In March, I had the opportunity to visit Hester Creek Estate Winery and participate in a media event for a new wine to be launched in June. I also tasted some of the new wines. Before going to the tasting notes, here is the background information on the 2023 Harvest.
The 2023 Harvest
“Starting in December of 2022, we knew that the 2023 harvest season in the Okanagan would be one of note. Cold temperatures had all the vintners and winemakers in the valley questioning what their yields might add up to and Hester Creek was no exception. We knew that this growing season would be one of ups and downs, and the only thing we could expect was the unexpected. This presented a new challenge to our winemakers, Mark Hopley and Brooke Jesus, as they learned to weather the metaphorical storms of this unpredictable season.
From early on, our team took a glass-half-full approach and took control of what we could. In essence, we planned for quality over quantity with the hope that the conditions would cooperate – and with luck, they did. The growing season was hot and bright with the highest accumulation of Growing Degree Days (GDD) for the months of April through August since 2004 (Chang et al., 2023 Summerland RDC Wine Grape Research, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada). This resulted in high-quality fruit that would lead to great wine. The high GDD meant that Brix levels made the grapes ripe for picking as early as August 25th and lighter yields resulted in smaller berries packed with more intense flavours. The lighter yields also that we finished harvest earlier than usual on October 5th and did our last press of reds on October 17th. Though short, the harvest season was everything we could have hoped for, warm, dry conditions with impeccable fruit.
Mark Hopley described the shorter harvest season as “very compacted,” with different varietals ripening simultaneously – an unusual phenomenon in a typical growing season but one seen worldwide in recent years. All these variables led our team to demonstrate incredible ingenuity in producing our wines by paying more attention to detail, doing whole cluster pressing on 90% of our white wines, and allowing for extended maceration periods on the red wines. And though our loyal guests may notice some of our well-known wines taking a hiatus in 2024, they will be sure to observe that we are also adding new wines to the portfolio.“
Kimberley Pylatuk | Public Relations Coordinator
Hester Creek Viognier 2023($23.99)
The 2023 Viognier was hand-harvested from two South Okanagan vineyards to bring out the best of the South Okanagan terroir before being whole cluster pressed to extract a clean and deliciously aromatic juice.
A 27-day cold fermentation at 120C in stainless steel was conducted to enhance the bright aromatics and highlight the full and refreshing mouthfeel. After fermentation, the Viognier was aged five months in stainless steel tanks before being bottled in early February 2024.
12.2% Alcohol/ pH 3.5 / TA 8.1 / RS 6.5
When inhaling this premium Viognier, a beautiful aromatic aroma of pear, ginger, orange, and honey greets you. The wine has a light buttery mouthfeel with white peach, apricot, ginger, and honeycomb flavours, with a subtle mineral backbone to keep it fresh and crisp. 92 points.
This memorable wine can be enjoyed on its own or perhaps alongside a dish of Pacific lingcod.
Double Gold winner at Great Northwest Wine’s The Invite and Platinum at Great Northwest Wine’s Platinum Awards.
Hester Creek Chardonnay 2022 ($24.99)
Hand-picked from Block 17 of the historic Golden Mile Bench estate property, the grapes were hand-sorted, and the whole clusters pressed to maintain the high quality of the original fruit. The must was cold and settled for five days, resulting in a clean juice that was then racked and ready to ferment. 60% was sent exclusively to French oak barrels; the remaining 40% was done in stainless steel.
The initial fermentation lasted 20 days before being encouraged through malolactic fermentation. As the Chardonnay aged over the next 10 months, weekly battonage to the wine in barrels provided the desired creaminess and round mouthfeel that the stirring of the fine lees impart. The wine was then racked, blended and bottled on August 2, 2023.
12.8% Alcohol/ pH 3.41 / TA 6.6 / RS 0.73
Aromas of lightly buttered toast mingle with a steely minerality and bright citrus scents. The creamy, textured mouthfeel has lemon zest, pineapple, and apricot flavours. The Chardonnay is built to age and should develop caramel notes with bottle aging. 91 Points
Hester Creek Rosé Cabernet Franc 2023 ($19.99)
Made using Cabernet Franc grapes hand-harvested from three primary vineyards in the South Okanagan, the 2023 Rosé Cabernet Franc was created through a short maceration of three days to bring out the iconic hue of this Hester Creek favourite. For this vintage, our winemakers decided to eliminate any fining agents and use the natural process of settling the wine.
Once settled, the wine was racked off its lees and fermented for 30 days at 120C, leaving a small amount of residual sugar in the resulting wine to create the luscious mouthfeel for which it is known.
