Hester Creek Estate Winery was named the British Columbia Winery of the Year for 2023 by Great Northwest Wine Magazine. The winery is the perfect location to relax and kick back in the centre of Okanagan Wine Country.
Here are the harvest, winemaking and tasting notes for the 2022 vintage whites and Rosé.
Harvest 2022
Mark Hopley, WinemakerThe 2022 Harvest was one of the longest in recent memory. Following back-to-back smaller harvests in 2020 and 2021, the vineyards this season are yielding great quality and plenty of quantity. Harvest in the south Okanagan was slow to start, with low pHs and low sugars early on in September. The extremely warm, dry fall came along at just the right time for our grapes to reach phenolic ripeness and intense flavours. The whites show good aromatics and the reds have a nice intensity of colour and mouth weight. Late in the season, the weather turned cold and the remaining grapes concentrated with impressive flavours.
We started harvest on September 9th with components of our Ti Amo Prosecco style sparkling wine and continued to December 1st, finishing with our Old Vine Cabernet Franc. The 2022 vintage will be remembered for its great quality, larger yields and intense flavours.
Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2022($19.99)
The 2022 Pinot Gris was hand harvested from four vineyards in mid to late September: Block 5 of the Golden Mile Bench Estate property, Road 7 vineyard, the Chahal Family Vineyard in Oliver and the Vineyard Manager, Iqbal Gill’s, vineyard on Road 8.
The grapes were then hand sorted, destemmed, and left whole for a light pressing, which resulted in clean juice with reduced solids. After pressing, the juice was cold-settled for three days and racked before heading into stainless steel tanks for a long, cool fermentation of 30 days at 12.5°C.
The cool fermentation allowed the wine to retain its natural, vibrant aromatics and lively acidity. Following fermentation, the wine was blended and aged for four months before being bottled in early 2023.
12% Alcohol / pH 3.4 / TA 6.8 g/L / RS 2.5 g/L
The Foundation Series Pinot Gris has a lovely floral aroma of honeysuckle and citrus blossoms. The dry and vibrant palate reveals lemon and lime zest, pear, and baked apple with a delicate mineral backbone. 90 Points.
Hester Creek Old Vines Pinot Blanc ($19.99)
2022 Old Vine Pinot Blanc was hand harvested from Blocks 4 and 9 of the estate Golden Mile Bench vineyard. The roots run deep with these Block 4 vines that were planted in 1968, adding to the intensity and overall structure of this crisp white wine.
Following harvest, the grapes were meticulously sorted, destemmed and whole-berry pressed into stainless steel tanks. Following a long, cool fermentation for 28 days at 12°C, the wine was racked, blended with fine lees, and aged to further develop a pleasing mouth weight before being bottled in mid-January of 2023.
12.7% Alcohol / pH 3.52 / TA 6.53 g/L / RS 2.84 g/L.
The Foundation Series Old Vine Pinot Blanc exhibits classic aromas of honeydew melon and baked apple. The dry wine has flavours of green apple and lemon zest, a touch more body than the Pinot Gris and a honeyed texture and vibrant mineral backbone. Another terrific Summer wine. 91 Points.
Hester Creek Viognier ($23.99)
The Viognier grapes are from Rich Fournier’s Stone’s Throw vineyard and Pandher Farms on Road 15.
The Stone’s Throw vineyard is adjacent to the Black Sage Bench in Oliver. The soils are a gravelly, sandy loam mix with excellent drainage for the vines and sun-loving grapes from the vineyard’s north-south exposure.
The grapes were hand-picked, sorted and then pressed using a combination of whole-berry and whole-cluster pressing. Following a gentle pressing, the juice was cold settled for 2 days, racked and inoculated for a 31-day fermentation at 13oC. The resulting wine was racked off heavy lees and allowed to age in stainless steel for four months.
12.4% Alcohol / pH 3.39 /TA 6.75 g/L / RS 5 g/L.
A beautiful aromatic aroma of pear, ginger, orange and honey greets you when inhaling this premium Viognier. The medium-bodied white has flavours of white peach, pineapple, apricot, ginger and honeycomb with a subtle mineral backbone to keep the wine fresh and crisp. 92 points.
Perfect as a summer sipper or with Asian cuisine or pasta.
Double gold winner at the Cascadia International Wine Competition.
Hester Creek Old Vine Trebbiano ($24.99)
The Trebbiano originates from Block 16 of the historic Golden Mile Bench estate vineyard. The grapes were hand harvested on October 19th, 2022, sorted then destemmed in preparation for whole-berry pressing. The resulting juice was cold-settled in stainless steel tanks for three days, then racked to undergo a cool month-long fermentation. Upon completion of fermentation, the wine was allowed to age for four months before bottling in February 2023.
12.9% Alcohol / pH 3.37/ TA 7.1 g/L/ RS 5 g/L
Vibrant aromas of grapefruit, white peach and dried apple. On the palate, crisp notes of lime zest, pineapple, passionfruit and grapefruit. The medium-bodied white has a lovely creamy texture with refreshing acidity. 92 Points.
Pair the Trebbiano with fresh oysters or peach and Okanagan goat cheese crostinis.
Gold Medal – Cascadia International Wine Competition
Hester Creek Character White ($17.99)
Uplifted and fresh, the 2022 Character White was crafted from approximately 2/3 Pinot Gris and 1/3 Gewürztraminer. The grapes were hand-picked from three vineyards: the Pinot Gris came from Road 7 Vineyard and Vineyard Manager, Iqbal Gill’s, Road 8 property and the Gewürztraminer came from the historic Golden Mile Bench Estate as well as the Gill Vineyard on Road 8.
The grapes were sorted, destemmed and whole berry pressed prior to going through a cold settle and cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Following fermentation, the lots were blended to create an elegantly balanced white wine. After blending, the Character White is further aged in stainless for four months prior to bottling
12% Alcohol, pH 3.34 TA 7.03 g/L, RS 9 g/L.
Another terrific vintage of the Foundation Series Character White. The off-dry white blend has aromas of rose petals, citrus and honey. The crisp palate shows honeydew melon, pineapple, pear and ripe peach. 90 Points
Enjoy with friends and try with goat cheese baked oysters or spring onion and Gruyère tart.
Hester Creek Rosé Cabernet Franc ($19.99)
The Rosé was crafted entirely from Cabernet Franc grapes hand-picked from four vineyards in the South Okanagan. The grapes were hand sorted, destemmed and cold soaked on the skins for three days to extract the notably vibrant pink hue. Once the desired colour was achieved, the juice was pressed off the skins in preparation for a long, cool fermentation. The fermentation was interrupted just prior to dryness to retain the expressive aromatic nose of the Cabernet Franc. The lots were then cross-blended and allowed to age on fine lees for four months.
12.8% Alcohol/ pH 3.4 / TA 7.2 g/L / RS 11 g/L.
A bold deep ruby coloured off-dry Rosé. A vibrant aroma of wild strawberries. A juicy fruit-forward palate of raspberry, red cherry and rhubarb pie makes for a food-friendly wine or a patio sipper. 90 Points.
Pair the full-bodied Rosé with cured meats, medium to strong cheeses, and a warm summer afternoon.
To find out about Hester Creek red wines be sure to go to – 5 Excellent Red Wines from Hester Creek and please visit Hester Creek Estate Winery to purchase their current portfolio of premium BC wines.