Recently, I attended a rare vertical tasting of the famed and highly-coveted Black Hills Nota Bene at Au Petit Chavignol. This single vineyard Bordeaux-style blend (cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc), since its first vintage in 1999, has gained an enviable loyal following that has made it one of the hardest big BC reds to find on wine store shelves. Even after a gradual but rather hefty price increase over the years since its first release (1999 sold for $28 and the 2007 sells for $52-58), the 2007 Note Bene still easily sold out in less than an hour of its release. Luckily, some bottles can be found at select retailers if you look in the right place: here.
This sold out event, charmingly hosted by David Lancelot of Marquis Wine Cellars and Allison Spurrell of les amis du FROMAGE, started nicely with a few goat and cow cheeses from Spain and France being presented with an olive tapenade and paired with a glass of 2007 Alibi, Black Hills Loire Valley-inspired Sauvignon/Semillion blend, a vibrant and sophisticated white wine that is developing a following of its own.
Once comfortably seated, we were staring at six lovely smelling vintages of Nota Bene from 2002-2007, which were accompanied by a selection of hard and soft cheeses from France (Berger de Lozere, Le Coutances, Saint Nectaire, Moulis Cremier, Laguiole), Italy (Piave) and Salt Spring Island (White Grace).
After a long session of sniffing, swirling, admiring and tasting of each vintage year, the two burning questions remained: is it worth the money? Does it live up to the cult-like hype?
When I asked Black Hills winemaker, Graham Pierce, what made the Nota Bene such an overnight sensation in the BC wine world? He credits much of the runaway success of the wine, that “the winery spent no money on marketing…” to the “the original and long-standing commitment the owners made to producing the highest quality wine possible and letting it speak for itself.” Essentially, credible word of mouth from restaurateurs, sommeliers and local wine critics spread an excitement that created a huge demand for their limited-production estate grown wine; they are now operating at full capacity and produce around 4000 cases of Nota Bene in a good year.
To answer the questions, it really is a matter of perspective. It certainly is among the best BC produced red wines that I have tasted, but rarely do I find myself in a position ready and willing to spend $50 on any wine, never mind one that is as hard to find as Waldo.
However, when a bottle was gifted to me recently from a generous friend who surprisingly wasn’t overly impressed with the wine, a quick and joyous smile erupted on my face giving me another tiny addictive glimpse of the irrational joy of collecting fine wines. “Yes! I have one bottle of the 2006 Nota Bene,” I thought to myself, genuinely excited, even though I vowed on the spot not to open it for another 4 to 5 years. Not many things in my life elicit this kind of bizarre, yet pleasurable response, so let’s just say I look forward to the dinner I finally share and drink it with very select family and or friends…or maybe just my dear wife who’ll probably let me drink most of it. ~ PK
Here are the Nota Bene tasting and production notes:
Nota Bene 2002
48% cabernet sauvignon
37% merlot
15% cabernet franc
14.5% alcohol
2200 cases produced.
“Starts slow and unfurls into pronounced cassis-liqueur, black cherry and cigar boxed aromas followed by spicy plum. Full bodied with silky tannins and long finish.”
Nota Bene 2003
46% cabernet sauvignon
34% merlot
20% cabernet franc
14.5% alcohol
2400 cases produced
“Fruit aromas of plums and black cherries under a layer of gamey, earthy tobacco notes, mingled with herbal olive notes. Balanced, with smooth muscular structure and a long, plush finish.”
Nota Bene 2004
46% cabernet sauvignon
36% merlot
18% cabernet franc
14.6% alcohol
2800 cases produced
“Aromas of kirsch cherry, herbs, tobacco and light toast, frame a vibrant structure that yields flavours of santa rosa plums echoing through a smooth round finish.”
Nota Bene 2005
43% cabernet sauvignon
37% merlot
20% cabernet franc
14.6% alcohol
2900 cases produced
“Focused aromas of crushed black fruit, black olive, tobacco, cedar with some shaded dusky spice. Elegant with fine tannins and cherry flavours lingering gently on a harmonious finish.”
Nota Bene 2006
47% cabernet sauvignon
37% merlot
16% cabernet franc
14.7% alcohol
3300 cases produced
“Applealing for it’s layers of dark fruit with a hint of spice, olives, and cedar on the nose. Full bodied and balanced with silky velvety tannins and a great lengthy finish.”
Nota Bene 2007
46% cabernet sauvignon
39% merlot
15% cabernet franc
14.7% alcohol
3900 cases produced
“Generous rich aromas of black cherry and plum followed by earth, spiciness and mocha. Rich, full bodied palate with great balance and lengthy smooth finish.”
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, Nota Bene is one of the best wines from BC ……BUT you must give it time to sleep in the bottle…let it age.
I bought some of the 1999, 2000, and 2001 vintage. I let them age 5 years after the vintage date before I drank them. The tannins had smoothed out, the flavours had melded, come together and created a beautiful wine. It smelled like the Okanagan on a hot day.
I’m sorry but these people who are drinking the 2007 vintage in restaurants right now are enjoying a big ball of tannins.
I love this wine….I only wish it wasn’t $50 plus.
Let’s be honest we all know who created this delicious, delectable juice we call Nota Bene- and that person is non other than Senka Tennant.
The creation will die with her, and anyone who has enjoyed it from day one and still enjoys it now -knows this.