Black Hills Estate Winery at ARC Harvey
Pioneering Black Sage Bench Wines Crafted with Patience and Precision
Some wineries follow a region's reputation. Black Hills helped build it.
Black Hills Estate Winery is one of the pioneering producers of the Black Sage Bench, where long, sun-drenched summers and desert soils inspired a bold belief in the potential of premium South Okanagan wine.
The winery became famous for Nota Bene, its flagship Bordeaux-style red, but its wider portfolio reveals far more: traditional-method sparkling wine, crisp and textured whites, aromatic Rhône varieties, and polished reds built for dinner, gifting, and the cellar.
At ARC Liquor Harvey, our eight-wine Black Hills collection includes Alibi, Brut, Hiatus Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Nota Bene, Per Se, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, and Emily's featured Viognier 2023.
Together, they offer a generous introduction to a winery defined by desert roots, patient winemaking, premium ambition, and the confidence to keep evolving.
From an Abandoned Vineyard to an Okanagan Icon
The Black Hills story began when Senka Tennant recognized the promise of an abandoned vineyard along Black Sage Road. Sparse benchland, sagebrush, desert soils, and long summers suggested that late-ripening Bordeaux varieties could do something important here.
In 1996, the founding Sharp Rock and Double Black vineyards were planted with a singular goal: to create an ultra-premium red blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
The first Nota Bene vintage followed in 1999 and quickly earned a devoted following. Each release strengthened Black Hills' reputation for ripe, structured, age-worthy wine and helped establish the Black Sage Bench as one of British Columbia's defining red-wine landscapes.
More than 25 years later, the same pioneering spirit continues. The portfolio now moves across sparkling, white, Rhône-inspired, and Bordeaux-style wines, guided by patience, precision, and a willingness to adapt without losing sight of where the winery began.
Our Black Hills Picks at ARC Harvey
ARC Harvey currently carries eight Black Hills wines. The collection moves from crisp Sauvignon Blanc and traditional-method bubbles through textured aromatic whites to two premium red-wine benchmarks.
Black Hills Alibi
A Bordeaux-inspired white blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Grapefruit, green apple, passion fruit, pear, lemon, and a gently creamy texture give it freshness and substance for white fish, prawns, goat cheese, salads, and herb-forward dishes.
The Classic Black Hills White
Black Hills Brut
Traditional-method sparkling wine led by Chardonnay with Pinot Noir. Lemon, tangerine, red apple, wild raspberry, brioche, and chalky freshness meet a refined mousse and lively finish. Ideal for oysters, salty appetizers, brunch, seafood, and celebrations.
The Precision Sparkling
Hiatus Sauvignon Blanc 2024
A bright, precise Sauvignon Blanc from Black Hills' purposeful transition chapter. Carefully selected Yakima Valley fruit brings vibrant citrus, freshness, and aromatic lift for shellfish, goat cheese, summer salads, herbs, and lightly dressed seafood.
The New-Chapter Sauvignon
Black Hills Nota Bene
The flagship Bordeaux-style red that defined the Black Hills name. Dark cherry, blackberry, currant, herbs, florals, and fine-grained tannins give it the depth for steak, roast lamb, braised beef, mature cheese, milestone gifts, and patient cellaring.
The Flagship Okanagan Red
Black Hills Per Se
A Cabernet Franc-led red with blackberry, dark plum, black raspberry, lilac, star anise, tobacco leaf, and polished tannins. Elegant yet concentrated, it suits duck, lamb, roast pork, mushrooms, charcuterie, and customers who value aromatic depth.
The Cabernet Franc Statement
Black Hills Roussanne
A full-bodied, textured Rhône white with golden apple, white peach, preserved lemon, honeysuckle, beeswax, candied ginger, and savoury spice. Try it with roast chicken, rich seafood, squash, creamy pasta, or a generous cheese board.
