The late Harry McWatters used to say “There’s no place like the Okanagan to make sparkling wine!” McWatters was convinced that grapes coming from a triangle within the central Okanagan (between Summerland, Naramata and Okanagan Falls) consistently had the right amount of acidity to make good bubble. Harry once told me “One thing we’ve never been short of is acid, so rather than fight it, why not capitalize on it?”
My guess is that Harry’s legendary love for fizz rubbed off on his close friend, Okanagan Crush Pad owner Christine Coletta, who early on made sparkling wine a priority. In 2011 Coletta hired WSU Enology graduate Jordan Kubek as a dedicated sparkling winemaker. Jordan’s husband Tyler Knight, who studied Biology and Etymology at UBC Okanagan, also worked at OCP. In the ‘off seasons’ the pair gained broad experience by working harvests in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Chile. When I tasted Jordan Kubek’s wines for the first time at OCP it was apparent a shift was under way.
Winemaker Jordan Kubek (Lionel Trudel photo)
In 2018, after taking the sparkling wine program to the next level, Kubek and Knight left to establish their own winery. Along with Jordan’s father, Ron Kubek, the couple launched Lightning Rock Winery not far from Giant’s Head. Jordan makes the wines and Tyler runs the vineyard, as well as lending a hand in the cellar.
With a background in real estate, Ron helped secure Lightning Rock’s three contrasting and dramatically sited vineyards—Elysia, Canyonview and St. Katharina. The latter is home to Summerland’s very first Pinot Noir, planted in 1968. Situated on a south-east facing slope, it was neglected for seven vintages, until Jordan and Tyler brought its vines back to small production.
An unwavering commitment
Ron Kubek, Jordan Kubek with son Finnegan and Tyler Knight (Lionel Trudel photo)
The family is deeply connected to the land they farm and passionate about everything they do. “Summerland has really cool terroir,” says Jordan Kubek. “There’s plenty of evidence of volcanic activity here. It seems like the volcano kind of got run over by glaciers. There are these really interesting pockets from different temperatures when the volcano cooled.”
Lightning Rock St. Katharina Vineyard (Lionel Trudel photo)
“There’s Gneiss up at St. Katharina. Elysia Vineyard is basically like a big decomposing granite boulder. Canyonview is right on Trout Creek, so it’s got a lot of river stones and alluvial soil there. And all three of them have Pinot Noir. I really wanted to explore Pinot Noir through sparkling wine and still wine, grown organically and made as minimalistically as possible,” says Kubek, who admits she’s “Yeah, just kind of super nerdy about Pinot and Summerland!”
“There’s also great potential to go organic,” says the winemaker.
“That’s probably be the direction we’ll go in. We only farm 13 1/2 acres and the cost is pretty high. But actually with the three spots we have it’s pretty easy to do—because there’s lots of wind and we compost all of our own matter. We also plant beneficial cover crops like wild flowers and some barley—but nothing that would be too competitive, like too much clover.”
Namesake Lightning Rock in Elysia Vineyard (Lionel Trudel photo)
As far as total production? “In the long run, around 2500 cases,” says Kubek. It’s about the limit where they can remain really hands on, she says.
“Its something I really love doing—the vineyard work and the winery work, so it kind of keeps us doing that without turning it into a desk job.”
Lightning Rock (named for a rock rumoured to have been hit and split by lightning) is unquestionably one of the Okanagan’s most exciting newcomers. Judging by first tastes there’s no shortage of potential.
Lightning Rock Elysia Vineyard Blanc de Noirs 2018
From the winery’s home vineyard, planted in 2006 to Pinot Noir, Viognier and Syrah. With views of Okanagan Lake to the east it gets the early and midday sun and retains heat through its mainly decomposed granite soils. Hand-picked, fermented and aged in neutral oak, tirage and hand bottled in January 2019. A stream of fine bubbles and persistent mousse, with brioche notes, red berry fruit with some tropical hints before melon and cherry chocolate hints with excellent structure and length. Truly a delicious drop! 93 pts. $29.99
Lightning Rock Canyonview Blanc de Noirs 2018
Canyonview Vineyard (Lionel Trudel photo)
Likely the first sparkling Pinot ever made from south facing Canyonview, planted in 2003 to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A stream of fine bubbles and a good mousse. Up-front citrus and mineral notes with wild berries. A creamy and complex palate with distinct Pinot Noir character, bramble and tropical hints, good mouthfeel and a crisp clean finish. 92 pts. $29.99
Lightning Rock Canyonview Blanc de Blancs 2018
100 percent Chardonnay from Canyonview Vineyard. A steady stream of bubbles, with forward toasty, yeasty and tropical aromas precede a textured palate of citrus and guava that linger through the dry finish. 89 pts. $29.99
Lightning Rock Chardonnay 2018
Also from Canyonview Vineyard, whole cluster pressed, racked to puncheons, full malolactic, in 30% new oak. Citrus and toasty oak on the nose. A bold, natural Chardonnay, quite yeasty with generous mouthfeel from full malolactic, intense lemon lime which opens in the glass above a streak of minerality, before a textured and lingering finish. 89 pts $29.99
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[…] Not surprisingly, Harry was a huge fan of BC bubble—and among the first to start making it seriously, back in the 1980s. For many years BC sparkling remained the domain of three pioneering producers—Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Blue Mountain Vineyards and Summerhill Estate Winery. It’s fair to say that, in making Traditional Method (bottle fermented, aged and disgorged) sparkling, they’ve kept the bar high. More recently they’ve been joined by others, including Noble Ridge, Township 7, Bella, Okanagan Crushpad, Fitzpatrick and Lightning Rock. […]