Black Bank Hill 2023 Syrah - L'Hirondelle

Deep purple in colour with perfumed aromas of strawberry, cassis, red pepper and cocoa. The textured palate continues with layered flavours of raspberry, blackberry, plum, thyme, five-spice, clove and dark chocolate. Medium weight in body with bright acidity, the tannins are neatly woven within the concentrated and savoury fruit profile of this wine and will age positively, developing character and nuance over many years to come.

A natural partner for grilled or roasted meats, especially lamb, duck, beef, or smoky pork. The Syrah’s dark fruit, pepper and savoury character works beautifully with charred flavours, while the Viognier adds a subtle floral lift that keeps the wine from feeling heavy. It would also be excellent with mushroom dishes, rich charcuterie, or peppery grilled vegetables.

Enjoy through 2036

Estate grown and hand-harvested at Black Bank Hill on October 23, 2023, at 22.8 and 25.0 brix respectively.

The grapes were hand sorted with both varietals being destemmed and lightly crushed prior to being co-fermented in tank with wild/ambient yeasts.  The wine was then pressed off skins and given 20-months élevage in neutral French oak barrels. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined at Black Bank Hill on 25 July 2025.

About Black Bank Hill

Founded in 2017 by vintner Taylor Emerson, Black Bank Hill is a small, estate-focused winery in Beamsville, on Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment. The winery concentrates on limited-production, single-vineyard wines that express the character of its site, with an emphasis on careful farming, hand harvesting and restrained winemaking.

In the cellar, many wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, matured primarily in French oak, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The range spans classic Niagara varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Viognier, Syrah and the Rhône-inspired Liberté, a blend of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Production is often tiny, with some cuvées measured in only a few dozen cases.

Black Bank Hill has quickly established itself among Canada’s most exciting small wineries. At the 2026 National Wine Awards of Canada, it was named Best Performing Small Winery, with its 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon receiving Platinum and its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc all earning Gold medals.

What makes the wines particularly compelling is their combination of concentration and freshness: distinctly Niagara in their acidity and structure, yet with an elegance and restraint that will be familiar to lovers of fine European wines.