Painted Rock Estate Winery turns 20

Photo: Painted Rock's John Skinner in wine shop.

Painted Rock Estate Winery’s Lauren Skinner has just assembled what she calls a walk down memory lane to celebrate the winery’s 20th anniversary. An increasing number of wineries have also begun celebrating significant anniversaries, a mark of the growing maturity of the British Columbia wine industry. I was there at the start of Painted Rock by interviewing Lauren’s father, John, to include him in the second edition of The Wineries of British Columbia, which was published in 2004. I have had numerous subsequent interviews and tastings with him for increasingly detailed profiles in all my wine books since then. I recognized from the start that John would be one of our leading vintners.

Here is what I wrote in 2004: As this book was going to press, bulldozers had just finished contouring a vineyard site on Lakeside Road, just south of Penticton, for the most exciting winery not yet open. In the spring of 2004, John Skinner, a Vancouver stockbroker, marked his 45th year by purchasing a 25-hectare (62-acre) property previously owned by Hillside Estate Winery but not developed. The winery is projected to open about 2010. “That dovetails very nicely with my retirement from the brokerage industry,” Skinner says. The property is immediately south of the Pentâge winery, on a bench that looks westward over Skaha Lake and is bounded on the east by high rock bluffs. This once was part of Braeside Farms, one of the largest apricot farms in the world, but the property has been idle for more than a decade. About two-thirds of the area is suitable for vines. Skinner leans toward planting primarily Bordeaux red varieties but only after getting the best viticultural advice he can. “I’ve always deferred to the experts,” he says. “I’m going to hire good, smart people.” Skinner, who grew up in Comox, was attracted to winegrowing through the experiences of winemaking friends in the Napa Valley. He is planning to build what he calls a “destination” winery with a restaurant attached to the tasting room. It will be a few years before work begins on the architecturally-designed winery. “I am looking at developing this carefully,” he says. “Time is on my side.”

Lauren writes: “The name Painted Rock was chosen to honour both the 500+ year-old pictographs discovered behind the property and the distinctive rock faces that are so uniquely important to the vineyard.” The vineyard was planted, beginning in 2005, with the major Bordeaux varietals plus Syrah and Chardonnay. The vines came from a nursery in France. The project attracted a leading Bordeaux consultant, Alain Sutre, who continues to advise Painted Rock.

“I will tell you how Alain found me,” John told me in one interview. “Alain heard about me from the nursery in Bordeaux. I had contacted the nursery directly because I wanted to get very specific clones. A year later, Alain showed up at the vineyard one day when we had just planted. He introduced himself and said, ‘I love what you have planted here, but no one in the Okanagan knows how to blend these clones.’ That was the beginning of the journey.”

The debut vintage was 2007. The wines were released in the fall of 2009 at the October Fall Wine Festival. Lauren writes: “Painted Rock was named ‘Best New Winery’ and was the talk of the room.” The following year, winery won two awards at the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wine, the first time a winery had won these prestigious awards for wines from its first vintage. In 2011, at the Wine Access Canadian Wine Awards, Painted Rock was named the Number One winery in B.C. and Number Three in Canada. Since those awards, Painted Rock has accumulated a long list of awards in Canadian and international competitions. The wines have been lauded by such experts as the late Stephen Spurrier. Articles about Painted Rock have appeared in such publications as Decanter and Le Monde.

Lauren does not mention it in her memory lane notes, but her father assiduously worked the wine markets in Europe, getting Painted Rock into top wine lists there. In my view, this has been beneficial not only to Painted Rock but the overall reputation of British Columbia wines in international markets.

Gabriel Reis (above), Painted Rock’s winemaker since 2009, makes seriously good wines. The flagship here is a Bordeaux blend that the winery, never one to be overly modest, calls Red Icon. I have reviewed most vintages of Red Icon. I featured the wine in my 2017 book, Icon: Flagship Wines from BC’s Best Wineries. Alain Sutre has been involved in blending every vintage of Red Icon. I have always scored the wine consistently highly. Here are examples of recent reviews:

Painted Rock Red Icon 2014 ($55). This is 33% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 19% Malbec, 16% Petit Verdot and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Once again, it was aged 18 months in French oak (30% new), accounting for the svelte, polished texture of its long, ripe tannins. It begins with aromas of black cherry, black currant, spice and vanilla. The palate is rich, with flavours of black cherry and black currant mingled with notes of blackberry, mocha, tobacco, vanilla and spice. The wine, if decanted, is accessible now but is built to age for 10 or 15 years. 94.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2015 ($54.99 for 1,487 cases). This blend is 45% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine begins with aromas of black cherry, cassis and vanilla which are echoed in the flavours. The texture is rich and concentrated, backed by long ripe tannins. On the finish, mocha and coffee mingle with spicy dark fruit. Decanting helps open up the aromas and flavours. It would be preferable to let it blossom in bottle for five or 10 years before opening it. 94.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2016 ($54.99). The wine is a blend of 45% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). The wine begins with aromas of blackberry, cassis and spice. The flavours are redolent with black cherry, blueberry and black raspberry mingled with subtle notes of chocolate. The tannins are long and silky. 95.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2018 ($59.99). The blend is 56% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec and 8% Petit Merlot. The wine was aged 18 months in French oak (30% new). 94.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2019 ($79.99). The blend for Painted Rock’s flagship is 42% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot, 14% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The batches were aged in French oak (30% new) for 18 months, with blending prior to bottling. The wine begins with bold aromas of dark cherry, cassis and chocolate. On the palate, there are flavours of dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry and spice. The tannins are long and elegant. Bright acidity gives the wine a refreshing fruit on the finish. 94.

Painted Rock Red Icon 2020 ($79.99). This wine, which is also available in magnums and doble magnums, is a blend of 39% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Franc, 14% Petit Verdot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. The various batches were aged 18 months in French oak (30% new) prior to blending. This is a cerebral wine beginning with aromas of spice, black cherry and black currant. On the palate, there are layers of dark fruits – black cherry, blackberry, plum and blueberry – mingled with spice and notes of chocolate. The tannins are firm but the extra year of bottle age has polished the texture. Decant for immediate consumption or lay it down for a decade or so. 95.