2020 Icon Wine of the Year

For 2020 we anoint our first Cabernet Franc as the winner of the Icon Wine of the Year award. Honorable mentions go to Viñedos Emiliana 2017 Coyam and Rust Wine Co. 2017 Syrah for placing in our top 3.

2020 Icon Wine of the Year

Cassini Cellars 2016 Collector's Series Cabernet Franc
95% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot
$40 - 15.1%
93pts

Cassini Cellars makes a number of wonderful, 'big, full-bodied reds from memorable Merlots to award-winning blends. Yet, the true star of the portfolio is this consistently exquisite, single-vineyard Cabernet Franc. The depth of flavour and refinement speaks to the vineyard practices and the spare-no-expense barrel program Cassini employs to near-perfection. 

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.

Full Review



Previous Winners

• 2019 - Little Engine 2017 Gold Series Merlot
• 2018 - Black Hills 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2017 - Black Hills 2015 Syrah and Painted Rock 2015 Syrah
• 2016 - Cassini Cellars 2013 The Aristocrat
• 2015 - Le Vieux Pin 2012 Équinoxe Syrah
• 2014 - Painted Rock 2012 Red Icon
• 2013 - Stag's Hollow Winery 2010 Cachet No. 03
• 2012 - Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay
• 2011 - Fairview Cellars 2009 The Wrath
• 2010 - Stratus Vineyards 2007 Red
• 2009 - Blackwood Lane Winery 2006 Alliance

2019 Icon Wine of the Year

For 2019 we anoint our first Merlot as the winner of the Icon Wine of the Year award. Honorable mentions go to Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2015 The Creek and to Achaval Ferrer Winery 2017 Malbec for placing in our top 3.







2019 Icon Wine of the Year

Little Engine Wines 2017 Gold Merlot
100% Merlot
$55 - 14.8%
93-94pts

The Little Engine 'Gold Merlot' is an uber-elegant, yet, concentrated and perfectly ripe expression of the Bordeaux variety reminiscent of blending the styles of high-end Sonoma and Napa Valley Merlot. Full bodied, yet, effortless on the palate and approachable in its youth, yet, possessing the structure and 'bones' to age beautifully. Layers of delicate, sweet red fruit and savoury, baking notes grace the feminine nose and super refined, approachable palate. Enjoy now or hold for further development. Drink 2020-2025.
Full Review



Previous Winners

• 2018 - Black Hills 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2017 - Black Hills 2015 Syrah and Painted Rock 2015 Syrah
• 2016 - Cassini Cellars 2013 The Aristocrat
• 2015 - Le Vieux Pin 2012 Équinoxe Syrah
• 2014 - Painted Rock 2012 Red Icon
• 2013 - Stag's Hollow Winery 2010 Cachet No. 03
• 2012 - Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay
• 2011 - Fairview Cellars 2009 The Wrath
• 2010 - Stratus Vineyards 2007 Red
• 2009 - Blackwood Lane Winery 2006 Alliance

2018 Icon Wine of the Year

For the first time in our 10 year history we have a winery with back-to-back wins: congratulations to Black Hills Estate Winery for raising the bar with their small-lot, 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon!

In the past we have shied away from picking a small release wine to celebrate as our Icon Wine of the Year as it can be too hard for readers to track a bottle down, but we just couldn't ignore this exceptional Cabernet. The fortunate few who got their hands on it have liquid gold in their cellar, those lucky ducks!

The Wine

Black Hills Estate Winery 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
$100 - 50 cases - 14.2%
95pts

Sadly this beauty was limited to the Black Hills wine club only, and I may have never encountered a better reason to join such a club thanks to its out-of-this-world depth, rarely seen in a BC Cab. Both sensual and powerful on the nose with deep, minty dark chocolate, intense cassis liqueur, tangy cordial cherry and dusty nutmeg aromas. 

