Canada’s Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys (7) Black Hills Estate
Website: https://www.blackhillswinery.com/
Black Hills is a noted winery in Black Sage Bench in the south of the Okanagan, famous for their Note Bene red blend. Since I last visited, the winery had changed hands, being purchased by Andrew Peller in 2017, when they also bought Tinhorn Creek and Grey Monk. Ross Wise started as winemaker in 2018, and stayed 6 years. The chief winemaker now Ryan McKinnen, who began working at Black Hills in 2022. I visited with Melanie Rusch, who’s the assistant winemaker.
Most of the grapes they source are from the south of the Okanagan, and after the freeze they’ve had to replant their entire 40 acre vineyard. They mainly kept to the same varieties, although they have introduced some bush vine Tempranillo, and they’ve also changed some row directions.
They are making a wine called Hiatus from Washington fruit, focusing on Sauvignon, Viogner and Tempranillo from Horse Heaven Hills. They have also made one 500 litre barrel of Syrah from the Rocks district of Walla Walla. As well as this, they’ve made some Merlot from Washington that they are pleased with.
Viticulture here is organic, but they had to drop this to do the replanting. They have incorporated a straw mulch into the vineyard which looks quite impressive. It’s made from crimped fall rye.
Black Hills Estate Brut NV Okanagan, Canada
79% Chardonnay, 21% Pinot Noir, 36 months on lees, base vintage 2019. Salty and bright with good concentration and focus. Very pure and linear with good acidity and really nice precision. Shows purity and focus. 93/100
Black Hills Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2023 Okanagan, Canada
From Covert Farms. Linear, a bit stony, with good acidity. Has freshness with a hint of celeriac, and some gentle green notes. Even a hint of sagebrush here. Nice acidity on the finish. Linear and focused. 90/100 ($35)
Black Hills Estate Viognier 2022 Okanagan, Canada
Stainless, to concrete, then neutral French oak. Wild ferment. This is bright and focused with a hint of fennel and some apricot and pear, showing nice citrus drive. A lighter style, more focused, with real personality. Very stylish. 93/100 ($35)
Black Hills Estate Aridus 2023 Okanagan, Canada
14% alcohol. Roussanne led with Viognier and Marsanne, fermented in stainless steel and then brought up in old oak. This is the first vintage of this wine. Bright and linear with nice sweet citrus and pear fruit with some nice juiciness. There’s a slight salty edge with nice focus and some cloaked richness. Stylish and expressive. 92/100 ($35)
Black Hills Estate Chardonnay 2022 Okanagan, Canada
From Hidden Terrace vineyard, SW facing, just north of Oliver. Just 6% in barrel. Fresh, linear, bright and nicely textured with some depth here. Has a spicy frill to the pear and peach fruit. There’s a gentleness here and a fine mealiness, but the fruit is really being allowed to show itself. 92/100 ($40)
Black Hills Estate Tempranillo 2021 Okanagan, Canada
13.5% alcohol. 18 months in oak, 35% new, all French. This is supple and bright, but has a nice fine spicy detail to it, with some nice savoury detail. Finely spiced with some wild strawberry fruit, and then finishes sweet and long, with some spicy oak influence and a touch of balsamic. Intriguing with lots of personality. 93/100 ($60)
Black Hills Estate Ipso Facto 2021 Okanagan, Canada
14% alcohol. Syrah (54%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (46%). Warm, rich and spicy with some oak in the mix. It’s rich and bold with sweet fruit, but the fruit isn’t powerful – instead, there’s this warm, spicy dimension and a hint of mint and earth. 91/100 ($60)
Black Hills Estate Syrah 2022 Okanagan, Canada
There’s a nice peppery, wild herb edge to the rich, ripe fruit here. Has warmth and depth with a hint of mintiness and a bit of a grip. This is nicely proportioned. Ripe but balanced, with wild strawberries, plums and black cherries. 92/100 ($50)
Black Hills Estate Per Se 2021 Okanagan, Canada
82% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot. This has a wild herb and mint edge to the sweet berry fruits (sagebrush sort of character). There’s some richness here, with ripe cherry and plum fruit. There’s a strongly herbal dimension, and also a touch of spicy oak, with a warm finish. Distinctive and quite delicious. 93/100 ($60)
Black Hills Estate Note Bene 2021 Okanagan, Canada
14% alcohol. First made in 1999. More or less equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. 18 months in oak, 35% new. Fresh, vivid with black cherries, a touch of blackcurrant and some sagebrush herbiness. Supple and fresh with mint and spice, showing some grippy structure and a touch of savouriness. There’s a nice combination of ripe fruit with some savoury, spicy, herby character that works well. 94/100 ($70)