12.8% Alcohol/ pH 3.3 / TA 7.6 / RS 8.2
A bold, deep ruby-coloured off-dry Rosé with a vibrant aroma of wild strawberries, it has a juicy fruit-forward palate of raspberry, red cherry, and rhubarb pie and a hint of white pepper. It is 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.
Hester Creek Rosé Noir 2023($27.99)
A new Hester Creek Wine.
The Rosé Noir is made entirely from Pinot Noir Clone 777 grapes, the first hand-harvested in the 2023 season. After hand sorting the grapes, they went straight to press, where they rested for three hours to extract the defining yet subtle hue typical of a Provence-style wine.
The grapes were whole berry, and the whole cluster pressed to retain all the fresh characteristics of the fruit before being fermented to dryness. The wine was aged on fine lees for three months to draw out decadent strawberry and cream notes before being bottled on February 8, 2024.
11.7% Alcohol / pH 3.3 / TA 6.9 g/L / RS 1.7 g/L.
A Provence-style Rosé “tour de force”! Delicate pale salmon hue. The wine opens with intense aromas of pink grapefruit and rose petals. Crisp flavours of wild strawberry, pink grapefruit and mandarin orange. A creamy, smooth and long flavourful finish. A perfectly balanced lush Rosé that leaves you clamouring for more. 92 points.
Hester Creek Syrah 2021($29.99)
The 2021 Syrah was hand-harvested in late October. The fruit was hand-sorted and destemmed, allowing the whole berries to cold soak for two days. The Syrah was co-fermented with Viognier (7%) for 14 days in Italian Ganimede tanks until the desired extraction was reached. The juice was pressed off the skins and encouraged through malolactic fermentation. Using 60% American and 40% French oak, this vintage was barrel-aged for 14 months, blended, and bottled in late April 2023.
13.7% alcohol / pH 3.78 /TA 6.13 / RS 0.72
A captivating Syrah with vibrant aromas of black fruit and a hint of violets and white pepper. The full-bodied wine has ripe, smooth tannins with deep blackberry and blueberry flavours, leather, and more pepper. 92 Points
Hester Creek Old Vines Cabernet Franc 2021 ($29.99)
Crafted with handpicked grapes from Block 3 of our historic Golden Mile Bench vineyard, these rare, half-century-old vines have low yields and produce beautifully concentrated fruit. After meticulous hand sorting, the clusters were destemmed, and the whole berries were cold soaked for three days to extract the intense flavour characteristics. The tank was then inoculated to undergo a 15-day extended maceration in our Italian Ganimede fermenters. Once the desired colour and tannin were achieved, the wine was gently pressed before malolactic fermentation. The 2021 vintage was aged 18 months in French and American oak barrels for seamless oak and flavour integration before being bottled in May 2023.
13.9% alcohol / pH 3.8 /TA 5.8 / RS 0.7
This Cabernet Franc was released with more time in the bottle than previous vintages. A medium garnet colour. Aromas of blackberry, raspberry and sagebrush. The medium-plus-bodied wine has flavours of fresh raspberry, black cherry, chocolate, cinnamon and a savoury earthiness. Balanced acidity with smooth integrated tannins. A wine that drinks well now but will also cellar gracefully. 92 Points
Pair this 2021 vintage with a cordon bleu filled with prosciutto, gruyère cheese, or a root vegetable torte.
Hester Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
A beautiful reflection of the historic terroir, this wine’s story begins in blocks 7 and 8 of the Golden Mile Bench vineyard. Planted over 16 years ago, Cabernet Sauvignon vines prefer limited irrigation, yielding small, concentrated berries. The grapes for this vintage were handpicked into bins, sorted and destemmed. The whole berries were cold soaked for four days in our Ganimede fermenters for ideal extraction of aromatics and flavours. Following fermentation on the skins, the wine was gently pressed and underwent malolactic fermentation. This wine saw only French oak, with tight-grained barrels used, and was aged 16 months on fine lees. Saint Martin and Alain Fouquet barrels are the main cooperages from France. After aging, the barrels were racked, and the lots were blended with 500 cases and bottled in May 2022.
The Storied Series are small lot wines that tell a unique story of its meticulous, sustainable viticulture, distinctive terroir, and innovative and careful winemaking practices. The wines are available exclusively at the Hester Creek winery.
14.5% Alcohol / pH 3.78 / TA 6.75 / RS 0.29
The Storied Series Cabernet Sauvignon has vibrant aromas of black cherry and cassis. The full-bodied wine has flavours of blackberry, toasted oak and cloves. The ripe, firm tannins lead to a long, delicious finish. This wine is built to age. 92 Points
Try with a NY striploin or smoked beet, lentil and blue cheese burger.
Please visit Hester Creek Estate Winery to purchase their current portfolio of BC wines.