For our Top 10 list we are using a subjective approach taking into account availability, collectability and relevance in the world of wine. All Top 10 Icon Wines of the Year were released within the calendar year in the BC market. Reviews based on barrel samples were excluded.
#1 - Icon Wine of the Year
Its trademark menthol and eucalyptus aromas and flavours are on show, in spades, supported by a plethora of blue fruit, toasted oak, spices and savoury notes on the generous, seductive nose and the well-balanced, elegant palate. Ready to go now, with some decanting. Drink 2021-2026.
#2
Dense, yet, gentle and approachable, this is a complex wine offering a range of aromas and flavours of ripe red fruits, blood orange, warm rocks, cigar box, toasted oak and spiced, mochaccino. Finishes dry with lingering notes of cooking spices, black cherry acidity and dusty tannins. Ready to go now, but, should continue to evolve and integrate over the next 2 years. Drink 2022-2027.
#3
This Syrah, sourced from the Black Sage Bench, is the most well-rounded and impressive of the three Rust Wine Co. produce. A little more intense than its Golden Mile Bench cousin and more refined than its Similkameen Valley kin. It all seems to come together in this beautiful Syrah with excellent concentration on the ripe berry and potpourri scented nose and the long-lived, elegant, yet, bold palate. Classic Syrah characters are on offer here: dark and red fruits, white pepper and hints of mint and cola. Ready to go now. Drink 2020-2024.
#4
A fresh and vibrant alternative to your pricey, uber-extracted (and, occasionally, overly-serious) California Cab and to the hibernating Bordeaux in your cellar which you aren't yet ready to open, the Undurraga 'T.H.' (standing for Terroir Hunter) delivers the depth and concentration you desire from Cabernet Sauvignon, without the wait or the hefty price.
#5
The Summit is a proprietary blend of 43% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Syrah and 2% Malbec sourced from what the winery considers its best blocks in its Okanagan and Similkameen Valley vineyards. Both generous and layered on the developing bouquet with a sensual, feminine profile of ripe berries, violets, baking spices and sweet, pipe tobacco.
#6
SpearHead's flagship Pinot Noir is a barrel select blend of multiple clones and vineyard sites and checks all the right boxes for an outstanding BC Pinot Noir; brooding cherry notes, earth and forest tones, smoky tannins and wildberry acidity. Put this beauty down for 2 more years to further integrate and mature. Drink 2022-2028.
#7
Burrowing Owl's Meritage is a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec sourced from the winery's Oliver and Osoyoos vineyards. Once each component is hand-harvested they ferment in barrel and spend 14 months ageing in oak separately prior to the assemblage whereupon the wine is then aged a further 4 months in oak before bottling. Its a patient, ever-adapting process to deliver the best expression of the vintage whilst keeping with the house style of big, yet, supremely approachable, rounded red wines bursting with New World, bold fruit characters, supporting, savoury notes and feminine, sweet spices.
#8
A sensual, rounded and generous, Right Bank inspired blend (Merlot leading with lesser amounts of the remaining 4 Bordeaux reds) oozing with ripe, red and dark fruit, lightly toasted oak, warm vanilla mocha and aromatic spices on the feminine nose and maturing, toasty-tannin palate. Already approachable at 3 years of age, has the bones to age gracefully with some further development, if you're patient. Drink 2021-2026.
#9
An uber-spicy, masculine Syrah offering a dense nose pairing white and black pepper with black plum, vanilla, licorice and beef jerky aromas. A meaty, raw palate follow with layers of spice intertwining bright black cherry, cool iron, black and green peppercorn and toasted oak flavours. Ready to go now. Drink 2020-2023.
#10
Sourced from multiple vineyards in the Central and Southern Okanagan Valley, the La Frenz Sauvignon Blanc bursts out of the glass with intense, pungent aromas of gooseberries, grapefruit, yeasty-brioche, stone fruit, and grass. The palate is bright and lip-smacking with plenty of texture and a hint of sugar, mid-palate, then finishes dry with citrus peel, minerals and a touch of lingering spice. To be enjoyed in its youth. Drink 2020-2022.
- Liam Carrier ©copyright 2020 IconWines.ca
