CheckMate's Little Pawn rated 100 again

Photo: Winemaker Philip McGahan

The first wine for which I awarded a 100-point score was the CheckMate Little Pawn Chardonnay 2o15. The amazing thing is that, vintage after vintage, Little Pawn manages to win 100 points from me. I have just tasted the 2020 CheckMate Chardonnays with winemaker Philip McGahan and Little Pawn, at least in my estimation, remains a perfect wine. The other wines are excellent as well. The consistency of Little Pawn, I believer, reflects the Black Sage Road vineyard where the grapes are grown so well. I would have expected one of the other CheckMate Chardonnays to shoulder Little Pawn to the side; or the wine to reflect the vintage variations. It has not yet happened.

Having said that, the 2020 vintage was one of the best in the Okanagan in the past two decades. Whether we are tasting whites, rosé wines or red wines, the 2020 wines are superbly balanced and polished. CheckMate wines, however, are elegantly polished wines, vintage after vintage.

Little Pawn’s grapes are from a vineyard called Jagged Rock. “Jagged Rock Vineyard, surrounded by steep rocky cliffs at 1,400 feet elevation, is a remarkable spot,” says 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. In addition to Chardonnay, other varieties also do well at Jagged Rock. These include Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Those wines are produced under Mission Hill’s other labels. CheckMate is focused exclusively on Chardonnay and Merlot.

Here are notes on the 2020 Chardonnays.

CheckMate Attack 2020 ($115). This wine was fermented entirely in oak foudres (large oval casks). The wine begins with aromas of spice and lemon leading to flavours of pineapple and pear with an underlying note of sea salt. That gives the wine a savoury finish. 97.

CheckMate Queen Taken 2020 ($125). The fruit for this wine is from 45-year-old vines on the winery’s Dekleva Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench. The wine begins with aromas of peach, spice and vanilla. On the palate, there are flavours of citrus and stone fruit. The finish is rich and savoury. 95.

CheckMate Capture 2020 ($95). The grapes for this wine, all Dijon Clone 76, are from the Border Vista Vineyard in Osoyoos, so named because it is right on the border. The wine begins with aromas of peach and mandarin orange mingled with spice. On the palate, flavours of mandarin and stone fruits are mingled with hints of sea salt. 94.

CheckMate Queen’s Advantage 2020 ($95). The winery believes the vines producing this wine, planted in 1973, are the oldest Chardonnay vines in British Columbia. The wine benefits with a firm structure and with good length. There are aromas of mandarin orange which is echoed on the palate, along with hints of citrus and ginger. 96.

CheckMate Little Pawn 2020 ($110). The consistency and the elegance of Little Pawn through recent vintages is astonishing. It begins with floral aromas with hints of marmalade. The wine manages to be bright and rich at the same time, with flavours of peach, apricot and orange. The finish is persistent. 100.

CheckMate Knight’s Challenge 2020 ($95). The fruit for this wine (Dijon clones 76, 95) is from the Sunset Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. The complex aromas and flavours reminded on taster of the aroma of wheat in a bin. A touch of almond mingles with sagebrush, leading to flavours of marmalade. The finish is persistent. 96.

CheckMate Fool’s Mate 2020 ($95). This is a rich and complex wine, reflecting the eleven clones of Chardonnay assembled in the wine, from vineyards on both sides of the valley. Some 20% of the blend is from the Jagged Rock vineyard. The wine has aromas and flavours of marmalade, pear, stone fruits and spice. The finish is long. 98.