Wine Specs
Appellation
Golden Mile Bench
Harvest Date
October 12, 27, 28 and December 1, 2022
Bottling Date
May 7, 2025
2022 The Judge
New Vintage!
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Lifted aromas of star anise, dark cherry, cocoa, purple basil and cedar precede a palate with initial notes of
cocoa, roasted fennel, ripe Lapin cherry, a hint of caramel with light tobacco notes on the lengthy full finish.
This wine would pair extremely well with slow smoked ribs or a barbecued ribeye.
Vineyard Notes
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.
Winemaker Notes
The long growing season of 2022 made for an extensive harvest with all the grapes being hand picked. The Petit Verdot and Malbec were the first to be harvested on October 12, and were followed by the Cabernet Sauvignon on October 27, Merlot on October 28, and finally the Cabernet Franc on December 1. Each bunch of grapes was hand sorted and destemmed into our Ganimede fermentation tanks where they were cold soaked for two days prior to fermentation. The Petit Verdot and Malbec were co-fermented with the rest of the lots being fermented separately. After the primary and malolactic fermentations, the lots were blended and barrelled down into a combination of new and neutral French oak for a subtle oak integration. They were aged in their respective barrels for 24 months, then racked, cross blended and bottled on May 7, 2025.
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