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Anthony Gismondi on Wine
CheckMate Artisanal Winery Queen Taken Chardonnaytext
93POINTS
17¼/20

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Queen Taken Chardonnay 2013

Golden Mile Bench, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaThe fruit for the 2013 Queen Taken Chardonnay comes off the Heritage Vineyard on the Golden Mile Bench, beneath Mt. Kobau and the Thompson Plateau. The vines are 35 years old and the earth a complex mix of Stemwinder, Ponderosa and Ratnip soils. Queen Taken is a very different chardonnay; the aromatics are floral but there is a richer, peachy underpinning, perhaps as a result of the 35-year old vines. The 2013 was picked October 3rd and 15th almost a full month after Capture and no doubt benefiting from the cooler, late afternoon shadows of Mt. Kobau. The picks were kept separate as they went through ferment in French oak barrels and a 100 percent malolactic regime. The wine is more floral, less wild then the Capture with wet stone and exotic flecks of ginger. Citrus marks the flavours with apricot, melon and a touch of brioche in the creamy finish. Bigger and rounder than the Capture it’s also longer and more complex. It’s just beginning to show its stuff. 200 cases. A nice statement for Golden Mile Bench.Tasted: 19 October 2015Tasted by: Prices:
BC$125.00750mlwinery club members
Producer: CheckMate Artisanal WineryDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits
Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 514984UPC: 776545800183