CheckMate Little Pawn Chardonnay scores 100 again

Photo: Jagged Rock Vineyard

CheckMate Artisanal Winery is about to announce its spring release: four Chardonnays and two Merlots that are among the benchmark wines of the Okanagan.

At a previous spring release, I scored the 2015 CheckMate Little Pawn Chardonnay 100 points. I have decided to award the same score to the 2016 Little Pawn Chardonnay. 2016 was, arguably, a better vintage than 2015.

More to the point, the wine was grown in the same vineyard. There seems to be something quite special about the Jagged Rock Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench that produces these grapes.

“Jagged Rock Vineyard (left), surrounded by steep rocky cliffs at 1,400 feet elevation, is a remarkable spot,” agrees a spokesman for Sebastian Farms, the holding company that manages the vineyard for Mission Hill and associated wineries. “The sparse, sun-kissed soils and heat radiating off the cliffs provides an ideal viticultural environment. Our Jagged Rock vineyard in the Southern Okanagan is tucked in against steep cliffs where cool desert nights, incredible sunlight, and a variety of unique soils provide an excellent home for our wines.”

The soils are deep, stone free and were formed from glacial deposits. The spare nature of the soils helps produce balanced fruit. Winemaker Phil McGahan (below) at CheckMate oversees the viticulture, making sure the Chardonnay vines are farmed to suit his requirements.

In addition to Chardonnay, other varieties also do well at Jagged Rock. These include Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Those wines are produced by Mission Hill. CheckMate has a very focused portfolio: just Chardonnay and Merlot.

After five vintages in the Okanagan, Phil has mastered the grapes and the terroir as though he had been here his entire life. He was trained in Australia and, before he was recruited to CheckMate, he worked for several years in the Sonoma Valley in California.

CheckMate is one of the jewels in Anthony von Mandl’s Okanagan wineries. (Others include Mission Hill Family Estate, Martin’s Lane Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery and Road 13 Vineyards.)

CheckMate was created after Anthony in 2012 purchased an exceptional Chardonnay vineyard on the Golden Mile. At the same time, he bought the neighbouring former Domaine Combret winery, a 19-year-old property which had recently closed as a winery. The attraction was a mature Chardonnay block and a winery with a good location. During the last several years, the Combret winery has been completely rebuilt.

Trial lots of CheckMate wine were made, but not released, in 2012. The first CheckMate vintage released to consumers was 2013. The winery makes just Chardonnay and Merlot. Phil chooses the grapes from five or six of the best vineyards Mission Hill has in the south Okanagan.

A tasting room was opened several years ago at CheckMate so that wine tourists could taste the exceptional wines after reading about them for several years. The aggressively priced wines will not fit into every consumer’s budget. However, for a reasonable tasting fee, consumers can experience the wines even if they think they cannot afford to take home a bottle.

Personally, I don’t think the wines are overpriced, given their quality. The liquor stores are full of $100 a bottle imported wines. CheckMate more than holds its own in that league.

Here are notes on the spring releases.

CheckMate Attack Chardonnay 2016 ($115 for one foudre). Fruit from three different blocks was co-fermented and then aged 16 months in French oak. The wine begins with aromas of citrus and tropical fruits mingled with vanilla; all of this is echoed on the rich palate. There also is an intriguing hint of sea salt on the persistent finish. 95.

CheckMate Little Pawn Chardonnay 2016 ($110 for seven barrels). The fruit is from a Black Sage Bench vineyard called Jagged Rock, clearly a terroir that produce  elegant Chardonnays year after year. There are aromas of citrus, sage and licorice. The palate is a medley of fruit flavours including Mandarin orange mingled with subtle oak notes (the wine aged 16 months in French oak, 47% new). Tropical and citrus fruits are revealed on the very long finish, with bright acidity keeping the wine fresh and lively. 100.

CheckMate Knight’s Challenge Chardonnay 2016 ($85 for 7 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from another Black Sage Road vineyard called the Sunset Vineyard. Even though it is just a few hundred yards south of Jagged Rock, it yields a much different Chardonnay. It begins with aromas of citrus and sage. The wine has a creamy entrance on the palate, revealing flavours of citrus, apple, stone fruits and butter. 94.

