Painted Rock Part 9 of a series on the Okanagan Valley, a
remarkable wine region in British Columbia, Canada
I've been to Painted Rock three times now, so it's about time I gave
it a proper write-up The dynamic, detail-oriented John Skinner
founded this property after an extensive search for the perfect
vineyard site in the Okanagan, and carefully planted it with a mix
of Bordeaux varieties, and also added in some Chardonnay and Syrah.
His first career was in banking (he was a stockbroker in Vancouver
for 25 years), but it was another Okanagan property, Burrowing Owl,
that convinced him to take a step sideways into wine when he tasted
their Merlot and Cabernet Franc wines.
John Skinner, Painted Rock
'My biggest advantage is bot being in the industry,' says John, 'so
I hired good people.' After identifying the perfect spot following a
four year search, he still had a lot of work to do. It's a 56 acre
bench on Skaha Lake, near Penticton, and had previously been an
apricot orchard which had been fallow since the 1980s. 'This site
was a raw prospect,' he recalls. 'It had 800 tree stumps. We took
each one out, and it took a year.' During this period he was logging
the climate using a series of weather stations. This meant that when
he planted, he could be deliberate about his choice of which
varieties to plant where. It's a warm site, surrounded by an
amphitheatre of rocks, so in the end he went 95% red.
Skinner had sound planting advice and put the rows in East-West. The
vines went into the ground in 2005, and now they are beginning to
show the potential of the site, as the roots have begun to
interrogate the subsoil. The top soil here consists of glacial silt,
clay, sand and volcanic ash, sitting on top of gravel deposits. Soil
pits showed that the roots had begun to get down to the gravel in
2013, and there was a corresponding uplift in quality in the blocks
where this had happened. Currently 25 acres are under vine, and
Painted Rock is an entirely vineyard-based project.
In the 2010 vintage they lost a third of a crop to black bears, and
so the perimeter of the property is now electrified!
Lauren
Skinner and Gabe Reis
Production is 7000 cases annually, and Skinner has no plans to
expand this family legacy project (his daughter Lauren is now
working with him). 'It's not about getting bigger, just getting
better,' he says.
From the beginning, Alain Sutre has been hired as a consultant
winemaker (he also works at Culmina and Poplar Grove in the
Okanagan, among other clients). Gabriel Reis is the on-site
winemaker. The wines are very polished. Skinner is serious in his
intent to make the best wines possible, and has invested in the
resources needed to meet his aims. They fall somewhere in between
the New World and Old World. I like them, but the alcohol levels can
be a little high (hovering around 15%, with pH levels of around 4).
THE WINES
Painted Rock Chardonnay 2015 Okanagan Valley, Canada 80% spends 6 months in oak, 40% new. Bright with pithy
grapefruit and lemon notes. Focused with nice direct fruit. Clean
and appealing. 90/100 (07/16)
Painted Rock Chardonnay 2017 Okanagan Valley, Canada 80% spends 6 months in oak, 40% new. Partial malolactic, pH
3.76, TA 6 g/litre. Clones 76 and 548. Spicy and a little bit nutty
with pear and almond characters. Rich and smooth with a soft mid
palate and notes of cream and bread. 90/100 (07/18)
Painted Rock Merlot 2013 Okanagan Valley, Canada 18 months in French oak, 30% new. Sweet, textural, rich and
bold with a polished character. Some tar notes alongside the
blackcurrant and blackberry fruit with a fine-grained, chalky
structure. 90/100 (07/16)
Painted Rock Merlot 2014 Okanagan Valley, Canada Clones 181 and 347, 18 months in French oak, 30% new. pH
3.75, alcohol 15.3%. Rich and textured with smooth, sweet black
cherries. Lush with good depth and a slight saltiness. Very polished
and carries the alcohol well. 92/100(07/18)
Painted Rock Syrah 2013 Okanagan Valley, Canada This has 80% French oak, 20% American, with around
one-third new. Rich, bold, ripe and a bit peppery with black
cherries and plums with some spiciness. Some sweet oak notes. Modern
in style. 90/100 (07/16)
Painted Rock Syrah 2015 Okanagan Valley, Canada Clones 99 and 100, pH 4.02, TA 6.2 g/l, 14.9% alcohol.
Floral and expressive with black cherries and pepper on the nose.
Sweetly fruited and expressive. Sleek and smooth with some
definition. Nice purity here. 93/100 (07/18)
Painted Rock Red Icon 2014 Okanagan Valley, Canada # 33% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, 19% Malbec, 16% Petit
Verdot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 18 months in French oak,
30% new. Fresh and supple with lovely ripe, sweet blackcurrant and
black cherry fruit. Nice focus here: pretty, expressive and pure
with floral cherry notes. Modern but really appealing. 93/100
(07/16)
Painted Rock Red Icon 2015 Okanagan Valley, Canada 45% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 11% Petit
Verdot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 18 months in French oak, 30%
new. pH 3.92, TA 6.3 g/l, 14.6% alcohol. This has lovely ripe, sweet
blackcurrant and blackberry fruit with a seductive personality and
some spicy warmth. Seamless. 92/100 (07/18)
Painted Rock Malbec 2015 Okanagan Valley, Canada Second vintage of this wine. 15.2% alcohol. 30% new oak.
This has lovely spicy, peppery detail alongside the lush ripe black
fruits. Smooth and seamless with nice depth. Luscious, polished and
balanced. 93/100 (07/18)
Painted Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Okanagan Valley, Canada
18 months in French oak, 30% new. 14.6% alcohol, pH
3.97, TA 6.6 g/l. Fresh and detailed with good depth and
concentration. Sleek blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with a
seamless quality. Fine grained with some spicy structure. 91/100
(07/18)
Painted Rock Cabernet Franc 2015 Okanagan Valley, Canada 18 months in oak, 30% new. 15.3% alcohol, pH 3.97, TA 6.3
g/l. This has great concentration. Sleek and smooth with sweet
blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Has a softeness and very smooth
tannic structure. Lush and expressive with a slight saltiness. Real
finesse here. 92/100 (07/18)