Named after 500-year-old pictographs discovered on the property, Painted Rock is a beautiful estate winery located along the Skaha Bench in Penticton, British Columbia. I was fortunate to have visited this winery in 2016, but I really fell hard for their wines when I tried the 2015 vintage at the Okanagan Falls Winery Association tasting in Vancouver last spring. Subsequently I have also had the opportunity to try the 2016 vintage, which I find to be equally as impressive.
A passionate oenophile, the proprietor of Painted Rock, John Skinner, worked as a stockbroker for more than 25 years before entering the wine industry. When he revealed to his colleagues that his exit strategy from the financial world was going to be opening a winery, one of them remarked that they thought he was “barking mad.” [1]
John and his wife, Trish, envisioned building a winery that would one day become a legacy for future generations, therefore they wanted to build their winery carefully, from the ground-up. In 2001 the Skinners began combing the Okanagan for the perfect property and, in their pursuit for perfection, their search stretched over three years. In 2004 they finally came across a 56-acre property known as The Black Hawk; previously an apricot orchard that had fallen to the gypsy moth infestation in the 1980’s.
The Black Hawk property ticked all the boxes, so when the purchase was complete, the Skinners dove into extensive land analysis and preparations for planting. After taking such care selecting their property and preparing it for planting, John requested very specific clones from Bordeaux. He was told that he could not have these clones and was instead offered a selection of clones that were “almost as good.” Almost as good, was not good enough. John procured the phone number for the nursery in France that they were working with and, as he describes it, he “wore them down” and was eventually successful securing his preferred clones. The vines were planted in 2005 and included Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Syrah.
French wine consultant, Alain Sutre, knew the nursery where the Skinners had purchased their clones. Alain soon learned the story of the winery in the Okanagan that had procured the revered vines and his interest was piqued. He followed the vines across the Atlantic and made the trek to Painted Rock where, as they say, the rest is history. Alain has been consulting with Painted Rock since 2006.
2007 was the very first vintage produced at Painted Rock and these wines were released in 2009 to great acclaim. The first vintage won them not just one, but two, BC Lieutenant Governors Awards; an astounding achievement for vines that were only three years old. As the vines at Painted Rock have become more mature, their roots reach deeper into the earth improving the intensity and complexity of the wine. The continuous improvement in the quality of the wines produced at Painted Rock is evidenced by their ability to claim awards year-after-year including being chosen as InterVin’s International Winery of the Year 2018/2019.
In 2015 the Skinners’ dream for a family legacy began to come into focus when their daughter, Lauren Skinner, came on board as Director of Sales and Marketing. Lauren earned her way into the family business, working summers in the tasting room at Painted Rock while she attended the University of Victoria earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology and a minor in business. In 2011, she completed her MBA in Luxury Brand Management at INSEEC (Institut de Hautes Etudes Economiques et Commerciales) in Bordeaux. Prior to joining the team at Painted Rock, Lauren gained experience working in the Vancouver Real Estate sector and earning her WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust) Level 3 with honours.
During a Painted Rock dinner at the Water Street Café this month, John credits his daughter Lauren with playing a major role in successfully arguing that the Skaha Bench should be established as a sub-appellation. As a result of Lauren’s work, a recent plebiscite conducted by the BC Wine Authority, found that 19 out of 20 wineries on the Skaha Bench voted in favour of creating this sub-appellation. The results of the plebiscite have been forwarded to the BC Ministry of Agriculture for approval, which would change the regulations making it possible for wineries to put “Skaha Bench” on their labels.
Why is establishing sub-appellations, like the Skaha Bench, important? The geographic location of a vineyard has a direct influence on the characteristics expressed in a wine. A sub-appellation is a geographical indication of where the grapes were grown. A geographical indication on a wine label is a guarantee to the consumer that the grapes were grown in a specific region. This is significant “because that additional information on the wine label can help consumers find wine that has distinct and desired flavours.” [2]
While we wait for news confirming the Skaha Bench sub-appellation, here are my tasting notes on a few of the outstanding wines from Painted Rock Estate Winery.
2016 Malbec $44.99 (wine club member exclusive)
After only an hour in the decanter this wine has a pronounced nose with cedar, black pepper, cherry, blackberry and marzipan. This is a full bodied, viscous wine with medium+ acidity and medium, silky tannins. The palate offers great concentration with black cherry, dark chocolate and coffee notes, while black pepper brings a savoury element to the mid palate and blackberries and prunes fill-out the lingering finish.
2015 Cabernet Franc $44.99
The 2015 Painted Rock Cabernet Franc sold out at the winery this summer, but the 2016 has been released and I would recommend getting some while it’s still available.
After two hours in the decanter, the 2015 Cabernet Franc has a fairly pronounced nose consisting of dried dill, leather, olive tapenade, cherry and almond. I found this wine to be full bodied, with high acidity and moderate, velvety tannins. On the palate bright, crunchy blackberries evolve into dried blackcurrants, dried figs and prunes. There is an underlying savouriness to this wine as well as hints of mocha, new leather and green pepper, culminating in a long finish.
2015 Syrah $39.99
After two hours in the decanter I can’t keep-up with the evolution of aromas coming from this wine. At first there is blackberry, plum, violet, prosciutto and vanilla. When the prosciutto disappears, it leaves behind subtle nuances of black pepper and cedar. Later black cherries emerge and even star anise makes an appearance. The palate is silky at first with sweet, ripe black cherries. Then velvety tannins take over bringing with them blackberries, bramble, savoury eucalyptus and black pepper, resolving into dried figs and tobacco leaf on a long, lingering finish.
2015 Red Icon $54.99
The 2015 Painted Rock Red Icon is a blend of 45% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 11% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon.
After nearly three hours in the decanter there are aromas of cherry, black plum, lilac, liquorice, blackcurrant, black pepper and Spanish cedar. This is a full-bodied wine with high acidity and high tannins, which are balanced by fruit flavours on the palate. The palate evolves slowly producing a long finish. There are layers of blackberries, blackcurrant, savoury dried herbs, liquorice and clove.
Painted Rock Estate Winery
400 Smythe Drive
Penticton, BC
V2A 8W6
Footnotes
[1] Schreiner, J. (May 6, 2013). The Second Coming of BC Wineries. Retrieved from https://www.bcbusiness.ca/the-second-coming-of-bc-wineries
[2] Korstrom, G. (December 4, 2018). Skaha Bench Inching Closer to Being a BC Wine Sub-Appleation. Retrieved from https://biv.com/article/2018/12/skaha-bench-inching-closer-being-bc-wine-sub-appellation
Sources
Bell, R.A. Retrieved from http://www.winesofcanada.com/featured_winery_paintedRock.html
Korstrom, G. (December 4, 2018). Skaha Bench Inching Closer to Being a BC Wine Sub-Appellation. Retrieved from https://biv.com/article/2018/12/skaha-bench-inching-closer-being-bc-wine-sub-appellation
Pender, R. (Winter 2009). Painted Rock Estate Winery: Solid as a Rock. Retrieved from http://montecristomagazine.com/magazine/winter-2009/painted-rock-estate-winery
Schreiner, J. (February 1, 2018). Painted Rock will Take on Bordeaux. Retrieved from https://johnschreiner.blogspot.com/2018/02/painted-rock-will-take-on-bordeaux.html
Schreiner, J. (May 6, 2013). The Second Coming of BC Wineries. Retrieved from https://www.bcbusiness.ca/the-second-coming-of-bc-wineries