CheckMate Fool’s Mate Chardonnay 2016 ($80 for 9 barrels and one concrete egg). This is a blend of fruit from all the vineyards that supply CheckMate. Fittingly, this is a Chardonnay that displays great harmony. The aromas of citrus, peach and vanilla initially are restrained, opening up with time in the glass. The wine has a rich entry on the palate leading to flavours of stone fruits. There is a hint of sea salt on the long finish. 94.

CheckMate End Game Merlot 2016 ($85 for nine barrels). The fruit for this wine is from the Black Sage and Osoyoos East Benches. This wine was fermented in barrel and aged 21 months in new French oak. Concentrated in texture and flavour, the wine has integrated the oak very well. There are aromas and flavours of cassis, black cherry, vanilla and spice. The long, ripe tannins lead to a long finish with savoury notes. 94.

CheckMate Silent Bishop Merlot 2016 ($85 for nine barrels). The fruit for this wine is from vineyards on the western side of the valley: Osoyoos West Bench, Golden Mile and Oliver North. This is a darker, denser Merlot with a brooding personality. Aromas and flavours of dark fruits open up in the glass, accented by long, ripe tannins that deliver a long, long finish. 96.

CheckMate produces another 100-point Chardonnay

Photo: Winemaker and general manager Philip McGahan

For the third vintage in a row, I have awarded 100 points to Little Pawn Chardonnay from CheckMate Artisanal Winery. The consistency is a compliment to the skills of Philip McGahan, the winemaker and general manager at CheckMate.

Of equal importance is the vineyard. There is something quite special about the Jagged Rock Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench that produces these grapes. “Jagged Rock Vineyard, surrounded by steep rocky cliffs at 1,400 feet elevation, is a remarkable spot,” agrees a spokesman for Sebastian Farms, the holding company that manages the vineyard for Mission Hill and associated wineries. “The sparse, sun-kissed soils and heat radiating off the cliffs provides an ideal viticultural environment. Our Jagged Rock vineyard in the Southern Okanagan is tucked in against steep cliffs where cool desert nights, incredible sunlight, and a variety of unique soils provide an excellent home for our wines.” The soils are deep, stone free and were formed from glacial deposits. The spare nature of the soils helps produce balanced fruit. Winemaker Philip oversees the viticulture, making sure the Chardonnay vines are farmed to suit his requirements. In addition to Chardonnay, other varieties also do well at Jagged Rock. These include Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Those wines are produced by Mission Hill. CheckMate has a very focused portfolio: just Chardonnay and Merlot.

Some of the wines reviewed here are about to be released while four of the Chardonnays are scheduled for release next April, as indicated. I was fortunate to get a pre-release tasting with the winemaker. Here are my notes.

CheckMate Queen Taken Chardonnay 2018 ($125 for nine barrels). The fruit is what the winery calls the Dekleva Clone, named for the original grower who planted vines in 1975 on the Golden Mile vineyard now owned by CheckMate. That was an era when few bothered about identifying clones with accuracy, if at all. John Simes, the long-time Mission Hill winemaker (now retired), came across the vineyard in 1992 and produced an award-winning Chardonnay. In 2014, after CheckMate bought the vineyard, John replanted much of it with additional Dekleva cuttings. This complex wine justifies that faith in the Dekleva Clone. The wine, fermented with indigenous yeast, delivers a rich and savoury with notes of guava, apple, mandarin orange mingled with minerality. 94.

CheckMate Capture Chardonnay 2018 ($95 for eight barrels). The fruit, all Dijon Clone 76, is from Border Vista Vineyard in Osoyoos. Fermentation was with indigenous yeast. The aromas are appealing, with floral notes giving way to apple and citrus. The wine is rich on the palate with flavours of mandarin orange mingled with butter and stone fruit. The finish is very long. 93. .

