Black Hills Nota Bene has been an icon on the British Columbia wine scene for more than a quarter-century. Ross Wise, MW, head winemaker at Black Hills Estate Winery, led the way until recently, when he handed over the winemaking reins to Ryan McKibbon. That has not been the only change at Black Hills. Following the 2023 harvest came the winter freeze of January 2024, wiping out much of the old vines. Immediately, a major replant began. A more nuanced replant had already been in
the works, but “the freeze” accelerated those plans, while opening up new possibilities, allowing Black Hills to rethink their vineyards. In both the Doubleblack and the Sharprock vineyards organic farming continues while regenerative farming methods will take on a growing importance. Within the vineyards, replanted varietals will find new locations with the vineyard microclimates allowing old favourites to thrive. Under Wise they have also been planting new non-Bordeaux varietals and producing wines that we have not seen from Black Hill. Meantime while they waited for
the new plantings to come into production and the surviving vines to replenish, the Black Hills team looked beyond the Okanagan Valley to source grapes that they would be proud to bottle under the Black Hills label. Recently introducing the newest member of their Hiatus Wine Collection, the 2024 Nota Bene. “After more then 25 years, of crafting Nota Bene, this is not a wine we approach lightly. The Hiatus Collection offered us a rare and necessary pause for reflection,” said McKibbon. “The 2024 Hiatus
Collection Nota Bene steps beyond the familiar into something entirely its own, unlike any that have come before and unlikely to be repeated.” The 2024 vintage is 43/34/23 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc sourced from the Walla Walla Valley in Oregon. This Merlot dominant vintage was handled with kid gloves, wild yeast fermented and allowed to mature for 18 months in oak barriques and puncheons. A relatively high ABV at 13.7 per cent, the cabernets define the wine, its aromas and flavours. With fresh flowers
and garden grown herbs on the nose, leading to dark ripe berries on the palate. It finishes with spicy notes and a delicate earthiness. The 2024 Nota Bene is bright and complex. A wine club soiree and luncheon was held earlier this month, where their 2024 Hiatus Nota Bene wine club members only allocation took place. To check out other wine club member perks visit Wine Club – Black Hills Estate Winery You will find a full selection of Black Hill Estate Winery wines including
library vintages of Nota Bene, Black Hills new release 2025 B.C. VQA GSM Rosé, the Black Hills Vineyard Lodge and The Vineyard Kitchen. A resident of Qualicum Beach, Chris Herbert is a wine enthusiast who enjoys sharing everything that B.C. wines have to offer. He looks forward to hearing from you with your questions and comments via email at spillthatvino@gmail.com.
Black Hills Nota Bene, Ross Wise, Ryan McKibbon, Hiatus Wine Collection, January 2024 freeze, Doubleblack vineyard, Sharprock vineyard, organic farming, regenerative farming, Walla Walla Valley, Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc, 2024 Nota Bene, 13.7% ABV, B.C. VQA GSM Rosé, Wine Club Black Hills Estate Winery
So they froze the vines and now it’s “a new chapter” lol. Nature’s taking over the branding.
Wait, is this the same winery in BC? I saw something about Walla Walla grapes and thought that meant they just stopped making local wine or something. Sounds like a bunch of changes at once.
Freeze rewrote the chapter… but it says it was rewritten by replanting and also sourcing grapes from Oregon? So like, are they still a BC wine if the fruit is from Walla Walla. Idk, but 43/34/23 Merlot/Cab/Franc sounds pretty techy.
Honestly this feels like they got unlucky with the freeze and then just used whatever grapes they could find while the plants grow back. “Regenerative farming” sounds nice but I’m not convinced it makes the wine taste better. Also “unlikely to be repeated” usually means it won’t sell the next year either.