The ultra fine tannin palate is equally intense and layered with similar flavours of menthol, cocoa, cassis, kirsch and spice. The long, long finish offers additional notes of vanilla, toasted oak and sweet, blackberry acidity. Truly divine.

Previous Winners

• 2017 - Black Hills 2015 Syrah and Painted Rock 2015 Syrah
• 2016 - Cassini Cellars 2013 The Aristocrat
• 2015 - Le Vieux Pin 2012 Équinoxe Syrah
• 2014 - Painted Rock 2012 Red Icon
• 2013 - Stag's Hollow Winery 2010 Cachet No. 03
• 2012 - Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay
• 2011 - Fairview Cellars 2009 The Wrath
• 2010 - Stratus Vineyards 2007 Red
• 2009 - Blackwood Lane Winery 2006 Alliance

2017 Icon Wine(s) of the Year

For the first time we have a co-winner of our Icon Wine of the Year award; two excellent Syrahs with a similar story:

Black Hills Estate Winery 2015 Syrah

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2015 Syrah

The Story

Both Syrah hail from estate wineries best known for producing big, bold, Bordeaux-styled, iconic red blends (Painted Rock's Red Icon and Black Hills' Nota Bene) yet, over the past few years, it is the house Syrah that I have found made a more lasting impression and are wines I would most often recommend, not as a consolation to the sold-out blends, but as a signature of quality for the winery and as an example of the heights this peppery, Rhone Valley grape can achieve in BC.

Syrah is handled with care in the vineyard, by both wineries, where the quality of the future wine is determined. Syrah needs constant care in the vineyard as it can grow wildly if left to its own devices and can get hit hard by BC's harshest winters.

Talking to vineyard staff about growing Syrah in BC is like discussing the ailment history of a self-diagnosing hypochondriac: you'll get a laundry list of complaints about keeping the vines healthy - even in good-weather years. Mention a particularly cold season to a vineyard manager, like the frost-heavy 2008 winter, and from the horror stories you'll hear, you'll be amazed that the vines survive at all.

Red Icon and Nota Bene have earned the hype these wines receive, but there is more to their producers than these well-promoted, 'flagship' wines, and it's their Syrah you will secretly crave and collect.

The Wines

Black Hills Estate Winery 2015 Syrah - 92+pts

Fantastical concentration in this Black Sage Bench sourced Syrah with deep, black cherry and sensual, floral aromas on the generous nose and oak-kissed layers of black cherry, mint, pepper, tobacco and blood orange flavours on the smoky, fine tannin palate. Simply gorgeous.

Full Review

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2015 Syrah - 92-93pts

This youthful Syrah displays ripe cherry and plum fruit with integrated white pepper, pepperoni and floral aromas followed on the dry, grippy-tannin palate with similar flavours and added layers of blood orange, mint and vanilla.

Full Review

Previous Winners

• 2016 - Cassini Cellars 2013 The Aristocrat
• 2015 - Le Vieux Pin 2012 Équinoxe Syrah
• 2014 - Painted Rock 2012 Red Icon
• 2013 - Stag's Hollow Winery 2010 Cachet No. 03
• 2012 - Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay
• 2011 - Fairview Cellars 2009 The Wrath
• 2010 - Stratus Vineyards 2007 Red
• 2009 - Blackwood Lane Winery 2006 Alliance

2016 Icon Wine of the Year

In a stark contrast to last year's champion, the 2016 Icon Wine of the Year award goes to our most "affordable" winner to date, the Cassini Cellars 2013 The Aristocrat. At only $40, this beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon is a bargain for the quality and refinement in the bottle. Be sure to snap up the remaining 50 cases of this stunner and look for it on the wine lists of the Province's top restaurants.


Some wine writers have proclaimed BC producers should give-up on Cabernet Sauvignon, suggesting the Bordeaux variety is too difficult to rippen in the Okanagan. The wines placing first and second in this year's ranking offer a compelling argument for the folley of that proclomation.

