Painted Rock wines: blink and they are gone

Photo: Painted Rock's John Skinner

Painted Rock Estate Winery’s sales appear to have been robust despite the market disruption caused by the pandemic.

The wine samples reviewed here arrived about six weeks ago. I have taken my time reviewing them. These are wines meant to be paired with good food – and not every meal merits a Painted Rock wine – although, on one occasion, a sausage in a bun was elevated by the wine in my glass,

It was a surprise to discover how many of the wines are now sold out. My guess is that Painted Rock has a strong and loyal wine club. They order the wines as soon as they are released. Even if they are not inexpensive, these wines  are among the very best being produced in the Okanagan,

Painted Rock’s wines have been impressive since the first vintage in 2007 from the winery’s Skaha Bench vineyard. And they have been getting steadily better as the maturing vines have put roots through the topsoil and the alluvial silt layers of varying thickness to reach deep into underlying gravels. The majority of the 52,500 vines in the 25-acre vineyard were planted in 2005. The flavours have become more intense and complex with each vintage.

“When I started Painted Rock,” founder John Skinner says, “we augured a hole every three meters. We know the depth of the alluvial silt layer everywhere on the vineyard. We have a map of it.”

The thinnest layer of silt was in the two Merlot blocks. “That’s where we first noticed the most profound change in the flavours,” he says. “Once the roots reached into the gravels, the flavours opened up like a flower. That happened first in Merlot, then in Cabernet Franc. Now it is in Malbec and Petit Verdot and everything. The flavours are just exquisite and markedly improved year over year.”

The thickest layer of alluvial silt was in the Chardonnay block. In the fall of 2016, when John and Alain Sutre – his Bordeaux consultant - were tasting the fruit before harvest, the consultant noted a significant step up in the complexity of the flavours of Chardonnay. A trench was dug beside the vines and confirmed that the roots were now 10 feet down into the gravel.

A corollary benefit of vine age is that Painted Rock now is releasing more single varietal red wines. Individual varietals now have enough flavour that the wines need not be tweaked with a dash of another variety or two. In 2015, for example, there was enough Malbec left over after making blends that a small lot was produced just for the Painted Rock wine club.

By the 2017 vintage, there was enough Malbec available that the winery released 170 cases. It was one of the earliest to sell out.

Here are notes on the current releases.

Painted Rock Chardonnay 2019 ($39.99 but sold out). The winery produced 320 cases. It is a wine crafted to be complex, starting with harvesting the grapes four times over two weeks, when each block is at its peak. Eighty per cent aged six months in French oak (44% new) and the rest – the fruit from the final harvest - was aged in stainless steel. Only 29% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. This kept the fruit flavours fresh. The wine begins with aromas of citrus and peach. The flavours are remarkably intense, with notes of citrus and stone fruit mingled with subtle notes of oak and cloves wrapped around good minerality. 93.

Painted Rock Rosé 2019 ($24.99 but sold out). This is a saignée method rosé. The blend is 37% Merlot, 33% Syrah, 26% Malbec and 4% Chardonnay. Two hours of skin contact resulted in what the winery called “a perfectly pale pink hue.” I agree: the vibrant hue is quite lovely in the glass. The wine has aromas of strawberry and watermelon, leading to flavours of strawberry, red plum and cranberry. The finish is dry. 91.

Painted Rock Merlot 2016 ($34.99). This is a bold Merlot. The alcohol is 15.1% but the wine has the substance to carry it. It begins with aromas of black cherry and black currant mingled with vanilla (the wine spent 18 months in French oak – 30% new). The palate is generous with flavours of dark fruits with a touch of chocolate and spice. 92.

Painted Rock Syrah 2017 ($39.99). Dark in the glass, this wine has aromas of cherry and plum. On the palate, there are flavours dark fruit, including figs, with crushed black pepper punctuating the finish. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). The long, ripe tannins give it a generous texture. 93.

Painted Rock Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($34.99 but sold out). This is 80% Syrah and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. The varieties were fermented separately and aged in oak (30% new). It begins with aromas of black cherry and cassis, leading to flavours of dark berries with a hint of pepper and chocolate on the finish. It is generous on the palate. 92.

Painted Rock Malbec 2017 ($44.99 but sold out). Sadly, only 170 cases of this magnificent wine were made. It is dark, with the floral aroma classic to this varietal, mingled with cassis and blackberries. It is rich on the palate with flavours of dark cherry and blackberry mingled with spice. 93.

Painted Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($39.99). This is an elegant, polished example of Cabernet Sauvignon, beginning with aromas of red currant, blackberry and spice. There are layers of cherry and other dark fruits on the palate that carry through to a long finish. 93.

Painted Rock Cabernet Franc 2017 ($44.99 but sold out). The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (40% new). It begins with appealing brambly red fruit aromas mingled with hints of eucalyptus. The spicy dark berry flavours are rich on the palate, with a hint of chocolate and tobacco on the finish. 92.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2017 ($54.99). The blend is 38% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 20% Petit Verdot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec and 2% Syrah. The constituent lots were fermented separately and barrel-aged for 18 months (with 30% new oak). This is only the second time – the first was 2009 – that a touch of Syrah has been added to the blend. The wine begins with aromas of cassis and black cherry. These are echoed on the palate, along with notes of blueberry, spice and chocolate. This is an age-worthy wine; if you need to drink it now, decant it and let it open up to reveal layers of flavour. 94.