Continuity, complete, sophisticated. I've found Painted Rock to be the most marked of the Okanagan wineries, when it comes to vintage variation. The wines truly show what the year was like. For example, 2015 being a hot year, these wines are robust and ripe, muscular in style. Now, that doesn’t mean the wines are any less elegant; they are simply more. Additionally, the vines are now over a decade old, and while there's always been a sense of continuity with this estate, Painted Rock's direction grows more notable each year. Aptly named, their premium Red Icon is an amalgamation of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The nose delivers cassis and plum cake, sage and sweet spices, mocha, pencil shavings and vanilla. Intense and supple, but not lacking freshness, it has an archetypal Bordeaux character. Toasted spice, cocoa, dark forest berries and graphite flavour the palate. It is lengthy and complex--another exemplary rendition of this blend.
As reviewed in Vines Magazine, Spring 2018
Open now and decant, or hold for up to 10 years to allow it to coalesce more.
©copyright 2018 Daenna Van Mulligen
Wine Scores Reviewed - July 11th, 2018