Cassini Cellars 2013 The Aristocrat
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
$40 - 290 cases - 15%
93pts


Congratulations to our runner-ups for this year's Icon Wine of the Year award: the LaStella 2013 La Sophia and the Painted Rock 2014 Red Icon.





The Wine
This is a world class Cabernet Sauvignon from the Southern Okanagan showing excellent typicity for the variety. Look for ripe cassis and elegant vanilla aromas on the nose with some added spicy-savoury notes providing more layers to explore. As with the 2012 vintage, the distinct, (and memory-triggering) aroma of warm Fig Newton cookies is again present.

The dry palate that follows is both uber-refined and rich in texture with a similar flavour profile and silky-smooth, yet, grippy tannins. The finish is long and expertly balanced. Though the residual alcohol clocks in at a whopping 15% it is so seamlessly integrated, it goes unnoticed, as it should.

The Story
The grapes for The Aristocrat were sourced from the Milestone vineyard situated along the east side of Osoyoos Lake, restricted to a low yeild of 2.6 tones per acre. A sun-drenched site consisting of a mix of sand and gravel soils. As winemaker and proprietor, Adrian Cassini's program for his Cabernet is attentively detailed and work intensive:

"I fermented on skins for 50 days in small batches. Punched down by hand 4 times a day to avoid the bitterness of pump-overs and then aged for 24 months in new barrels: 95 % French and 5% American oak. Very tight grain wood, a mix of 7 coopers for complexity. Ageing 24 months is a pain on our cash flow but the results are here." 

Yes, they are!
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2016 IconWines.ca

2015 Icon Wine of the Year

Though the most expensive Icon Wine of the Year to date and one of the rarest at only 334 cases produced, Le Vieux Pin's 2012 Équinoxe Syrah could not be denied the top prize for 2015; well-earned recognition for its ability to proclaim to the wine glitterati "Yes, we can make world-class Syrah in BC!" The Équinoxe demonstrates the extraordinary complexity and refinement the variety can achieve in the Okanagan Valley when the yield and vigour are managed appropriately and the right oak program is applied. 

Le Vieux Pin 2012 Équinoxe Syrah
96.5% Syrah, 3.5% Viognier
$90 - 334 cases - 13.9%
92-94pts









Congratulations to our runner-ups for this year's Icon Wine of the Year award: the SynchroMesh 2014 Stormhaven Vineyard Riesling and the LaStella 2012 Maestoso "Solo" Merlot

The Wine
A beast of a Syrah, yet, still feminine and floral in style. A true femme fatale with both mass and levity, opening with a gorgeous blend of black cherry, crushed violets, vanilla-mocha, white pepper, spicy plum sauce and sweet pipe tobacco aromas on the memorable nose. The intense, brooding palate follows with concentrated dark red fruit and smooth pepper flavours, effortless acidity and ripe, fine-grained tannins. The finish is balanced and oh-so long.

The Story
Grapes for the Équinoxe were sourced from North Oliver and from the Osoyoos Lake bench. It was produced in the style of Syrah from Northern Rhone which blends small amounts of Viognier during fermentation, contributing floral notes, texture and deepens the colour. It is then aged in French oak for 19 months before bottling. 

A youthful wine today with further development over the next 4+ years a sure thing thanks to its exceptional quality and robust tannins. It will be at home in your cellar for many years to come. 
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2015 IconWines.ca

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

2013 Icon Wine of the Year

2013 was another amazing year for wines with the proof showing in our Top 25 Icon Wines of the Year list. I'm confident every bottle on that list would satisfy even the most demanding of palates out there. However, there is always one wine which stands-out from its peers and remains imprinted in my mind's palate indefinitely, and for 2013 this wine is:

Stag's Hollow Winery 2010 Cachet No. 03
49% Tempranillo, 43% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
$50 - 55 cases - 14%
93+pts - Icon Score

Congratulations to our runner-ups for this year's Icon Wine of the Year award: the 99-point Silverback Vineyards 2011 Reserve Syrah and the sublime JoieFarm 2011 "En Famille" Reserve Gewurztraminer. Sadly, all three of our finalists for 2013 are in short supply and may take a bit of effort to get a hold of, though, your persistence will pay off.

