SpearHead keeps a nervous eye on its vineyard

Photo: SpearHead's Grant Stanley

The fans of SpearHead Winery will be dismayed the note from general manager and winemaker Grant Stanley which accompanied several spring releases. “At SpearHead, we are glad to be through the 2022 growing season and onto a new one,” Grant wrote. “Winter damage reduced our 2022 harvest by 50% and it looks as though some parts of the Okanagan will suffer crop loss again this year. We are keeping a close eye on the vineyard and will react as necessary once we get a sense of what Mother Nature has in store for us this year.”

There have been similar comments from other wineries, although the winter damage may not be as dismal as some had feared. Now that the vines have begun to grow, the viticulturists are able to assess whether a particular vineyard just lost buds or actually lost vines last winter. As well, some parts of the Okanagan were less impacted than other areas, usually reflecting whether the nearby lakes moderated the cold winter.

Cross your fingers for SpearHead. Since joining this East Kelowna winery in 2017, Grant has produced very good wines. Canadian born but New Zealand trained, he has previously made the wines at Quails’ Gate Estate Winery and then at 50th Parallel Estate. His strongest suit is Pinot Noir. He once told me that he thinks about Pinot Noir 80% of the time. I replied that the rest of the wines in the portfolio never taste like orphans. Here are notes on current releases.

SpearHead Pinot Gris 2022 ($22 for 2002 cases). For this wine, 90% of the fruit was fermented in stainless steel and 10% in two-year-old French oak barrels. The wine begins with aromas of pear and white peach, leading to flavours of crisp green apple and citrus. Bright acidity gives the wine a lingering and refreshing finish. 90.

SpearHead Chardonnay 2021 Clone 95 ($33 for 285 cases; also 48 magnums). The fruit for this came from the Duncan Vineyard on the Naramata Bench. The wine was fermented in French oak barrels and puncheons and was aged 10 months in barrel (25% new). Only partial malolactic fermentation was allowed, preserving good fruit flavours. The wine begins with aromas of ripe pear, apple, citrus and vanilla. The palate is luscious, with tropical fruit flavours (nectarine and peach). The finish is quite long. This is a delicious wine. 92.

SpearHead Saddle Block Pinot Noir 2021 ($38 for 410 cases). This estate-grown Pinot Noir has emerged as one of the best examples of this varietal; and still affordable. After the grapes were harvested by hand, 90% of the clusters were destemmed. After a seven-day cold soak, fermentation was done with indigenous yeast. The wine was aged 13 months in French oak barrels (25% new). Aromas of cherry and raspberry leap from the glass. On the palate, there are flavours of dark cherry and blackberry with notes of forest floor to add complexity. 94.

Hester Creek whites showcase the 2022 vintage

Photo: Hester Creek winemaker Mark Hopley (courtesy of Hester Creek)

Mark Hopley, the winemaker at Hester Creek Estate Winery, was one of the earliest winemakers to rave about the quality of the Okanagan’s 2022 vintage. These wines support his enthusiasm. In notes that accompany the wines, Hester Creek writes:

With the addition of new vineyards, the 2022 harvest yielded a larger crop than average. Due to cooler-than-expected spring temperatures and more rain than is typical of the South Okanagan, the season was off to a late start. By summer, temperatures rose and lasted into the autumn, extending the season with the warmest September and October on record. Growing degree days reached 1676 on average. This longer growing season led to longer hang times for the fruit as it developed phenolic ripeness.

Harvest began on September 9th with our Ti Amo [sparkling wine] and finished on December 1 with our Old Vine Cabernet Franc. For the white varietals, longer hang times resulted in delicate aromatics. The red varietals hung on the vine throughout November, allowing the grapes to concentrate their colours and flavours. The 2022 vintage will be remembered as a milestone year for producing exceptional fruit-forward and age-worthy wines.”

Here are notes on Hester Creek’s 2022 whites. I await the reds with anticipation.

Hester Creek Old Vine Pinot Blanc 2022 ($19.99). This wine begins with aromas of melon and apple. It is crisp on the palate, with intense fruit flavours – apple, honeydew melon – and with a spine of minerality. The finish lingers. 92.

Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2022 ($18.99). A long, cool ferment preserved the aromas and flavours of pear and apple in this crisp wine. There is a touch of lemon on the finish. 91.

Hester Creek Character White 2022 ($17.99). This wine is about two-thirds Pinot Gris and one-third Gewürztraminer, fermented cool in stainless steel and aged a further four months in steel. This is a refreshing wine, beginning with aromas of pear, citrus and lychee. The palate has flavours of pear mingled with green melons and stone fruit. 90.

Hester Creek Cabernet Franc Rosé 2022 ($19.99). A three-cold cold soak extracted what the winery calls the “signature electric colour” of this rosé. Those of us who do not care for anaemic rosé wines will appreciate one that makes a strong statement in the glass. The wine begins with aromas of cherry and strawberry. On the palate, there are juicy flavours of cherry and strawberry. There is a lingering finish. 91.

Hester Creek Old Vine Trebbiano 2022 ($24.99). The fruit for this wine is from a block of vines that were planted in 1968. The berries were destemmed and pressed and the juice was given a month-long cool fermentation in stainless steel. The wine was then matured four months in stainless steel before bottling. The aromas are complex: notes of herbs mingled with grapefruit and even the slightest hint of fresh dill. The palate is generous with flavours of citrus and passion fruit. The finish is crisp, fresh and exceptionally long. 93.

Hester Creek Viognier 2022 ($23.99). After pressing whole clusters or whole berries, the juice was fermented very cool for 31 days before being racked and aged four months in stainless steel. The wine is packed with fruit aromas and flavours. It begins with aromas of peach and pineapple. On the palate, there are flavours of peach and nectarine with a hint of pink grapefruit and a touch of minerality on the bright and long finish. 92.

Bordertown shows off the 2020 and 2022 vintages

Photo: Bordertown's Mohan Gill

To repeat myself: the 2020 vintage produced some of the best red wines ever from the Okanagan and the 2022 vintage is proving to be impressive as well. Proof of this is in the wines from Bordertown Vineyards & Estate Winery. Many have yet to be released, judging from the vintages on the winery website. But don’t shy away from the winery’s earlier vintages, which are currently available. Those are also solid wines. Bordertown, operated by Mohan Gill, is right beside the highway at the northern entrance to Osoyoos. The tasting room is a can’t-miss building.

With a brother, Mohan is one of the larger growers near Osoyoos, with about 100 acres of vineyard. They began growing grapes in 2005 when they began converting orchards to vineyards in the sun-baked south Okanagan. The winery opened in 2015 with a consulting winemaker in the cellar. The portfolio is extensive because there are at least 15 varietals in the vineyards, including Grüner Veltliner, the Austrian white varietal. It is grown by just a handful of producers; perhaps less after the hard freeze of the 2022-23 winter. That devastated a Lake Country planting. Hopefully, Mohan’s vines came through the winter. The winery’s 2022 Grüner Veltliner is the best one yet from Bordertown.

Here are notes on all the wines.

Bordertown Pinot Gris 2022 ($20). The fruit for this wine came from three different vineyards, which makes for complexity. It was fermented in stainless steel. The wine begins with aromas of banana and pineapple. On the palate, the wine is crisp and tangy, with flavours of citrus. The finish is refreshing and persistent. 90.

Bordertown Grüner Veltliner 2022 ($NA). This superb Austrian white varietal is rare in the Okanagan, which is a pity. The wine begins with aromas of herbs and pineapple. On the palate, there are layers and layers of fruit: ripe pineapple, apricot and citrus. The texture begins with notes of honey but the lingering finish is dry with a hint of white pepper. 92.

Bordertown Rosé 2022 ($23). This delicious wine was made from Cabernet Franc grapes. The attractive hue is too dark for the winery’s claim this is a Provençal style … but it is just right for those of us who believe a rosé need not look anaemic. Aromas of strawberry and watermelon jump from the glass and are echoed in the mouth-filling flavours. Again, the finish lingers. 90.