CheckMate Knight’s Challenge Chardonnay 2018 ($95). The grapes, clones 76 and 95, are from a Black Sage Bench vineyard. This is a Chardonnay with considerable intensity, starting with buttery aromas and going on to flavours of mandarin orange and apricot. The finish is quite persistent. 98. April 2022 release.

CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay 2018 ($95 for seven barrels). The clones here are unknown because Joe Fatur, the original developer of the vineyard, planted this Golden Mile vineyard in the 1970s. Like Queen’s Taken, this wine is rich on the palate, with flavours of guava and mandarin wrapped around a spine of minerality. Sixty percent was fermented with indigenous yeast. 93.

CheckMate Attack Chardonnay 2018 ($115 for seven barrels). This wine was fermented and aged in 1,600-litre foudres. It is one of CheckMate’s brightest, fruit-forward Chardonnays, intense on the palate with flavours of peach and citrus. The finish has great length. 97. April 2022 release.

CheckMate Fool’s Mate Chardonnay 2018 ($95 for 19 barrels). This wine combines fruit from five vineyards in the South Okanagan. It was fermented and aged in a combination of cooperage: nine barrels, one foudre and one concrete egg. Tight in structure, the wine begins with floral aromas leading to flavours of citrus, apple, mango and herbs. There is a note of sea salt on the long finish. 94. April 2022 release.

CheckMate Little Pawn Chardonnay 2018 ($110 for 12 barrels). To my palate, this has emerged as the finest Chardonnay in the CheckMate portfolio: simply polished perfection. It is floral in aroma with notes of citrus, peach and papaya intense on the palate. The finish does not want to quit. 100. April 2022 release.

CheckMate Opening Gambit Merlot 2017 ($95). The grapes are from the Osoyoos East Bench, fermented entirely with wild yeast with extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. It begins with aromas of cassis and blackberry. On the palate, there are concentrated flavours of black cherry mingled with herbal and spice notes. The tannins are polished, with a firmness that will support cellaring. 98.

CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2017 ($95). The fruit for this wine is from the Black Sage Bench, fermented with wild yeast and given extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. Brambly aromas of black cherry and blackberry bound from the glass. The palate is lush and inviting, with flavours of black cherry, chocolate and licorice. The finish is persistent, with notes of sage and spicy oak. 96.

CheckMate's new winemaker releases 2020 Merlots

Photo: CheckMate general manager and chief winemaker Spencer Kelly

Penticton-born winemaker Spencer Kelly has taken over one of the most coveted cellars in the Okanagan, that of CheckMate Artisanal Winery. He replaces Philip McGahan, the Australian winemaker who was recruited from a Sonoma winery in 2012 to launch CheckMate as a producer of premium Chardonnay and Merlot in the family of wineries controlled by Anthony von Mandl. Philip returned to his native Australia for family reasons in December 2020. After several years of long-distance winemaking with CheckMate’s assistant winemakers, Philip decided to stay in Australia at the end of 2022.

“I definitely miss many aspects of working at CheckMate,” he told me in a recent email. “It really was my dream job. Alas, family life intervened.” The 2020 Merlots now being released by CheckMate represent the last Okanagan vintage in which Philip was fully hands on. By happy coincidence, it was one of the strongest Okanagan vintages this century. Philip is now in the King Valley, in Northeast Victoria, as chief executive and chief winemaker of King Valley Wines. It is a contract winemaking facility at Whitfield, in a region that has had several waves of Italian immigrants. “It was Australia's main tobacco growing area and is nestled in the foothills of the Victorian high country,” Philip recounts. “As tobacco declined in the 1970s, the Italian families diversified into grapevines and eventually Italian varieties. It is now Australia's premium region for Italian varietals, which is what we focus on.”

Like Philip, Spencer Kelly brings California winemaking experience to CheckMate, having worked almost a decade at Eisele Vineyard, a Napa Valley winery so highly regarded that there is a waiting list for purchasing its wines. Born in 1985, Spencer’s interest in wine flourished while working in VQA wine stores as he was getting a degree in food sciences at the University of British Columbia. On graduating in 2008, he began his winemaking career in the Similkameen Valley. He interned with Lawrence Herder at the Herder Winery and then became the winemaker at EauVivre Winery, one of Herder’s consulting clients. Deciding he needed more professional training, Spencer enrolled in the two-year viticulture and winemaking program at Fresno State University in California (where Lawrence Herder had also trained), graduating in 2012. Except for working a harvest in Australia’s Coonawarra region, Spencer pursued a winemaking career in the Napa Valley, including eight years at Eisele.

