Black Hills Estate Winery in Oliver is famous in BC wine history. It was started in 1995 by two couples in Vancouver who wanted to grow grapes in the Okanagan. After selling their grapes for a few years, in 1999 they decided to make their own wine. Nota Bene is their flagship Bordeaux blend and began their amazing journey in the wine industry. For a time, they were famous for their quonset hut tasting room but now they have a beautiful tasting room with wonderful mountain views. state

The last time I was at Black Hills was in 2015 when I was in Osoyoos on a family holiday. My daughter came along with my wife and I (meanwhile, my son was enduring a nasty case of mono in the hotel room) and we had the premium tasting which was a sit down tasting where a 'wine-evangelist' would talk to us, at length, about each wine we were going to taste. It was $25 per person but I remember that they had no problem with us splitting a glass three ways! It was a wonderful afternoon and we loved the tasting.

That experience really stands out for two reasons - one, they were actually charging for a premium tasting, something that few wineries did 6 years ago - certainly not $25 - and two, you got to sit down and really chat with the person doing the tasting. That was also unheard of 6 years ago but has become much more prevalent during Covid. However, I think that people really enjoy the sit down tastings and they are here to stay. Despite seeing fewer people for tastings because of the sit down style (which takes longer and takes up more room), wineries are selling more bottles of wine and making more money than in previous years. And consumers definitely win.

We signed up for a Valentine special pack of 3 wines and, because we wanted to avoid paying shipping (and also wanted and excuse to go for a nice drive) we drove the 90 minutes down to the winery. Also, when the person from the winery took our order over the phone, she encouraged us to come down for a complementary tasting. 'Nuff said!

By the way, their 'Portfolio Flight' (reds and whites) is normally $15 and their 'Red Flight' (surprisingly just red wines) is $20. Each wine glass has 2 ounces of wine - a rather generous serving!

We started off with their 2018 Carnemere - usually only available to their wine club. I do love a nice Carmenere and it is a wine that is not that prevalent in BC (only 4 wineries make it, all around Black Hills). Carmenere is a grape with a bit of a funny story. It was one of the original six grapes of Bordeaux but has since fallen out of favour. Actually, it was first destroyed in much of Europe (in fact, it was thought to be extinct) by the nasty phylloxera bug but wasn't terribly missed in Bordeaux. Meanwhile, it had been taken to Chile and was growing in the vineyards with Merlot and Cab Sauv. The only thing is, people just thought it was Cab or Merlot. It wasn't until 1991 that a winemaker questioned this and, after genetic tasting, it was discovered that Carmenere, the grape that was thought to be extinct, was actually thriving in Chile.

And they also grow it in BC!

The 2018 Carmenere ($60) that we tried had medium plus acidity, lots of red fruit, and tastes of pepper and green olive. It was enjoyable but tight. I think I will lay this one down for 4 or 5 years so that it rounds out. Good to Very Good.

Next was the 2017 Syrah ($40). We have a bottle on 2016 Syrah in our cellar and our wine guide said that the 2016 is much fruitier thane the 2017. The 2017 had tastes of leather, earthiness, barnyard, and mushroom as well as some baked fruits. It is quite the different taste and a great reflection on how vintages are (and should be) different. I've always enjoyed Syrah and this was a great one - and ready to drink now! Very Good.

I hadn't tried their 2018 Addendum ($50) before. This wine is a right bank style Bordeaux blend with 86% Merlot and 14% Cab Franc. When Merlot is crappy, it's a terrible wine, but when it is balanced, ripe, and not sweetened, it can make a great wine. This wine was that kind of Merlot with the addition of Cab Franc to give some structure to the wine. This wine was so soft and round that I was amazed. It had some perfume on the nose and was a fruity wine with some bell pepper that was really smooth on the palate. I guess you could hang onto this wine for a few years but we bought two bottles, fully expecting to drink them this year. Outstanding.

Finally, the big guy - the 2018 Nota Bene ($60). This rich, tannic, bold Bordeaux style blend is a nod to the left bank of Bordeaux. It is a mix of Cab Sauv (49%), Merlot (41%), Cab Franc (3%) and Petit Verdot (1%). This is a complex wine with lots of different black fruits riding atop some pretty strong tannins. This one should wait a few years so it can loosen up - but I am not certain I can wait that long! I also have a 2015 Nota Bene so I am tempted to do a vertical - can anyone send me the missing years? Outstanding.

I have to say that we really enjoyed our tasting at Black Hills (once again). The wine guide was knowledgable and told us interesting stories about the wines, not just the wine flavours. The setting is beautiful and the building itself is very nice inside. I am guessing that a lot less time will pass before I go to Black Hills again!

This summer, why not book a tour with me at Wine and Then Somm Wine Tours? I would be happy to meet you in Kelowna or Penticton and take you, in the comfort of your own vehicle, anywhere in the Okanagan (to Black Hills, for example) to try some of the wonderful Okanagan wines! Book today!