Top 25 Wines of 2012

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 2012 list on IconScores.ca. All wines were released within the calendar year and reviews based on barrel samples were excluded.

#1 Icon Wine of the Year
Painted Rock Estate Winery 2011 Chardonnay - $30
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.

#2
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards 2009 Oldfield Series 2Bench Red - $30
Few BC Meritage or Bordeaux "inspired" wines can accurately capture the true essence of Bordeaux and its sublime combination of terroir and fruit components. Many don't try, focusing instead on being un-apologetically New World, and we applaud that. However, the 2009 2Bench Red, whether by design or divine intervention, comes pretty darn close to a modern Bordeaux beauty and, that too, is worth round of applause.
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#3
JoieFarm 2011 Pinot Blanc - $23
Sadly, not a wine that JoieFarm will release every vintage with no 2012 yet planned. Pinot Blanc has long had the potential to be a signature white variety for the Okanagan Valley yet only a handful of producers produce a single-varietal release. This wine is the new benchmark for the varietal in BC.
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#4
Paul Hobbs Winery 2009 Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard - $180
Dense, complex and focused to the nth degree, this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon single vineyard release nears perfection. A special occasion wine for the celebration you're expecting sometime in 2014 when this wine will start to come into its own.
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#5
Viña Montes 2007 Montes Folly - $87
This wine, produced from 17-18 year old vines, is the champion of all South American Syrah and the wine to gauge all challengers against. Aged in French oak for 18 months with a further 12 months+ of bottle aging prior to release.
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#6
LaStella 2009 La Sophia - $75
Places down the Top 25 list a bit due to its lack of availability. If you managed to find a bottle, cherish it. Complex, captivating and feminine this beautiful Cabernet should last and evolve over a decade yet is tasting very well today.
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#7
Paul Hobbs Winery 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon - $100
Cabernet Sauvignon with great concentration and refinement produced from fruit sourced from multiple AVAs in Napa Valley. 2% Petite Verdot added to the blend adds a touch of spice to the dense blackberry and cassis fruit flavours.
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#8
JoieFarm 2010 Reserve Chardonnay - $30
A regular on our Top 25 list, the 2010 is another stellar vintage of Chardonnay from JoieFarm who each year release an amazingly consistent reserve-tier, robust, age-worthy wine, no matter what the growing season seems to throw their way.
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#9
LaStella 2009 Maestoso - $100
The Maestoso is a massive wine that seeks to knock your socks off with its unapologetic, Old World, heavy tannins and bone-dry texture.
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#10
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery 2009 Cabernet Franc - $33
The always appreciated Franc Funk is back in the 2009 vintage release of Burrowing Owl's single varietal release. The funk adds complexity and charm to the already very pleasing nose of super ripe mixed berries and licorice - a nose that I could sniff all day long.
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BC Wine Deal: December 4th, 2012

The following wines have been marked down at your local BC VQA and participating BCLDB stores.

Andrew Peller Cabernet/Merlot was $14.99 is now $13.99
Andrew Peller Merlot was $14.99 is now $13.99
Fork in the Road White was $17.99 is now $16.99
Inniskillin Pinot Noir Reserve was $18.99 is now $17.49
Inniskillin Chenin Blanc was $16.99 is now $15.49
Jackson Triggs Chardonnay Private Reserve was $12.99 is now $11.49
Jackson Triggs Merlot Black Series was $14.99 is now $13.49
Jackson Triggs Sauvignon Blanc Black Series was $13.99 is now $12.49
Jackson Triggs Viognier Silver Series was $13.99 is now $12.49
Kalala Cuvee Blanc was $11.95 is now $8.40
Open Cabernet/Merlot was $14.99 is now $13.49
Open Merlot was $14.99 is now $13.49
Open Sauvignon Blanc was $14.99 is now $13.49
Prospect Fats Johnson Pinot Noir was $16.99 is now $15.99
Prospect Chardonnay was $12.99 is now $11.99
Prospect Merlot/Cabernet was $14.99 is now $13.99
Prospect Regatta Red was $14.99 is now $13.99
Rigamarole White was $14.99 is now $13.99
Quails'Gate Merlot was $24.99 is now $22.99
See Ya Later Brut was $22.99 is now $20.99
See Ya Later Pinot Noir was $22.00 is now $20.00
Sumac Ridge Cabernet/Merlot was $14.99 is now $12.99
Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewurztraminer was $14.99 is now $12.99
Sumac Ridge Stellar's Jay Brut was $24.99 is now $22.99
The View Gewurztraminer was $16.98 is now $13.90

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