A historic Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard near Calistoga, Eisele has been owned since 2013 by Artemis Domaines, a French company which owns such distinguished producers as Château Latour. “It was a tremendous company but I had always had my eye on coming back to the Okanagan,” Spencer says. “I stayed in touch with friends. When I was made aware of this opportunity [at CheckMate], it seemed like a perfect fit. I could be back in my home region.” He joined CheckMate in January, 2023. “I had managed to keep tabs on things [in the Okanagan],” Spencer says. “I have some friends working in the wine business that I have stayed close with when I was working in California. And I was always coming back once or twice a year, seeing what’s new, and trying wines.”

He was attracted particularly to CheckMate because the winery has access to exceptional vineyards in the South Okanagan. As well, the winery itself has been completely renovated during the last several years. “You are able to work quite well when you have all the necessary tools,” he observes. He does not anticipate the need to change much at CheckMate, where the wines already are among the most elegant in the Okanagan. “We will always take the approach that we will try to improve and get better,” Spencer says. “My approach always starts with spending as much time in the vineyard as possible, and understanding what the different parcels give you.”

The various parcels will give him quite a lot. I have awarded 100 points to four consecutive vintages of the winery’s Little Pawn Chardonnay, made with grapes from a vineyard on Black Sage Road called Jagged Rock. “I was attracted to the focus at CheckMate, which highlights these vineyards that are quite special,” Spencer says. “We will continue down that direction.” I tasted the four Merlot wines just being released in June, with Spencer in CheckMate’s elegant new tasting room. “I think 2020 is the best vintage for the winery,” he says. “Now that I have been here six months, I have tasted everything. 2020 seems to me to have been a pretty exceptional year. It is a vintage where the floor was high. You would really have to mess things up. 2020 was a luxurious year when you could pick when you wanted. Everything got to full ripeness. Consequently, the wines have a density to them.”

Here are notes on the Merlot wines.

CheckMate Silent Bishop Merlot 2020 ($100 for 25 barrels). This wine is made with fruit from three vineyard benches (Oliver North, Golden Mile and Osoyoos West Bench) on the western side of the valley. The wine was fermented with native yeast and had extended skin contact. It was aged 89% in new French oak and 11% in concrete. The wine begins with aromas that include floral notes and cassis. The palate delivers flavours of black currant, black cherry and blueberry mingled with herbs. 95.

CheckMate End Game Merlot 2020 ($100 for 18 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from vineyards on the Osoyoos East Bench and Black Sage Road. Fermentation was with native yeast and there was extended skin contact. It was aged 21 months in new French oak. This wine begins with aromas of red fruits. The palate delivers flavours of black cherry and plum mingled with spice. 94.

CheckMate Opening Gambit Merlot 2020 ($100 for 19 barrels). The fruit for this wine is entirely from an Osoyoos East vineyard right against the U.S. border. Fermentation again was with native yeast and there was extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. The wine is full, even voluptuous, in body. Aromas of sage, cassis and cherry lead to flavours of black cherry, with notes of chocolate on the lingering finish. 96.

CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2020 ($100 for 12 barrels). The fruit for this powerful wine came from the Black Sage Bench. Once again, fermentation was with native yeast and with extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. The wine begins with aromas of cassis and blueberry leading to flavours of black cherry, plum, blackberry and spice. The long, ripe tannins give the wine considerable elegance. 97.

CheckMate scores with sit-down tastings

Photo: Winemaker Phil McGahan

Like most wineries, CheckMate Artisanal Winery’s tasting room is open primarily for tastings by appointment, with walk-ins accommodated only if there is space.

