Phantom Creek Small Lot Riesling 2022 vs. Small Lot Pinot Gris 2022 – An Alsatian Take on the Okanagan

There are tastings where you simply compare two wines.

And then there are tastings where the comparison makes you rethink what a grape can do.

That was my experience tasting the Phantom Creek Small Lot Riesling 2022 and Small Lot Pinot Gris 2022 side by side at Phantom Creek Estates. 

Both wines come from the Similkameen Valley and both are part of Phantom Creek's Alsatian-inspired white wine program, developed under the influence of Olivier Humbrecht MW of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace. 

Phantom Creek introduced Riesling and Pinot Gris to its Evernden Spring Vineyard under Humbrecht's guidance, with the first plantings made in 2017. 

What makes the tasting particularly interesting is that neither wine feels like a simple, fresh Okanagan white.

They have weight.

They have texture.

And they have enough structure to make you slow down.

Phantom Creek Small Lot Riesling 2022

The Riesling surprised me.

This is a full-bodied Riesling, which immediately takes it away from the light, razor-sharp style many people associate with the variety.

The nose has classic citrus and petroleum notes, but there is also a lot more going on. 

It is complex and quite serious.

The acidity is high, as you would expect from Riesling, but the wine has enough body and texture to carry it.

The oak was the element I found most difficult at first.

There is a noticeable weight from the oak ageing, and initially I found it a little disturbing. 

But then the wine opened up, and something changed. 

The oak became part of the structure rather than something sitting on top of the wine.

And the finish?

Absolutely beautiful.

It is long, warm and incredibly persistent. 

I found notes of digestive biscuits and baked apricot, with a savoury, almost creamy quality that kept going long after the sip.

It is a wine that needs time in the glass.

Phantom Creek's white wine philosophy is strongly influenced by Alsace. 

The wines are fermented and aged in large neutral Austrian oak foudres, which allow the wine to develop texture without giving it obvious oak flavour. 

Phantom Creek specifically chose these large casks to preserve the character of the fruit and vineyard. 

In this case, the Riesling was also finished in French oak, which adds another layer of texture and warmth.

James Suckling awarded the wine 97 points, making it the highest-rated Phantom Creek wine in his current Okanagan report. 

His tasting note also emphasizes the wine's full body, layers, phenolic structure and very long finish. 

I was slightly less generous.

My score: 91/100.

But I completely understand the high score. 

This is not an easy Riesling. 

It is a serious wine that rewards attention.

Phantom Creek Small Lot Pinot Gris 2022

And then came the Pinot Gris.

This was the wine I preferred.

The difference was immediate.

The Pinot Gris has a fruity, generous nose with aromas of canned pineapple, together with oak and vanilla. 

There is also a strange but fascinating savoury note that reminded me of pickles in dill.

It sounds unusual.

But it works.

The wine is full-bodied and very textured, with acidity that is exactly where it needs to be. 

Nothing feels excessive. 

The oak, fruit, acidity and texture all sit comfortably together.

There is also a noticeable effect from malolactic fermentation, which gives the wine a rounder, creamier character.

James Suckling gave the wine 94 points, describing it as complex, layered and textured, with full malolactic fermentation contributing to its buttery mouthfeel. 

My score was 93 points.

For me, the Pinot Gris had something that made it especially attractive: it reminded me of Alsace.

Not literally, of course. 

This is still a wine from British Columbia. 

But the combination of weight, texture, acidity and savoury complexity gave me that feeling I often get from a serious Alsatian Pinot Gris.

And that is exactly what Phantom Creek is trying to achieve with these wines.

Why Phantom Creek's white wines feel different

Phantom Creek has taken a very deliberate approach to these varieties.

The winery's vineyards are organically certified, and the Riesling and Pinot Gris come from the Evernden Spring Vineyard in the Similkameen Valley. 

The vineyard was specifically designed around these two Alsatian varieties, with individual parcels matched to large Austrian foudres. 

The choice of foudres is important.

Large Austrian oak vessels are very different from using small new oak barrels. 

They allow the wine to breathe and develop while contributing little obvious oak flavour. 

The result is more about texture, fermentation character and development than vanilla and toast.

That approach makes sense when the goal is to produce wines with the personality of the grape and vineyard.

And you can taste that philosophy here.

These are not wines where acidity is the only thing keeping the wine interesting.

They have weight, phenolic structure, texture and savoury complexity.

That is especially impressive with Riesling and Pinot Gris.

Which one did I prefer?

For me, the Pinot Gris wins.

The Riesling was very good. 

In fact, the finish on the Riesling was probably the most impressive finish of the two.

But the Pinot Gris was more immediately harmonious for me.

It had the fruit, the acidity, the oak, the texture and that slightly savoury character all working together.

It felt complete.

And most importantly, it gave me that Alsatian feeling I was looking for.

Small Lot Riesling 2022 – 91/100

Small Lot Pinot Gris 2022 – 93/100

This was a fascinating comparison because both wines show a very different side of the Okanagan. 

They prove that the region can produce white wines with real weight and ageability, rather than simply relying on the bright, fresh style that is often associated with British Columbia.

For me, Phantom Creek's collaboration with Olivier Humbrecht is one of the more interesting developments in the Okanagan white wine scene. 

The goal isn't to make wines that taste French.

It is to take the ideas that work in Alsace and see what happens when they are applied to Similkameen Valley fruit.

And judging by these two wines, the experiment is working.

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