The Wine
Produced under Stag's Hollow's premier Cachet Wines label reserved for special, one-off blends, that represent the very best of each vintage. The humbly named "No. 03", the third such wine to receive the designation, is a blend of 49% Tempranillo, 43% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is pure delight with loads of sweet, smoky fruit aromas and fragrant perfume notes; a truly sexy developing bouquet. The palate is fluid, medium-plus bodied, yet intense and powerful with layers of ripe plum and blackberry fruit mixed with exotic spices and savoury characters. The finish is long and balanced and beckons your continued attention.

The Story
As the story goes, during a busy day in the winery during harvest, proprietor and part-time forklift driver, Larry Gerelus, accidentally combined fruit from the Tempranillo bloc with the grapes picked from rows 1-4 of their home vineyard Merlot and chaos ensued. However, from chaos comes clarity and thus the fortuitous decision to live with the mistake and see what happens was made. With some later tweaking, via the addition of 8% Cabernet Sauvignon to help add some structure to the otherwise, middleweight wine, the extraordinary finished product more than made-up for Larry's 'mistake'... and the rest, as they say, is history.

Stag's Hollow Winery has long been a producer of some of the Province's most inventive and challenging wines and Cachet No. 03 is the winery's (current) highpoint - a proclamation to the rest of Canada that something special is going on in Okanagan Falls.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2013 IconWines.ca

2012 Icon Wine of the Year

For the first time, we've elevated a white wine to be our Icon Wine of the Year as presented to the "best" wine released in the calendar year of 2012 that combines the following virtues: price, quality, pedigree, collectability, longevity and availability to the wine consuming public in Canada. The winner for 2012 is:

Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay
$30 - 500 cases - 14.3%
93pts - Icon Score

Congratulations to our runner-ups for this year's Icon Wine of the Year award: both from BC, the elegant Tinhorn Creek 2009 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red and the superb JoieFarm 2011 Pinot Blanc. All three wines are available direct from the wineries for $30 and under proving that great wine does not always have to come with a lofty price tag.

The Wine
This beautiful, bar-setting Chardonnay effortlessly combines the inherent crispness and pure fruit expression of an un-oaked example with the elegant texture and rich body derived from 100% new French Oak. Intense and concentrated with lush, tropical, melon and stonefruit characters supported by a vibrant backbone of citrus acidity and a long, long, balanced finish of tangy, green apple, tangerine and brioche flavours.

Light caramel, vanilla spice and oak notes add complexity and depth to the sublime palate which avoids the perils of over-oaked, butter-bomb Chardonnay by limiting the secondary malolactic fermentation to only 20% of the barrels used in the final blend and by integrating the oak influence so completely, you barely know it's there.

The Story
This sublime balance was achieved with an elaborate harvesting plan which saw the single-vineyard fruit picked on three separate dates each targeting the particular characteristics of individual vines. The three lots remained apart through vinification and a further 5 months in barrel prior to blending allowing the winemaking team to compile the finished wine from the unique attributes of each component. A time-consuming effort but one that has paid dividends for Painted Rock who have implementing the technique in subsequent vintages and taking it even further by introducing a vine-by-vine coding system for pruning.

In 2011, Painted Rock was narrowly beaten out by Fairview Cellars for that year's top honors for their outstanding 2009 red blend. This year we couldn't overlook their contribution to BC wine by raising the bar on single-vineyard Chardonnay production in the province; creating a product delightfully complex and supremely balanced - a true icon wine.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2012 IconWines.ca

Also see:
2011 Icon Wine of the Year
2010 Icon Wine of the Year
2009 Icon Wine of the Year