This practice has become ubiquitous as wineries seek to control tasting room traffic as a way of safeguarding customers against COVID-19. It seems to be working well. I am not aware that any winery has been the source of a virus outbreak this summer.

CheckMate winemaker Phil McGahan thinks wineries may continue tastings by appointment when the pandemic is behind us. “From a staffing point of view, it helps you plan your day,” he says.

The winery does seated tastings only, charging $35 for six wines (refundable with wine purchases). The sommelier-led tastings last about 45 minutes. CheckMate reports it has more tasting room traffic this year than previously.

“We probably average about 35 people a day,” Phil says. “With sit-down tastings, people are probably buying twice as much as with stand-up tastings.”

The likely explanation: participants in seated tastings spend more time with the wines and are better able to compare the wines.

CheckMate produces just Chardonnay and Merlot. The wines are among the most expensive in the Okanagan – but they are among the very best. I have twice awarded 100 points to consecutive vintages of the winery’s Little Pawn Chardonnay.

CheckMate is one of the jewels in Anthony von Mandl’s Okanagan wineries. (Others include Mission Hill Family Estate, Martin’s Lane Winery, CedarCreek Estate Winery, Road 13 Vineyards and Liquidity Wines.)

CheckMate was created after Anthony in 2012 purchased an exceptional Chardonnay vineyard on the Golden Mile. At the same time, he bought the neighbouring former Domaine Combret winery, a 19-year-old property which had recently closed as a winery. The attractions were the mature Chardonnay blocks (now more than 45 years old) and a winery with a good location. During the last several years, the Combret winery has been completely rebuilt.

Trial lots of CheckMate wine were made, but not released, in 2012. The first CheckMate vintage released to consumers was 2013. Phil chooses the grapes from five or six of the best vineyards Mission Hill has in the south Okanagan and applies disciplined, cutting edge winemaking. Fermentation is almost entirely with wild yeast. The wines are all aged in premium French oak barrels.

A pop-up tasting room was opened several years ago at CheckMate so that wine tourists could taste the exceptional wines they had been reading about. This summer, the pop-up room was discontinued. Tastings now are held in the winery.

Here are notes the three Chardonnays and two Merlots scheduled for release this fall.

CheckMate Capture Chardonnay 2017 ($90). The fruit for this wine is from the Border Vista Vineyard on the Osoyoos East Bench. Some 67% was fermented with wild yeast. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak barrels (46% new). This is a wine of delicate beauty, with aromas of peach and citrus. The palate delivers flavours of citrus, mandarin orange and stone fruits. There is a hint of minerality, with a lingering finish. The oak is very subtle, framing the clean and focussed fruit flavours. 95.

CheckMate Queen Taken Chardonnay 2017 ($125). The fruit for this wine is from mature vines in the Dekleva Vineyard beside the winery, considered CheckMate’s Grand Cru site. Again, 67% is fermented with wild yeast. The wine is aged 16 months in French oak (44% new). The wine is notable for its texture: a bony frame supporting long-term aging. It begins with aromas of citrus, notably orange peel. On the palate, there are flavours of stone fruit, with minerality on the back of the palate that expresses itself as wet stone. 93-95.

CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay 2017 ($85). The fruit is from the Combret Vineyard on the Golden Mile, also near the winery and also with mature vines. Some 87% was fermented with wild yeast and the wine was fermented 16 months in French oak (46% new). The wine creates an immediate impression of richness, both in the buttery, fruity aromas and on the palate, with flavours of orange and stone fruit. 96.

CheckMate Opening Gambit Merlot 2016 ($85). The grapes are from the Osoyoos East Bench, fermented entirely with wild yeast with extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. It begins with aromas of cassis and blackberry. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry mingled with herbal and spice notes. The tannins are polished, with a firmness that will support cellaring. 95.

CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2016 ($85). The fruit for this wine is from the Black Sage Bench, fermented with wild yeast and given extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. Aromas of black cherry and blackberry bound from the glass. The palate is lush and inviting, with flavours of black cherry, chocolate and licorice. The finish is persistent, with notes of sage and spicy oak. 96.

