Painted Rock Syrah 2007
Painted Rock started selling their first wine late last summer. The buzz has been building ever since. This is serious wine with no compromises. Their vineyard gets sunlight until 9:25pm in the summer. Rocks surrounding the vineyard collect and radiate heat. The air drains evenly through the vineyard over the cliffs into Skaha Lake. Not a detail has been overlooked with how this vineyard has been set up.
So how does the wine taste? Well, let’s just say their modest line of 5 wines – Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Cab Sauv (now sold out) and Red Icon (meritage blend) – easily stand out. I first tasted their wines at a trade tasting at last fall’s wine festival. Aaron and I were tasting whites in the ballroom of the Ramada when we found that there were other wineries in the smaller room opposite the ballroom. Upon entering said room, we were greeted by a lady who came right up to us and said something like, “Here, try this chardonnay” to which we replied, “Um, thanks. Who are you?”
She told us a bit about Painted Rock and their products and in truth, I remember nothing of what she said. I was so taken by this chardonnay – its complex aromas and depth – that everything else was kind of tuned out for a minute or so. That’s when I looked up to see that Aaron was paying as much attention to the wine as I was.
Suffice it to say that when we came back to try the reds (again after having tasted much of the reds in the bigger ballroom) we were again knocked out by the same complexity as the chardonnay. I had to know more about this winery.
The result is this podcast. I recently sat down for an interview with Painted Rock owner John Skinner about the new winery and the marketing that has helped create buzz about the winery that won “Best New Winery” at the 2009 Fall Wine Festival.
