“In this series we bring you our #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestions which we personally recommend”
We can’t think of anything better than this selection of wines from Hester Creek Estate Winery. Whether you’re saving it for New Year’s Eve or serving it to guests over the holidays you will love the Hester Creek Old Vine Brut, it defintely tops any favourite’s list.
If seafood is on the menu then nothing beats a slighly chilled glass of Hester Creek Chardonnay. On cold winter nights nothing soothes like a glass of Hester Creek Cabernet Sauvignon or Hester Creek Old Vine Cabernet Franc. Just like that you’re ready for the holidays.
Here is our selection of #FavouriteThings Holiday Gift Suggestion wines from Hester Creek Estate Winery that we personally recommend this holiday season. Enjoy!
OLD VINE BRUT
HARVEST & VITICULTURE REPORT
The 2021 growing season in the South Okanagan was one for the history books as the driest on record, due in large part to the “Heat Dome” and its record-breaking high temperatures. It was also one of the warmest years, seeing the most growing degree days GDD (1758) since 2015. Following flowering, we experienced an extremely dry and hot June during fruit set. The heat led to a lighter fruit set and smaller berry size than usual. While there was less fruit per vine and the yield was light in volume, on the upside the smaller berries in the clusters resulted in more concentrated flavours and colours on the red varietals. Similarly, for the white varietals there are intense flavours and vibrant aromatics. With the warm dry season, the grapes reached phenolic ripeness earlier than usual with harvest commencing and finishing early. We began picking the whites on August 27th for our Ti Amo (Prosecco-style sparkling wine). We started picking our first reds in mid-September with our Block 10 Merlot on September 14th at our historic Golden Mile Bench estate vineyard. We finished our last estate reds pick with Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 8 of our Golden Mile Bench vineyard on October 28, 2021. Overall, the 2021 harvest produced wines of outstanding quality and varietal character. We expect to see some intense, fruit driven wines, with excellent depth of flavour.
WINEMAKING
Our 2021 Old Vine Brut was crafted in a blanc de blanc style using 100% Pinot Blanc grapes from our historic Golden Mile Bench estate vineyard. The grapes were hand sorted and whole cluster pressed to retain the natural brightness of the fruit and to allow this wine to age gracefully over time. The primary fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks and was followed by a secondary fermentation done in the traditional method with 24 months en tirage. Fermented to absolute dryness, disgorgement took place in February of 2024 with a small dosage of the current 2023 Pinot Blanc to give this elegant sparkling the Brut designation.
TASTING NOTES
Defined and delicate beads sparkle up to the nose with full notes of citrus and toasty brioche. Fresh lemon zest embraces the palate with a light touch of stone fruit and a toasty mouthfeel that comes from 24 months en tirage. This is a classic wine to enjoy on milestone occasions paired with aged cheddar or smoked mussel, dill and Havarti quesadillas.
$34.99 at the winery, also available at Wine Shop, Bench Club, online, select restaurants in BC.
CHARDONNAY
HARVEST & VITICULTURE REPORT
The winter of 2022 set up less-than-ideal projections for 2023; however, the 2023 growing season at Hester Creek was everything that one could hope for in producing outstanding grapes for our wines. Growing Degree Days (GDD) reached 1835, making it the highest accumulation of GDDs for the months of April through August.Harvest began earlier than usual on August 25th with Pinot Noir and ended on October 1st with Cabernet Sauvignon. This compacted season became a story of quality over quantity and allowed our winemaking team tocreate new wines for our portfolio, craft variations of existing wines and use techniques like whole cluster pressing on 90% of our white wines and allowing for extended maceration periods on our red wines. Overall, the Hester Creek wine coming out of the 2023 season is an example of excellence rooted in the South Okanagan terroir.
