Top 25 Value Wines of 2014

We've selected the top 25 wines for 2014 that we feel represent the best value to the consumer. Though all wines selected are priced at $20 or less, with this list we allowed ourselves to be subjective as to what "value" represents.

#1 
Bodegas Atalaya 2012 Laya - $14
A blend of 70% Garnacha and 30% Monastrell with bold, dark cherry and Christmas cake aromas on the expressive nose. Tangy and mouth watering, the palate packs a punch with dark fruit, cured meat and French oak flavours.
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#2 
Les Vins Bonhomme 2012 El Petit Bonhomme Tinto - $15
Fruity on the nose with aromas of cherry and blackcurrant supported by savoury notes like pipe tobacco, menthol, anise, oak and spices. The palate offers similar flavours and rounded tannins and tangy, citrus acidity.
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#3
Maverick Estate Winery 2013 Origin - $16
This blend of Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc (60/40 respectively) showcases classic characters of both varieties, balancing sweet, tropical fruit notes and unctuous texture from the Gewurz with crisp citrus fruit and cool mineral elements from the Sauv Blanc.
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#4
Les Vins Bonhomme 2012 El Petit Bonhomme Blanco - $14
A crisp, fruity and vibrant wine made from 100% Verdejo sourced from the Northwest Spanish region of Rueda offering nectarine, peach pit and passion-fruit aromas on the nose and tangy citrus and ripe melon flavours on the mineral-infused palate. Finishes a bit 'hot', though the lingering spicy notes are memorable and help this 'fresh white' stand-out from the crowd.
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#5
Quails' Gate Estate Winery 2013 Dry Riesling - $17
Pale straw in colour, this Riesling from West Kelowna's iconic Quails' Gate Winery is crisp and vibrant delivering apple, pear, pinapple and citrus fruit aromas and flavours grounded by a strong backbone of stonefruit.
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#6
Calliope Wines 2013 Figure Eight White - $16
On of the things the BC wine industry does very well is create budget conscious, over-achieving, white blends that deliver all the complexity, balance and ease-of-drink that you could possibly hope to get from a wine only a cough above $15.
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#7
Mt. Boucherie Winery 2011 Sémillon - $15.50
A refreshing and crisp version of the Bordeaux variety that offers a nice blend of tangy citrus, juicy peach and mouth watering green apple flavours after a similarly themed, yet, fuller, citrus and nectarine infused nose. Finishes a tad sharp, though, lingering mineral and lime peel notes add to its inherent liveliness.
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#8
Pascual Toso 2012 Malbec - $15

This easy-drinking, fruit-forward Malbec offers plenty of juicy, ripe cherry and tangy wild-blackberry fruit on the otherwise spicy-vanilla nose and the mild-mannered palate where light tannins and acidity play a supporting role to the hero of the wine, its tangy, fleshy fruit.

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#9

Bench 1775 Winery 2013 Chill - $17
A refreshing, vibrant and juicy blend of 46% Pinot Gris, 25% Chardonnay, 11% Sauvignon Blanc and 6% each of Semillon, Viognier and Gewurztraminer that combines equal parts ripe tropical and cool stonefruit elements on the aromatic nose and the (mostly) dry palate.
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#10
Fort Berens Estate Winery 2013 Riesling - $18
Fort Berens is carving out a nice niche for themselves as producers of one of BC's most consistent and affordable, terroir-driven Rieslings. $18 is a steal for wine that ticks most, if not all of the boxes that Riesling fanatics look for when choosing their next bottle of what Jancis Robertson calls "indisputably the greatest white wine grape in the world...".
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Top 25 Wines of 2014

The format for our Top 25 list uses a subjective approach taking into account availability, collectability and relevance in the world of wine. For simply the highest rated wines of the year please visit our Top 25 Rated Wines of 2014 list on IconScores.ca. All wines were released within the calendar year and reviews based solely on barrel samples were excluded.