Bordertown Merlot 2020 ($25). This wine begins with aromas of black currant and blackberry mingled with toasty oak. On the palate, there are lively flavours of cherry mingled with blueberry. Long ripe tannins give the wine an elegant and satisfying finish. 91.

Bordertown Cabernet Franc 2020 ($25). This is a dark and full-bodied red, with aromas and flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and spice. 91.

Bordertown Living Desert Red 2020 ($30). The blend is 51% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. The wine was aged in French oak. It is a delicious red, with aromas and flavours of dark fruit mingled with chocolate. 91.

Bordertown Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 ($45). This is a bold Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas and flavours of cassis, blackberry and dark cherry. The texture is well-balanced and the finish is long. 92.

Bordertown Syrah 2020 ($35). This full-bodied wine, which was aged in American oak, begins with aromas of pepper and dark fruits. The palate delivers deli meat flavours mingled with plum, fig and dark cherry. 93.

Bordertown Petit Verdot 2020 ($35). This is a dark-hued, muscular red with aromas of dark cherry, black currant, tobacco and slate. On the concentrated palate, there are flavours of blackberry, dark cherry and chocolate. 92.

Bordertown Cabernet Franc Reserve 2020 ($50). This is a richly satisfying wine, beginning with brambly aromas. The palate delivers black cherry, blackberry and spice, leading to a lingering finish. 93.

Bordertown Malbec Reserve 2020 ($60). The dark colour sets the consumer up to expect a concentrated wine. This does not disappoint. The wine begins with aromas of blackberry and plum. There is a medley of intense dark red fruits on the palate, dark cherry, blackberry and plum. The finish is so long that one needs a stopwatch. Decant this wine for early consumption or cellar it at least five years. 93.

Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin: a vertical tasting

Photo: Osoyoos Larose general manager Michael Kuhlmann

While I was hosting a recent vertical tasting of wines from the Osoyoos Larose winery, I heard of an episode illustrating how the winery’s low profile over the past two decades has impacted its sales. As the story goes, a keen amateur winemaker and wine judge found Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin discounted to $20 a bottle in a provincial liquor store in Parksville on Vancouver Island. She asked why the wine was selling at less than half its normal retail price. (The current release is listed at $57.99). The clerk said that no one in his market was buying the wine. She promptly bought a case and sent her husband to buy a second case, reducing the liquor store’s inventory to three or four bottles of Le Grand Vin. The couple got a terrific bargain. Since the first vintage in 2001, Le Grand Vin has been among the best and most collectible red wines from the Okanagan, as was shown by this vertical tasting.

Osoyoos Larose was launched as a joint venture between Bordeaux’s Groupe Taillan and Vincor International, the largest Canadian wine company at the time. Vincor’s purpose was to enlist its French partner in a transfer of expertise from Bordeaux to the Okanagan. The French sent over a viticultural expert to plant the vines; a seasoned winemaker to make the wines; and the production equipment for the winery.

The spot set aside at the top of the vineyard for winery proved impractical because it lacked the necessary infrastructure (water and sewage lines and heavy-duty electrical connections). The new Osoyoos Larose winery was set up in the back corner of the Jackson Triggs winery north of Oliver. It was well equipped but there was no public access for a tasting room. Vincor’s successor, Constellation Brands, was not committed to the partnership, so Group Taillan bought the remaining 50% of Osoyoos Larose. That triggered the need for the winery to move out of the Jackson Triggs facility. For the last five years, the winery has searched for a new site while renting production space at Bordertown Vineyards just north of Osoyoos. Last year, Osoyoos Larose purchased a former fruit packinghouse on the eastern edge of Osoyoos which, after renovations, will enable the winery to process the 2023 vintage there.

