Winemaker Ross Wise.

Climate change is a topic that comes up often in our wine interviews because the agricultural industry seems much more attune to it than most. Within the wine industry itself, British Columbia wine producers have been facing extreme climate events earlier, and seemingly more often, than many other regions worldwide. It’s certainly been our experience that regardless of how difficult a vintage is, in the hands of the right winemaker, excellent wines will still be produced. Black Hills Estate Winery can rest assured knowing that they have Ross Wise leading their winemaking team, who continues to improve the winery’s offerings despite the now annual challenges.

A challenging time in the wine industry.

2023 marked BC’s worst ever wildfire season. And while most people associate global warming and heat with climate change, it’s the winter extremes that are also wreaking havoc. This year’s vintage started with a massive frost incident which had wineries expecting approximately 50% less production before the growing season ever began.

“Before this winter, the coldest I had seen in my 7 to 8 years here [Okanagan Valley] was minus 19 degrees [Celsius], and that’s ok, we can get through that,” Ross explains. “You’ve got to be a little bit careful but then this year we got minus 30 which is a big, big deal. At minus 22 you’re ok to that point and then you’ll start to see a little bit of [vine] damage. At minus 25 depending on variety is where you’ll really start to see damage, but minus 30, that’s pretty bad.”

Ross joined Black Hills as head winemaker in 2019 and we first met with him in 2020. 2020 was an easy vintage by all accounts, and as he reflected on it, he laughed, “I should have retired after that vintage!”. Since that short time ago, he’s not only experienced the worst wildfires and frost events on record, but he’s also had to deal with the record ‘heat domes’ of 2021 where temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for an extended period of time.

The earliest harvest yet at Black Hills.

And then there are the less obvious challenges of climate change. This year Harvest began on August 19th, the earliest date they’ve ever started picking. As a result of their barrels not being delivered yet, the Chardonnay is currently sitting in concrete as they await shipment!

They already had a plan in place to start re-planting some older estate vines that after a couple of extreme weather events resulted in them producing just a ton and a half per acre which is less than half the average of the Valley.

One of the new concrete tanks.

“We saw the biggest hits in Syrah, Merlot, and these old Cabernet vines which have probably been through a couple of bad winters already. If they’re having a third one, there’s just that much more damage in the trunk, suddenly it’s just harder for them…just accumulated damage.”

Ross explains how their approach when re-planting has now adapted, “We’re choosing rootstocks that are more likely to survive climate change…with own-rooted {stock] you’re at the mercy of the variety.”

But through it all, the wines he’s producing continue to be among the best we’ve ever tasted both at Black Hills and in the rest of the Okanagan, as he adjusts to the elements by working with different varieties, vessels, and farming techniques. Ross has also added Ryan McKibbon to his winemaking team as co-winemaker now that the General Manager role has been added to his responsibilities.

WInemaker Ryan McKibbon.

Originally from Ontario, Ryan joined Black Hills last year having worked at Hidden Bench, one of the most respected wineries in the Niagara region and recently named Canada’s ‘Winery of the Year’ by Wine Align. Ryan’s resume also includes a stint at Bouchard Finlayson in South Africa, known for small volume and high quality—perfect training for working with Ross at Black Hills.

As Ross toured us around the winery, the most obvious addition since our last visit were the 10 new concrete tanks used for red wine fermentation, the rosé, the Viognier, and a little bit of Roussanne. The concrete tanks are unique in that they have heating pads embedded in the tank.

One of the Austrian foudres.

“Within the tank, it’s actually got the cooling within the concrete so when you put the cooling on or the heating on, it actually heats the whole tank rather than just like a jacket…it’s a much more gentle transmission of heat so because we use a lot of wild yeast, you’ve got to be a little bit careful—you don’t want to shock them with cold or shock them with heat as they’re quite sensitive. So this is actually a really good way to give them a nice sort of gentle change of temperature if they need it.”

He’s also added more Austrian foudres (large wooden vat) for the reds. He finds that the bigger barrel with lighter toasts integrates the oak better than smaller barrels particularly for varieties like Carménère that have so much fruit and intensity.

Millie.

Along with Carménère, another uncommon variety doing particularly well in the Black Hills portfolio under Ross is Tempranillo. Both are varieties he believed could do well in the southern Okanagan and both have quickly become wine club member favourites prompting him to plant more.

Brand new in the tasting lineup for us was the Sparkling NV Brut, their second bottling of sparkling that first released last summer. The inaugural wine was the 2018 Vintage as it was all they had, but the NV we tasted was based on 2019 with 30% added reserve. “A lot of what we do in winemaking is looking for layers in complexity so that was part of the reason I wanted to go into NV; to bring in reserve wines to bring in other layers to it.”

The NV sparkling brut is an excellent addition to the portfolio.