The Textured Rhône White
Black Hills Sauvignon Blanc
A restrained, mineral-driven white with lemon, white grapefruit, elderflower, fresh herbs, and chalky tension. Focused fruit and a mouthwatering finish make it a polished choice for oysters, prawns, white fish, goat cheese, green vegetables, and citrus-led dishes.
The Mineral-Driven White
Black Hills Viognier 2023
Emily's aromatic white selection. Orange blossom, honeysuckle, apricot, peach, lemon, gentle spice, and a creamy texture make it a luxurious discovery for prawns, scallops, crab cakes, soft cheeses, and Thai-inspired dishes with gentle heat.
Emily's Summer Select • The Aromatic White
Patience, Precision, and the Confidence to Adapt
Black Hills describes its winemaking through patience and precision. That means careful farming, thoughtful extraction, measured oak, and enough time for each wine to find balance rather than chasing power for its own sake.
The winery has farmed organically since 2020 and continues to rethink vineyard design, grape varieties, rootstocks, and winter protection as conditions on the Black Sage Bench become more extreme.
After two damaging winters, Black Hills accelerated its estate replanting plans and created the Hiatus Collection from carefully selected vineyards in Washington and Oregon. The wines are crafted in the Okanagan with the same disciplined Black Hills approach while young estate vines take root.
For the customer, that story is one of continuity rather than retreat: a pioneering winery protecting its future while continuing to produce wines with clarity, texture, and a strong sense of purpose.
The Black Sage Bench—and a Vineyard Entering Its Next Chapter
Black Hills' estate is rooted in the dry, sun-soaked landscape east of Oliver. Warm days, sparse rainfall, well-drained soils, and the rugged presence of Mount Kobau give the Black Sage Bench its unmistakable desert-wine identity.
Sharp Rock and Double Black vineyards were planted to prove that this landscape could ripen Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc with the depth required for a benchmark wine such as Nota Bene.
Today, the estate is being renewed with a greater emphasis on varieties and vineyard practices suited to present and future conditions. New plantings, organic farming, winter-protection trials, and careful site choices all form part of that long view.
ARC Harvey's eight wines capture both sides of the story: established Black Hills classics grounded in the Okanagan and a purposeful Hiatus release that shows how the winery is maintaining its standards while the next generation of estate vines develops.
Not Sure Which Black Hills Wine Fits? Ask Emily.
Tell Emily what you are serving, whether the bottle is for dinner, celebration, gifting, or the cellar, what styles you usually enjoy, and how much you would like to spend.
For bright whites, she can compare the classic Sauvignon Blanc–Sémillon shape of Alibi with the mineral precision of Sauvignon Blanc or the new-chapter energy of Hiatus Sauvignon Blanc.
For richer texture, Roussanne brings savoury depth while Viognier brings perfume, stone fruit, and creaminess. Brut is the polished celebration choice; Per Se offers Cabernet Franc elegance; and Nota Bene is the flagship red for an important dinner, gift, or cellar.
You do not need to know the technical language of concrete ageing, traditional-method sparkling wine, or Bordeaux blends. Tell Emily what would make the bottle right, and she can guide you through the Black Hills collection in plain language.
Emily's Black Hills Pick
Planning scallops, prawns, crab cakes, softly spiced food, or looking for a fragrant local white that feels more expressive than the usual Pinot Gris or Chardonnay?
Ask Emily why Black Hills Viognier 2023 earned its place as the Aromatic White in her Summer Selects Collection.
Discover Black Hills Through ARC Harvey
At ARC Harvey, we want customers to understand the place, history, and purpose behind a premium local producer while staying within the ARC experience.
This eight-wine collection allows shoppers to move from sparkling and Sauvignon Blanc through aromatic Rhône whites to the Cabernet Franc character of Per Se and the flagship depth of Nota Bene.
Together, the wines reveal why Black Hills became an Okanagan icon—and why its combination of desert roots, patient craft, and forward-looking resilience continues to matter.
Explore Emily's Black Hills Viognier Explore All Emily Selects