The winery’s profile in British Columbia is so low that the major market for Le Grand Vin, a leading Okanagan wine, is Quebec where consumers appreciate Bordeaux-style blends. That low profile has finally begun to change. Last year, Michael Kuhlmann, a London-born but French-schooled viticulturist and winemaker, took over as the general manager of Osoyoos Larose. One of the first things he did was set up a wine club. Osoyoos Larose was almost the only winery in British Columbia without a wine club. Most wineries discovered over the past decade how effective a marketing tool these clubs are. Some wineries even have waiting lists. Osoyoos Larose should have a waiting list, too, given the quality and the value of the wines. Michael is also expected to have a tasting room open in Osoyoos, making it easy for the first time in 20 years for wine tourists to taste and buy the wine on site.

I recognized from the very start that Le Grand Vin was an affordable and collectible premium blend which, like most of red wines from Bordeaux châteaus, was capable of aging well. But even I was surprised at how well the wine ages when I dipped into my modest cellar for a vertical of the vintages from 2002 to 2010. (I no longer have the inaugural 2001 vintage). All the wines are drinking well; the fruit flavours and aromas are still appealing and the colour of the wines, while a touch bricky around the edge, are remarkably dark. When it came to choosing my favourite, it was a toss-up between the 2002 and the 2005. The tasting group, members of the Vinovan winemaking club in North Vancouver, also favoured the 2007 and the 2010.

Here are some notes.

Le Grand Vin 2002. Blend: Merlot 57%; Cabernet Sauvignon 19%; Malbec 12%; Cabernet Franc 7%; Petit Verdot 5%. The wine showed aromas and flavours of cassis, dark fruits and spice. The wine is hardly showing its age.

Le Grand Vin 2003. Blend: Merlot 75%; Cabernet Sauvignon 11%; Malbec 6%; Petit Verdot 5%; Cabernet Franc 1%. This wine, from a hot vintage, shows slight browning and maturity of fruit flavours.

Le Grand Vin 2004. Blend: Merlot 68%; Cabernet Sauvignon 21%; Petit Verdot 5%; Cabernet Franc 4%; Malbec 2%. Hints of browning; hints of cassis mingle with strawberry compote. Appealing aromas.

Le Grand Vin 2005. Blend: Merlot 67%; Cabernet Sauvignon 23%; Cabernet Franc 4%; Petit Verdot 4%; Malbec 2%. There is remarkably juicy sweet fruit on the palate.

Le Grand Vin 2006: Blend: Merlot 69%; Cabernet Sauvignon 20%; Cabernet Franc 4%; Petit Verdot 4%; Malbec 3%. The wine shows a hint of browning but has aromas and flavours of cassis and dark fruit.

Le Grand Vin 2007. Currently listed in the BCLDB at $160 a bottle. Blend: Merlot 70%; Cabernet Sauvignon 21%; Cabernet Franc 4%; Petit Verdot 3%; Malbec 2%. This wine was the consensus favourite of the tasters, slightly ahead of 2002 and 2005. It is a lean, elegant wine, very much a classic Bordeaux blend. These are the BCLDB’s tasting notes: “Typically the nose is a mix of smoky coffee, black cherry and olive aromas and the '07 is no different. The entry is dry, but with density and richness that will need five years to fully develop. The finish is long with bits of dark chocolate and that south Okanagan savoury thread.”

Le Grand Vin 2008. Blend: Merlot 60%; Cabernet Sauvignon 25%; Cabernet Franc 7%; Malbec 5%; Petit Verdot 3%. There is lots of life in this wine, with dark fruit on the nose and palate and savoury spice on the finish.

Le Grand Vin 2009. Blend: Merlot 58%; Cabernet Sauvignon 26%; Cabernet Franc 7%; Petit Verdot 7%; Malbec 2%. This bottle may have suffered in my cellar. The cork fell apart (as did the corks on 2002 and 2003) and the fruit was fading. It should not have been, since the 2009 vintage in the Okanagan was strong.

Le Grand Vin 2010. Blend: Merlot 67%; Cabernet Sauvignon 20%; Petit Verdot 6%; Cabernet Franc 4%; Malbec 1%. This was one of the biggest surprises of the tasting – a wine from a cool vintage which is dark and concentrated, with flavours of dark fruit, chocolate and even licorice. Superlative viticulture was practised for the winery to pull off such a powerful wine in a cool year.