Unfortunately my July 2016 visit to Black Hills Estate Winery this summer was abridged. Time had gotten the best of me and I was forced to cut the visit a little short. Without getting into my notes on the wine that winemaker Graham Pierce tasted with me, I can already tell you that I am eager to head back to the winery. In my short visit Graham gave me a quick tour of the facility.
I generally make a rule of not writing tasting notes on tank samples. Even if a wine is due to be bottled it can evolve greatly from when it’s bottled to when you open it. That being said I got the opportunity to taste a Chardonnay out of tank that was just outstanding. This wine definitely screamed hot summer with pineapple, peach and mango flavours. These tropical flavours were met with perfectly balanced vanilla and butterscotch and a nice creamy mid-palate.
I will be honest visiting the barrel cellar I was fortunate enough to taste several red wines that likely will never see the retail shop in the Okanagan and you will only get to taste them if you join the Black Hills wine club.
I was lucky enough to snag a bottle of the flagship wine from Black Hills before I left.
2014 Black Hills Winery Nota Bene – ****½ – This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot is something that needs to be experienced. This is one of those wine that create a dilemma for the wine lover. You can enjoy this wine young and enjoy all the rich and juicy raspberry, cherry, and black currant flavours this wine has to offer. That being said there velvet tannin will continue to relax if you decide to hold onto a bottle in a cellar for 5-15 years and the fruit will make room for smoke, cocoa and leather that is presently buried under all the fruit. This wine is so approachable from the onset I wouldn’t recommend decanting, it will be fun to open a bottle and enjoy it develop as you get deeper into the bottle.