WINEMAKING
The grapes for our 2023 Chardonnay were hand harvested from two South Okanagan vineyards. Each bunch was hand sorted and whole cluster pressed to retain the best quality of the juice and showcase the terroir.The juice was cold settled for five days prior to fermentation and the resulting wine was aged for 10 months in exclusively French oak. A weekly bâtonnage took place in a combination of new and neutral oak barrels, giving the Chardonnay a layered complexity that will allow it to age over the next five years.
TASTING NOTES
A combination of aromas greets the nose from crisp Bartlett pear to smooth vanilla bean and zesty citrus. The palate features delicate Meyer lemon notes layered onto light toast with a rich, mouth-filling crème brûlée finish. Pair the 2023 Chardonnay alongside a smoked sable fish with lemon beurre blanc.
$24.99 at the winery also available at Wine Shop, Bench Club, online, select restaurants in BC.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
HARVEST & VITICULTURE REPORT
The 2022 season at Hester Creek will be remembered as one of the most challenging, yet productive years on record. 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 they developed phenolic ripeness. Harvest began on September 9th with our Ti Amo and finished on December 1st 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.
WINEMAKING
Our 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon was hand harvested late in the season for the grapes to achieve peak ripeness, raisin and ultimately concentrate the flavours of this already intense varietal. We hand sorted and gently destemmed the berries into our Ganimede fermentation tanks where they were whole berry soaked for three days prior to inoculation. After a 16-day maceration, the juice was gently pressed off the skins and encouraged through a malolactic fermentation. We aged the resulting wine for 16 months in exclusively French oak barrels, 35% of which were new oak. The wine was then racked and blended prior to being bottled on June 7, 2024.
TASTING NOTES
The tasting journey of this 2022 vintage begins with lifted aromas of blueberry, açai berry, thyme and clover. The palate opens with toasted chocolate praline before leading into a full mid-palate of ripe blackberry and cassis. This wine will age gracefully over time and will pair beautifully with a peppercorn steak.
$34.99 from the winery also available at Wine Shop, Bench Club, online, select restaurants in BC.
$36.98 at Everything Wine
OLD VINE CABERNET FRANC
HARVEST & VITICULTURE REPORT
The 2022 season at Hester Creek will be remembered as one of the most challenging, yet productive years onrecord. 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 they developed phenolic ripeness. Harvest began on September 9th with our Ti Amo and finished on December 1st 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.
WINEMAKING
We hand harvested our Cabernet Franc grapes in late November of 2022 to bring out the full expression of the fruit. Each bunch of grapes was hand sorted before being destemmed and sending the whole berries to our Italian Ganimede fermentation tanks where they were cold soaked for two days before undergoing a 15-day fermentation. The wine was then pressed off the skins and encouraged through a malolactic fermentation. It was aged for 18 months in a combination of French and American oak and bottled on May 8, 2024.
TASTING NOTES
The South Okanagan terroir shines through on our 2022 vintage of Old Vine Cabernet Franc with a delightfully herbaceous and savoury minerality greeting the nose. The initial aromas are followed by layers of raspberry, vanilla and soft pepper notes which lead into a palate with flavours of ripe raspberry, cocoa, light toast and white pepper. This vintage will pair wonderfully with paprika and Italian-seasoned veggie kabobs and a mix of grilled meats.
$29.99 from the winery also available at Wine Shop, Bench Club, online, select restaurants in BC.
$29.99 from select BC Liquor Stores.
At Hester Creek our roots run deep
Our wines are crafted from historic old vines that were first planted here on the Golden Mile Bench in Oliver by BC wine pioneer, Joe Busnardo. Under the stewardship of current owner, Curt Garland, Hester Creek has thrived, with investments made in our vineyard and state-of-the-art winemaking facility.
Our passion is to create an atmosphere of gracious hospitality for our guests by providing an estate experience that brings together food, accommodation, and of course, award-winning wines.
Wine notes and bottle shots courtesy of the winery. Images (except as noted) MyVanCity. I received complimentary wine to facilitate this feature.