CheckMate releases 2014 Merlots

Photo: CheckMate's pop-up wine shop

CheckMate Artisanal Winery is about unveil its second release of Merlots, four red wines from the superb 2014 vintage.

The big change from last year, when the winery released its debut 2013 Merlots, is that visitors to the Okanagan can sample the hard-to-get wines in a tasting room opened this summer at the winery.

The original concept for CheckMate did not include a public wine shop. It was going to be a very exclusive winery making very exclusive wines. Then the wines - $100 (plus or minus) Chardonnays and $85 Merlots – began receiving rave reviews.

It must have been frustrating to those who collect premium Okanagan wines. Here were ultra-premium wines available, almost without exception, only in fine dining restaurants and by the case, online.

I don’t know who was responsible for this summer’s sea change in the CheckMate policy. But I was delighted to find a wine shop when I visited there in August.

CheckMate is on the Golden Mile, south of Oliver, at a location that should get a lot of visitors. Culmina Family Estate Winery, which has a busy tasting room, is just across the road. And one virtually drives past Road 13 Vineyards (which has two tasting rooms) on the way up the hill to visit Culmina and CheckMate.

It is not surprising that there has been steady visitor traffic at CheckMate this summer. The tasting room, open seven days a week, will be open until mid-October. After that, any visitor interested in a tasting can call winemaker Phil McGahan (250-707-2299) and make an appointment. The winery has a second tasting area in the processing facility, in what was the tasting room in former times, when this was Antelope Ridge Winery.

The CheckMate tasting room is a clever pop-up structure designed by Tom Kundig, the star Seattle architect who redesigned Mission Hill Family Estate winery two decades ago. Mission Hill and CheckMate have the same owner, Anthony von Mandl.

CheckMate has a tasting fee, of course: $20 to taste four wines, $30 to taste six wines. It is refundable with the purchase of just one bottle.

“We do get people who get sticker shock,” winemaker Phil admits. “And when we quote the tasting fee, that reinforces the sticker shock. We will get people who say they don’t usually pay that much for a bottle of wine. But with these wines, when you try them, tasting is believing.”

There is no doubt that the CheckMate wines are among the best produced in the Okanagan. When I tasted the 2014 Chardonnays this spring, I came close to awarding 100 points to one.

At the recent Judgment of British Columbia, six British Columbia Merlot wines were pitted against six international Merlots. The panel of judges rated CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2013 in first place.

Phil must be the envy of many winemakers in the Okanagan. He has had the budget to modernize completely the aging Antelope Ridge facility with state of the art winemaking equipment. He also has his choice of exceptional grapes from seven or eight of the best vineyards his employer owns in the South Okanagan. And the grapes are grown to his exacting specifications.

Born in 1969 in Australia, Phil (left) was raised on a wheat farm in Queensland. His first career was law. After articling, he joined a legal publishing company. “I worked my way up there, at one of the biggest publishing companies in Australia.” But city living did not appeal to him, so he enrolled in the winemaking program at Charles Sturt University. 

He was able to take the course part-time while working, starting with a custom crush winery in the Hunter Valley.  “I worked there four or five years while I finished my degree.”

During that time, he worked the 2005 harvest at the prestigious Williams Selyem Winery in Sonoma. “Once I graduated, I came back [to California] as an assistant winemaker,” Phil says. He was soon promoted, become one of the winery’s three winemakers. Because he was the junior of the three, his career path was limited. He was ready to move to the Okanagan in 2012 when von Mandl recruited him to craft world-class wines at CheckMate.

The four Merlots just being released all are elegant, terroir-driven wines. Each reflects the distinctively different vineyard sites from which the grapes came. Deciding which one to buy is tough. Each wine is very good – but these are not identical quadruplets.

Below is a view of the wine shop's interior.

Here are notes on the wines. One striking note: these wines were all aged in new French oak, but the wines are so concentrated that the oak is perfectly integrated with the fruit.

Volume of production is given in barrels. In general, each barrel contains between 23 and 25 cases of wine.