“But we also bring in more barrel components and malolactic components just to add extra layers. I would say we’re after a more full-bodied style rather than a clean, crisp style but in saying that it’s also quite dry, just under 5 grams of dosage.”

Perhaps the most telling thing about Ross’ winemaking philosophy became apparent when we finished the tasting with the winery’s flagship wine, Nota Bene. Traditionally Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, the latest vintage is the first time it’s ever been Cabernet Franc dominant. Initially the idea that it could be a different blend caused quite a stir among wine club members but as we like to say, the answer is always in the glass. It’s a sensational wine and, in our humble opinion, their best Nota Bene yet.

Ross and Ryan – a formidable team.

Ross shrugged and stated in his typical practical and straightforward manner, “We didn’t look at what we were blending, we weren’t blending to a recipe, we were blending from what we tasted, and this was the best from the vintage.” Hard to argue with that.

Despite the challenges of mother nature along with those of the ever-discriminating consumer, Black Hills is lucky it’s found in Ross and Ryan winemakers that can weather the storms of uncertainty ahead and continue to produce world-class wines with reliable consistency.

Tasting Notes

NV Black Hills Sparkling Brut

Black Hills NV Brut

Based on the 2019 vintage this wine is Chardonnay dominant blended with 21% Pinot Noir. A crisp and refreshing sparkler, we get citrus notes along with green apple and hints of warm bread. This wine has a terrific mouthfeel: 40 months on the lees brings texture and low dosage expertly balances it with racy acidity. This is a reference point for BC sparkling wine.

Very Good+ (CAD$55)

2021 Black Hills Chardonnay

Medium gold in colour, this wine shows apple and stone fruit with a nice mineral and flinty streak that brings in reminders of Chablis. The finish is long and citrus infused.

Excellent (CAD$40)

2020 Black Hills Roussanne

2020 Black Hills Roussanne

Though 2021 is the current release, it was great to see how this developed after an additional year in bottle. The gold colour has taken on a little more depth. A textured, almost rich mouthfeel is going to give hedonists plenty to be happy about! Bruised apple, candied lemon, pie crust and hints of almond paste make for a very complex wine. At the end of the tasting, this was the glass we reached for…

Excellent (CAD$35 – particularly good value for this quality)

2022 Black Hills Viognier

2022 Black Hills Viognier

Peach and lots of apricot flavours come out of the gates with gusto. Secondary notes of kiwifruit and honeydew melon create more complexity. Texture is always a challenge with Viognier: too ripe and it becomes unfocused; picked too early it can be lean and tart. Ross gets this one just right as it has a great mouthfeel showing medium+ body but with precise borders created by well-judged acidity.

Excellent (CAD$35)

2019 Black Hills Syrah

2019 Black Hills Syrah

Deep garnet in colour. A big whiff of black pepper on the nose! Dark red fruits of black cherry and blackberry combine with secondary notes of pepper, dried herbs and earth to create a complex wine with a St. Joseph-like character. Still quite structured, this is a wine that is really going to shine on its 10th birthday! This is blazing the trail for Syrah in the Okanagan.

Excellent (CAD$50)

2020 Black Hills Addendum

Savvy wine shoppers will seek out bottles of this as its brother Nota Bene usually sells out within weeks of release. A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, this will chase away any remaining naysayers who say that you can’t do big reds in the Okanagan. 18 months spent in 60% new French Oak is for this Right Bank look alike. The body is full and seductive and cloaks the black cherry and baking spice hints in a warm robe. Delicious now, this is a wine that will no doubt develop further over the next decade. Delicious!

Excellent+ (CDN$60)

2020 Black Hills Carménère

2020 Black Hills Carmenere

We don’t see much Carménère in BC (or elsewhere, for that matter) and this wine is certainly making a strong case for it to be planted more in the South Okanagan. Black cherry flavours gain added complexity from the dried herb and black pepper notes. Still a quite structured wine, this cries out to be served with a grilled steak!

Excellent (Wine club exclusive)

2020 Black Hills Nota Bene

A special treat for us to taste from the wineries library, which like the 2021 is sold out. Ross bravely took this wine in a new direction by making the dominant grape variety Cabernet Franc instead of Cabernet Sauvignon, for the first time ever.

2020 Black Hills Nota Bene

As Nota Bene has been a consistent sell out for 2 decades, why mess with the formula? Ross makes his wines according to what the vineyard and the season gives, not according to a recipe. And for good reason: this is a terrific Nota Bene! Black cherry, blackberry and dried herbs are carried on a full body with medium+ tannin. The balance is exactly where it ought to be: fruit and structure each shining in their own way and working together in harmony. It is hard to resist now but this too will reward further cellaring.

Excellent+ (SOLD OUT)

Black Hills Winery

Black Hills Estate

4190 Black Sage Road

Oliver, BC Canada

T: (888) 565-8554

Open Daily: 11am-5pm