CheckMate's five latest releases

Photo: Winemaker Phil McGahan

Visitors to CheckMate Artisanal Winery this summer found the winery in the midst of reconstruction. The rebuild should be complete by next summer.

However, CheckMate did not miss a beat when it came to offering tastings. For several seasons, the winery has operated a “pop-up” tasting bar on the knoll in front of the winery. With windows on three sides, the tasting bar offers excellent views over the Golden Mile sub-appellation.

It also offers tastings of some of the more expensive, and best, Chardonnay and Merlot wines made in the Okanagan. Some visitors have just turned and left rather than pay the refundable tasting fee to sample wines retailing for $100 a bottle, plus or minus.

That has always struck me as unfortunate. How often does one get to taste a $100 wine? Even if the refundable tasting fee strike you as a bit aggressive, it is not too much to pay for a tasting of wines we never experience on a regular basis. The experience also provides some perspective on the relationship between wine quality and wine prices.

This winery and its vineyard were acquired in 2012 by Anthony von Mandl, the owner of a winery empire anchored around Mission Hill Family Estate.

Domaine Combret, the original winery on this site, was established in 1994 and later changed its name to Antelope Ridge. It was operated by the Combret family until it closed and was purchased by von Mandl.

At the same time, von Mandl was able to buy a neighbouring vineyard with legendary Chardonnay vines. Mission Hill bought grapes from that vineyard in 1992, making the delicious Chardonnay that won a major award in London in 1994. That wine gave Mission Hill and the Okanagan Valley serious international recognition for the first time.

With access to these and other grapes, it is no surprise that CheckMate makes superb Chardonnay wines. In fact, Phil McGahan, the Australian winemaker who runs CheckMate, works with just two varieties: Chardonnay and Merlot. That is typical of the focus that one finds among top estates anywhere in the world.

The reconstruction of the former Combret winery gives Phil a state-of-the-art winemaking facility. He already accesses some of the choice vineyard blocks farmed in the south Okanagan by Sebastian Farms, von Mandl’s vineyard holding company. That enables Phil to make seven different Chardonnay wines and four or five different Merlots, all expressing the various terroirs from which the fruit comes.

The five wines just released by CheckMate are made with fruit from vineyards on the Black Sage Bench, the Osoyoos East Bench and the Golden Mile Bench. The differences from each of these terroirs is subtle but distinctive. Over the years, consumers of CheckMate wines likely will develop preferences for what wines they choose to buy and cellar.

The operative word is cellar. These are all wines that, which approachable on release, will certainly be even better with five or more additional years of aging in the cellar.

Here are notes on the current releases.

CheckMate Capture Chardonnay 2016 ($90). The fruit is from a vineyard in Osoyoos right on the U.S. border; it is one of the top vineyards in the Sebastian Farms stable. The wine was fermented in barrel (80% with wild yeast) and aged 16 months in French oak (44% new). This elegant wine begins with aromas of peach and citrus. The palate echoes those fruits, along with spice notes. 94.

CheckMate Queen Taken Chardonnay 2016 ($125). The fruit is from the Dekleva vineyard on the Golden Mile – the one that produced the legendary 1992 Chardonnay. The wine was fermented in barrel (91% with wild yeast) and aged 16 months in French oak (42% new). The wine has a rich texture. It begins with aromas of peach and pear. On the palate, there are flavours of nectarines with a hint of minerality and spice. 95.

CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay 2016 ($85). The fruit for this wine is a field blend of unknown clones from the original Combret vineyard. The wine was barrel fermented (90% with wild yeast) and aged 16 moths in French oak (50% new). The wine has the concentration and texture that old vines can deliver. It begins with stone fruit aromas mingled with buttery notes. On the palate, there are buttery citrus flavours with hints of oak spice on the long finish. 96.

CheckMate Opening Gambit Merlot 2015 ($85). The fruit is from Osoyoos East Bench vineyards. It was fermented entirely with wild yeast, given extended skin contact, and aged 21 months in new French oak. Rich and concentrated, the wine begins with aromas of black currant, black cherry and raspberry. The dark fruits carry the palate and fill the mouth. There is a note of spice on the lingering finish. 96.

CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2015 ($85). The fruit for this wine is from a vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. Fermentation was with wild yeast, followed by extensive skin contact and 21 months aging in French oak (100% new). The wine begins with aromas of raspberry, black cherry and vanilla. On the palate, there are rich flavours of black cherry, sage and licorice, with supple ripe tannins. 95.