CheckMate End Game Merlot 2014 ($85 for 16 barrels). This wine is a blend, with grapes from both Black Sage Road and Osoyoos East Bench sites. The wine was fermented with wild yeast and was aged 21 months in barrels. The wine begins with appealing aromas of sweet red berries and cassis. On the opulent palate, there are savoury and bright flavours of cherry, plum, cassis and vanilla. The wine is elegant and polished, with long, ripe tannins. 93.

CheckMate Silent Bishop Merlot 2014 ($85 for 24 barrels). The grapes for this are from three sites on the western side of the valley. Generally, this is the cooler side which benefits from morning sun but does not bake in the late afternoon sun. Expect brighter fruit flavours and fresh acidity. This wine is intense because the very long and even 2014 vintage also delivered good ripeness. (This has 14.7% alcohol, versus 14.6% for the previous wine.) The wine begins with aromas of dark fruits leading to flavours of black cherry, mocha and coffee, with spice on the finish. This wine also was fermented with wild yeast and aged 21 months in new French oak. 92.

CheckMate Opening Gambit Merlot 2014 ($85 for 23 barrels). The grapes are from Osoyoos East Bench sites. “You get nice pure fruit from the Osoyoos East Bench,” Phil has found. This wine begins with aromas of cassis with elusive notes reminiscent of spice and iodine. On the palate, there are flavours of black cherry and black currant that linger sweetly on the finish. The firm texture suggests this wine will age especially well. 93.

CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2014 ($85 for 17 barrels). The grapes for this wine are from the Black Sage Bench. The wine is dark, with lifted floral, cassis and vanilla aromas. It is rich on the palate, with savoury flavours of black cherry and black currant. Long ripe tannins give the wine a generous texture and a lingering, harmonious finish. 95.

CheckMate delivers another 100-point Chardonnay

Photo: Winemaker Philip McGahan

Since CheckMate Artisanal Winery opened in 2015, it has carved out a reputation in particular for its Chardonnay wines. The winery makes just Chardonnay and Merlot. The Merlot wines are also very fine but we have come to expect solid to great Merlots from the Okanagan. Even when the movie, Sideways, took a run at Merlot, the varietal did not lose significant grip with consumers. Chardonnay, on the other hand, has had to recover from the deep unpopularity of the varieties in the 1990s. It had become fashionable to declare a preference for “anything but Chardonnay.”

It was a bit of a surprise when Anthony von Mandl decided to create a winery on the Golden Mile Bench with a speciality in super-premium Chardonnays. Those at CheckMate were released around $100 a bottle, give or take. A consumer at the winery once complained that he does not pay that much for a case of wine. Plenty of other consumers have since stepped up to pay what CheckMate believes its wines are worth. Many of the 2018 Chardonnays are sold out, or close to it, which is why the winery is getting ready to release the 2019s. Whether it is the Chardonnay or the Merlot, the 2019s all need to spend more time in bottle. Phil McGahan, the winemaker at CheckMate, has a fairly unique style with his wines. “We throw a fair bit of oak on these wines,” he says of the Chardonnays. Yet these are never over-oaked Chardonnays. The fruit is always the star in these complex wines while the oak is very well integrated. These are also wines which, like good white Burgundies, can age well. Since this is a young winery, we don’t really know how long the Chardonnays will continue getting better in bottle. There is no doubt that the Merlots from CheckMate are age-worthy.

It is worth observing that I have scored the Little Pawn Chardonnay at 100 points for the last three or four vintages. That is extraordinary consistency from a vineyard and a winemaker. Here are notes on the wines.

CheckMate 2019 Capture Chardonnay ($95 for 11 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from the Border Vista Vineyard which is right against the U.S. border at Osoyoos. Fermentation was entirely with wild yeast. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (45% new). The wine begins with aromas of stone fruits, orchard blossoms and herbs. Lean on entry, the wine broadens out in the glass. It delivers flavours of Asian pear and green apple, with a salty minerality on the finish. 95.