#1 - Icon Wine of the Year

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2012 Red Icon - $55
Though the components change year-to-year, Painted Rock's Red Icon is an exceptionally consistent, high-end blend that successfully executes its but de vie to deliver complex, New World flavours wrapped in an elegant, Old World structure.
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#2

Château de Beaucastel 2011 Chateauneuf-du-Pape - $92
Perhaps lacking in the power department when compared to the opulent and dense 2010, the 2011 thrives on subtle layers of sweet red and dark fruit, dry rock, fragrant flowers, warm garrique and smooth tobacco aromas and flavours.
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#3

LaStella 2011 Maestoso "Solo" Merlot - $100
Supremely elegant and nuanced, LaStella's flagship wine, Maestoso, proves that 100% Merlot wines can be just as memorable and complete as equally priced Cabernet Sauvignon when handled with as much care and detailed attention that the Osoyoos Lake winery applies to this beautiful wine.
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#4

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2013 Chardonnay - $30
My favourite words for the Painted Rock Chardonnay are "consistency", "pure" and "effortless". And its the last word of the bar-setting trio that makes this wine such a stand out. The nose is generous with layers of pure fruit (orchard, citrus, tropical) supported by French oak, minerals and light brioche aromas, but it is the effortless palate that is most memorable. 
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#5

Marchesi de Frescobaldi 2008 CastelGiocondo - $55
A warm, sweet scented, perfumed nose with berry, prune and spice notes. The palate is both silky and powerful with fantastic balance of fruit, herb, savoury and spice characters. Tannins are fine and dusty. The finish is long and memorable.
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#6

LaStella 2011 La Sophia - $85
This is near, pitch-perfect, cool-climate Cabernet with a lovely balance between its concentrated, dark berry fruit and its complex, vegetal'n'herbs components. The feminine palate is smooth with fine, ripe tannins and hints of graphite, vanilla, coffee grinds and cherry-cola. Herbs and cassis purée linger on the long, long, smoky finish. Will evolve over a decade-plus.
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#7

Marchesi Antinori 2010 Villa Antinori - $25
This blend of 55% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Syrah from Italy's famed Marchesi Antinori is a seductive, over-achiever that effortlessly blends, plump, red and blue fruit with sweet herbs and dusty, savoury flavours of cured meats, cocoa powder and leather. oak influence is generous, but well integrated, contributing to the fine, supple tannins and smooth palate.
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#8

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2012 Syrah  - $40
Aromas of smoke, cured meats, white pepper and minerals may make you think first of the Northern Rhone, but really, this is pure Okanagan and one of the valley's best examples of how Syrah can thrive in BC when planted in the right areas and handled with tough love, as they do at Painted Rock Estate Winery.
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#9

Paul Hobbs Winery 2011 Katherine Lindsay Estate Pinot Noir - $80
A big Pinot at a big price for folks looking for mannered intensity wrapped in an elegant veil of dark fruit and sweet forrest floor aromas. Medium purple hued Pinot with a silky textured palate bursting with ripe dark cherry and black currant fruit balanced by meaty-earthy notes, all-the-while remaining Pinot-esk, though, only barely.
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#10

JoieFarm 2013 A Noble Blend - $24
Tropical, citrus and pear fruit hit you first in the form of vibrant aromas and intensely sweet flavours. Then, the wine's secondary and tertiary layers appear as waves of crisp acidity and lingering spice; adding balance and complexity. This wine is a joy to drink.
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2014 Icon Wine of the Year

Painted Rock's Red Icon has long been a yearly entrant in the top 5 of our Top 25 Icon Wines of the Year, but for 2014, we had to award this fabulous blend the top spot. Though the tasting score equals previous vintages, there's just something about the 2012 Red Icon that stays with you, even months later and proves it's worthy to be this year's Icon Wine of the Year:

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2012 Red Icon
31% Malbec blended with 28% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc and 15% Petit Verdot
$55 - 14.9%
93+pts - Full Review

Congratulations to our runner-ups for this year's Icon Wine of the Year award: the 2011 Château de Beaucastel and the supremely elegant LaStella 2011 Maestoso "Solo" Merlot.



