Black Hills Estate Winery’s public release of Nota Bene generates sales frenzy

Oliver, BC. Forty-seven minutes – about the time you might take to decant a bottle of Nota Bene, the red blend regarded as one of BC’s top wines – is all the time it took for fans of the wine to snap up every available bottle yesterday.

Black Hills Estate Winery, near Oliver in the Okanagan Valley, released the 2006 Nota Bene to the public on April 14. With online ordering, the entire Nota Bene inventory of 3,300 cases evaporated in 47 minutes.

“It’s totally gone,” says Glenn Fawcett, president of the highly-regard Black Hills Estate Winery . “We spent weeks preparing for the public release, and every drop of Nota Bene was gone in under an hour. It was just amazing.

“The interest in wines from the Okanagan has become astonishingly high, and Nota Bene seems to be a lightning rod for this consumer interest. We could have sold twenty times that amount, and the requests are still pouring in. From a business perspective, we’re very pleased, but the last week has also been very tough. Having to tell so many disappointed people that there’s no wine left and we hope they’ll try again next year. It’s emotionally draining.”

Nota Bene is a Bordeaux-style blend made from cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc grapes from Black Hill’s vineyards on the Black Sage Bench. The wine has won more accolades from wine drinkers and wine critics than can be counted, and the 2006 vintage released last week should strengthen that decade-old tradition of quality. Winemaker Senka Tennant, who has brought Nota Bene and Black Hills Estate Winery to their cult status, is pleased with the 2006 vintage’s depth and complexity. “I think it’s one of our best yet. It’s full-bodied and balanced, and it’s got layers of dark fruit, with hints of spice, olive and cedar on the nose,” she says. “It’s got silky tannins and a long, very rich finish.”

Anyone who simply must have a bottle of Nota Bene might be able to get one during the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival, held each year in early May. A limited release of 25 cases will be sold Sunday, May 4 only at Black Hills (maximum two bottles per person). And even though Nota Bene is gone from the winery, it can be found in select restaurants and wine shops around BC and Alberta. Go to blackhillswinery.com to find the ones near you.

Fawcett says the success of Nota Bene is just one more instance of how Okanagan wines can compete with the best wines in the world. “We have the grapes and we have the expertise here in the Okanagan to create top wines, and Nota Bene is just one example. We see so many other top wines being made here, with quality grape-growing terroir and talented, well-trained winemakers producing amazing wines from large and small wineries. And we are developing all of that into the kind of wine tourism experience that more and more people are flocking here to enjoy.”

The 2007 vintage of Black Hills’ extremely popular white blend Alibi will be available for online sales on June 1.

About the Vinequest Wine Partners Limited Partnership
The Vinequest Wine Partners Limited Partnership Ltd. (www.vinequest.com) was established in 2007 and successfully acquired the assets and operating business of Black Hills Estate Winery (“Black Hills”) on Dec. 17, 2007. Vinequest Wine Partners Limited Partnership is now doing business as Black Hills Estate Winery.

Media contact:
Glenn Fawcett
cellular (403) 710-1667
gfawcett@vinequest.com