CheckMate 2019 Queen Taken Chardonnay ($125 for 16 barrels). The fruit is from the Dekleva Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench near the winery. The 45-year-old Chardonnay vines here now are called the Dekleva Clone. The vines have been supplemented with a 2015 planted of Clone 72, sometimes called the Old Wente Clone. The grapes were fermented with wild yeast and the wine was aged 16 months in French oak (49% new). The wine, which has a moderately fleshy texture, begins with aromas of apricots and spice. That carries through to the flavours. The finish is long, with a hint of wet stone. 95.

CheckMate 2019 Queen's Advantage Chardonnay ($95 for 14 barrels). The grapes are from old vines of indeterminate clones from the Combret Vineyard, also in the Golden Mile Bench. Wild yeasts handled 70% of the fermentation. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (50% new). The wine begins with aromas of stone fruit, quince and ginger with is echoed on the palate. The finish is long and again shows the wet stone minerality of the vineyard. 96.

CheckMate 2019 Little Pawn Chardonnay ($110 for 15 barrels). This elegant and polished wine once again demonstrates the exceptional terroir of the Jagged Rock Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The wine, 88% fermented with wild yeast and aged 16 months in French oak (50% new), begins with appealing aromas of peach mingled with fennel and sage. On the palate, there are flavours of stone fruits, apples and vanilla. The savoury finish refuses to quit. 100.

CheckMate 2019 Knight's Challenge Chardonnay ($95 for 15 barrels). The grapes are from the Sunset Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench, which shares some of the qualities of Jagged Rock. The wine was fermented entirely with wild yeast and was aged in French oak (47% new) for 16 months. The wine is complex, with aromas of lychee and sagebrush. The wine delivers rich layers of fruit including ripe peach and lime with a long, honeyed finish. 99.

CheckMate 2019 Fool's Mate Chardonnay ($94 for 29 barrels and one concrete egg). This wine includes fruit from five different vineyards dominated by Jagged Rock (42%) and Sunset (34%). Wild yeasts handled 58% of the fermentation. The wine was aged 16 months, with 91% aged in French barriques (42% new) and 9% aged in concrete. The wine has aromas and flavours of Asian pear and nectarine with mineral notes mingling with fruit on the finish. 93.

CheckMate 2019 Attack Chardonnay ($115 for two foudres). A foudre is a large oval cask. The fruit for this wine is 67% from the Jagged Rock Vineyard and 33% from the Border Vista Vineyard. The wine was aged 16 months in oak foudres, one of which was new. The size of the casks means that this is the most fruit-forward of the Chardonnays. The wine begins with aromas of citrus leading to flavours of peach, pear and mandarin orange with notes of honey and spice on the finish. The texture of this wine shows a seamless polish. 97.

CheckMate 2019 End Game Merlot ($95 for 17 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from vineyards on the Osoyoos Lake Bench and Black Sage Bench. Fermentation was 100% wild with extended (about 50 days) of skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. The wine begins with aromas of cassis, black cherry and raspberry. On the palate, there are flavours of cherry, raspberry and chocolate. 98.

CheckMate 2019 Silent Bishop Merlot ($95 for 15 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from vineyards on the west side of the south Okanagan, primarily on the Golden Mile Bench. Fermentation was 100% wild, with extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. The wine is reminiscent of a fine Bordeaux red, with aromas and flavours of blueberry and dark cherry mingled with herbs, tobacco and mocha. 96.

CheckMate 2019 Opening Gambit Merlot ($95 for 15 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from the Osoyoos Lake Bench. The grapes were fermented entirely with wild yeast; there was extended skin contact and the wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. This full-bodied wine begins with intense aromas of cassis, black cherry and raspberry that reminded one taster of Black Forest cake. The flavours echoed the aromas, along with notes of chocolate. The finish lingers. 98.

CheckMate 2019 Black Rook Merlot ($95 for 12 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from the Black Sage Bench. The grapes were fermented with wild yeast, with extended skin contact. The wine was aged 21 months in new French oak. This is a Merlot that wants to be a Cabernet Franc: it begins with aromas of brambleberries and cigar box. Layers of flavour are presented on the palate: red cherry, blackberry, blueberry and licorice. 96.