CheckMate begins releasing its 2021 Chardonnays

Photo: Winemaker Spencer Kelly

Winemaker Spencer Kelly had not yet joined CheckMate Artisanal Winery in the summer of 2021 when the grapes for these wines were developing on the vines. “But I got to experience the heat dome,” he says, referring to the record high temperatures in the Okanagan that summer. A native of Penticton then working in California, Spencer was vacationing in the Okanagan that summer. He joined CheckMate in the summer of 2022.

Now, he is presiding over the seven Chardonnays made by CheckMate in the 2021 vintage. The wines are quite remarkable, considering how challenging it must have been to grow quality fruit that summer. CheckMate’s vintage was saved by the very capable viticulture practised by the winery. As well, there were periods in the summer when high layers of smoke over the valley tempered the impact of the blistering sun. Finally, Chardonnay is a varietal that seems to handle the heat well. These seven wines are close to flawless (one is flawless in my judgement). There are no excessive alcohols. The acid levels are correct. The flavours are ripe but not overly so. And the structure of the wines will support aging them in bottle for at least five more years.

Consumers would expect nothing less. These are the most expensive Chardonnays in the Okanagan. But if you can afford it, treat yourself to a bottle or three. Or book a tasting this summer at the elegant CheckMate winery on the Golden Mile Bench. Here are my notes.

CheckMate Attack Chardonnay 2021 ($115 for two foudres). The fruit for this wine is drawn from four different vineyards in the south Okanagan with differing exposures. Fermentation was in one large oak cask, followed by 16 months aging in two French oak foudres (one new). A foudre is the equivalent in volume to eight barrels. The wine has significantly less oak exposure in these large vessels, resulting in a restrained, disciplined wine. It has aromas and flavours of stone fruits. 92.

CheckMate Fool’s Mate Chardonnay 2021 ($95 for 24 barrels, 1 foudre, 2 concrete eggs). Each concrete egg has 700 litres volume, the equivalent of three barrels. The fruit for this wine is drawn from five South Okanagan vineyards and is a blend of seven clones. Fifty-four percent of the wine was aged in French oak barriques (68% new); 25% in a foudre and 21% in a concrete egg. This is richly textured wine with aromas of citrus and flavours of stone fruits. The finish is persistent. 94.

CheckMate Capture Chardonnay 2021 ($95 for 17 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from the Border Vista Vineyard on the Osoyoos East Bench – the winery’s most sunbathed site. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (47% new). This is an expressive wine with complex aromas of citrus. The palate delivers flavours of citrus, stone fruits and an intriguing hint of sea salt. 93.

CheckMate Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay 2021 ($95 for 17 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from what is now called the Combret Vineyard on the Golden Mile near the winery. The vines are believed to have been planted in 1973. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (53% new). A charming and elegant wine, it begins with aromas of peach, melon and ginger. The rich flavours mingle exotic citrus fruits with a hint of wet stone on the long finish. 96.

CheckMate Knight’s Challenge Chardonnay 2021 ($95 for 11 barrels). The fruit – Dijon clones 76 and 95 - for this wine is from the Sunset Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench. Two-thirds of the wine was fermented with wild yeast. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (64% new). The wine displays with a distinct golden hue in the glass and delivers aromas of butterscotch and peach. On the palate, there are flavours of apple, vanilla and spice with a long finish. 95.

CheckMate Queen Taken Chardonnay 2021 ($125 for 27 barrels). The fruit for this wine is from the legendary Dekleva Vineyard at the winery. This was where John Simes, the new retired Mission Hill winemaker, found the Chardonnay in the 1992 vintage to produce a medal winner for a London competition in 1994. That wine put both Mission Hill and the Okanagan on the map. The grapes are an unidentified clone now just called the Dekleva clone. The wine was fermented 50% with wild yeast and was aged 16 months in French oak (58% new). The wine begins with complex aromas of Asian pear, ginger and vanilla with flavours of stone fruits. The long savoury finish has a hint of sagebrush. The texture is firm, suggesting exceptional ageability. 98.

CheckMate Little Pawn Chardonnay 2021 ($110 for 31 barrels). The fruit for this distinguished wine is from the Jagged Rock Vineyard on the Black Sage Bench, which routinely seems to produce 100-point wines. There are two clones: Dijon 76 and Dekleva. The latter was reproduced with cuttings from the Dekleva vineyard. The wine was aged 16 months in French oak (61% new). It begins with aromas of lime and hints of tropical fruits, which are echoed on the palate, along with notes of lemon and hazelnut. The balance is seamless, producing an elegant and flawless wine. 100.