One of the British Columbia wine industry’s most historic properties, Hester Creek planted these Sèmillon vines in 1997 along what’s now known as the Golden Mile Bench south of Oliver. With that in mind, they’ve dedicated this white Bordeaux to its Storied Series program and Mark Hopley’s snapshot of the Sept. 24 harvest from a warm vintage in the Okanagan Valley showcases the variety in beautiful fashion. There’s no oak involved, making for a remarkably fruit-driven example of Sèmillon, bringing notes of nectarine and Pink Lady apple to the forefront. Along come secondary touches of seashells, oatmeal and honeycomb with Meyer lemon in the finish for typicity. One judge at the Cascadia, where it was awarded a gold medal, raved about its similarity to examples from Australia, which acclaimed wine writer Jancis Robinson dubbed as the “New World stronghold” of Sèmillon. Suggested pairings include seared scallops.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 400 cases
Alcohol: 12.7%
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