The R.D. wines necessarily are more expensive, reflecting the additional years these wines are aged. The reward for tying up capital for five years to eight years is remarkably sophisticated wine. Having said that, Blue Mountain’s prices are quite reasonable compared with competing sparkling wines. Here are notes on what Ms. Avellan missed:

Blue Mountain Gold Label Brut ($28). This wine, made with grapes from the 2022 vintage, spent two to three years on the lees before being disgorged and bottled, The wine begins with a display of fine bubbles and toasty notes in the aroma. On the palate there are flavours of lemon. The finish is crisp. 90.

Blue Mountain Blanc de Blancs 2016 R.D. ($44). This wine spent 7 ½ years on the lees before being disgorged and a further 12 months in bottle before release. This is sophisticated sparkling wine with an active mousse that creates the sensation of a creamy palate even though the wine is dry. There are lovely notes of brioche in the aroma and on the palate. 93.

Blue Mountain Brut Rosé 2022 R.D. ($35). This is one of the winery’s most popular wines. It is 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. An almost imperceptible amount of residual sugar gives the wine a little more body. In the glass, it has a golden hue and fine, persistent bubbles. The flavour has hints of strawberry. 93.

Blue Mountain Reserve Brut 2016 R. D. ($44). This is 55% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir. The wine spent seven years on the lees before being disgorged and then aged on year in bottle before release. The wine has fine bubbles. It has aromas and flavours of apples and strawberries mingled with toasty characters. A very elegant wine. 95.

Township 7 releases three of its 2024 wines

Photo: Winemaker Mary McDermott

The recent releases from Township 7 Vineyards & Winery consisted of three wines made with American grapes and one from the splendid 2022 Okanagan vintage. Winemaker Mary McDermott also included an encouraging note about the 2025 vintage after her account of earlier vintages. “In past years, particularly 2021 and 2023,” she writes, “I noted those vintages were among the most challenging we’d faced. It turns out I spoke too soon. We entered the 2024 season with optimism following a mild fall and winter. Unfortunately, that hope was quickly dashed by a devastating cold snap in mid-January.”

She recounted the vine-killing temperatures of that cold snap. They went from 0◦C on January 10 to -14◦C the next day and then to -23◦C on January 12 before “bottoming out” at -27◦C on January 13. “The result was catastrophic vine death and severe crop loss,” she writes. “Early bud tests revealed no signs of life, and we braced for the worst – preparing to replant everything.” It turned out not quite so grim in the spring. “To our relief, many vines produced cane growth and leaves,” she writes.Township 7 has an estate vineyard on the Naramata Bench and another near Oliver. Most of the Naramata vines survived, unlike those in Oliver, where the damage was so bad that entire blocks of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon had to be removed. Those were replanted in 2025. “By harvest’s end, the vineyards looked healthy, offering cautious optimism for the future.”

Like many other Okanagan wineries, Township 7 had to source fruit from Washington State in order to make table wines in 2024. However, there was a surprising rebound in the Okanagan in 2025. “This year marked our second-largest harvest ever, bringing in 232 short tons of fruit,” Mary writes. “We increased our intake of white and sparkling wine grapes to balance the lighter vintages of the past two years. We also welcomed exciting new varieties – Roussanne, Auxerrois and Rotberger – which will enhance future blends and our rosé program.” While we wait Township 7’s 2025 wines, here are notes on the recent releases.

Township 7 Interlude Select Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ($33.97.) The fruit for this wine was from Bacchus Vineyard in Washington State. The wine was fermented in French oak barrels and aged there for six months, with gentle stirring to accentuate the texture. The wine is crisp, clean and refreshing with aromas and flavours of lemon and lime. 90.

Township 7 Interlude Select Chardonnay 2024 ($36.97). The fruit for this wine was sourced from two vineyards – one in Sonoma’s Russian River and the other in Washington State. The wine was fermented in French oak barrels (12% new). Eighty per cent was fermented with wild yeast. The wine was on the lees about 12 months, with weekly batonnage to build texture. The wine has aromas of apple mingled with vanilla leading to generous flavours of apple and gentle notes of oak. 90.

Township 7 Interlude Series Pinot Noir 2024 ($43.97). The fruit for this wine was sourced in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. The wine was fermented in stainless-steel and then aged 12 month in 500-litre French oak puncheons. This is a delicious wine, beginning with aromas of cherry and raspberry. There is spicy, bright fruit on the palate and the finish is silky. 91.

Township 7 Provenance Series Cabernet Merlot 2022 ($29.97). This is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot, with fruit from vineyards near Osoyoos and on the Naramata Bench. The wine was aged 18 months in American and French oak. Made from a great Okanagan vintage, the wine begins with aromas of dark fruits mingled with cassis and chocolate. The palate is rich with flavours that echo the aromas. Long, ripe tannins give the wine a long finish. 93.

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.