The Wine
Though the components change year-to-year, Painted Rock's Red Icon is an exceptionally consistent, high-end blend that successfully executes its but de vie to deliver complex, New World flavours wrapped in an elegant, Old World structure.

This BC Icon offers a gorgeous, feminine nose of spiced plum, sweet red fruit, light vanilla-mocha and floral aromas. The understated, refined, palate follows with both dark and red fruit flavours creating the perception of sweetness upon entry, supported by silky-smooth tannins, rich savoury notes and effortless acidity through the very long, dry and balanced finish.

The Story
We love this wine for its uniqueness in the world of cookie-cutter big reds. The first vintage (2007) had Petit Verdot as the leading grape in the blend... yeah, Petit Verdot! None of the corporate wineries would ever try that. (And to be fair, I doubt proprietor John Skinner would ever again either... the bane of originality.) These bold risks combined with continual refinement of the winery's detailed vineyard management practices, pruning and harvesting programs have paid off delivering a unique blend from a picture perfect vineyard offering honest vintage variation. 

There's every reason to expect to see future vintages of the Red Icon in our top 5 for years to come as the Painted Rock team have committed to producing a flagship product for the BC wine industry. Lofty goals, but ones the team has thus far been able to deliver.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2014 IconWines.ca

Monthly Picks: December '14 - Happy Holidays

Stock your cellar with red blen-nds. 
Fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.
'Tis the season for great frien-nds. 
Fa-la-la-la-la la la la la. 
Drink us now our Meritage? 
Fa-la-la-la-la la la la la.
BC's Best! (So I allege.) 
Fa-la-la-la-la la la la la. 

Merry Meritage everyone and to everyone a happy new blend!

Calliope Wines 2012 Figure Eight Red - 416
Juicy, friendly and well balanced, the Calliope Figure Eight makes a nice, straight-forward, entry-level, red blend of 54% Merlot, 34% Syrah and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, delivering ripe plum and sweet tobacco aromas on the aromatic nose and a variety of red fruit flavours on the front-loaded palate.
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La Frenz Winery 2012 Montage - $22
La Frenz's middleweight red blend combines Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir to produce a red fruit and oak'n'spice infused wine ideal for early consumption over the next 1-2 years. Buy it by the case and make it your house red to the delight of all your guests.
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Maverick Estate Winery 2012 Rubicon - $25
This medium-bodied, spicy, herbal wine is a blend of 60% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon all sourced from the Golden Mile Bench in the Southern Okanagan Valley. Deep ruby-purple in colour, the Rubicon is a mild-mannered, feminine expression of Syrah with enhanced aromatics from the Cabernet Franc and an easy-going tannic backbone from the Cabernet Sauvignon.
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River Stone Estate Winery 2011 Corner Stone - $29
A blend of 53% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Malbec which opens with lovely, deep aromas of blueberry, blackberry and cherry fruit with light, smoky, charred-oak notes and hints of dried herbs on the nose.
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Gold Hill Winery 2012 Family Reserve Meritage - $35
A nice entry into the popular 'big-blend' category for the Golden Mile-based winery from the Southern Okanagan. A sweetly scented, feminine nose billows from the glass with engaging, blackberry, cassis, raspberry seeds, pine needles, sweet pipe tobacco, vanilla-mocha and French oak aromas.
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LaStella 2012 Fortissimo - $35
I never like to quote a winery's marketing material, but Fortissimo's tag line "Old world meets the New World" is hard to beat. The wine is equal parts, ripe, BC Meritage and savoury, traditional Chianti. When combined, the result is an Okanagan version of a modern, 'Super-Tuscan'.
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Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2011 Athene - $38
This lovely Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon melange (55-45, respectively) successfully combines the classic characteristics of both varieties, producing a nose that pairs pepper with cassis and cherry-cola with dusty sagebrush while warm, toasted oak and light floral aromas add a touch of sweet femininity.
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 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2014 IconWines.ca