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90POINTS
16½/20
CheckMate Artisanal Winery Knight's Challenge Chardonnay 2015
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaIt's only year two for Knight's Challenge, coming off Sunset Vineyard, where elevation changes and east/west row orientations give winemaker Phil McGahan several options at the end of the growing season. Sunset sits south of the old Barn Vineyard (now Jagged Rock) on the Black Sage Bench and is planted to 24-year-old Dijon chardonnay clones, 76 and 95. McGahan uses clone 76 for structure and organization and clone 95 to up the richness, something this version has in spades. They can be picked at separate times with two distinct blocks to preserve acidity and freshness or build rich, mouth-filling chardonnay. The wine is 50 percent wild ferment but all aged, 16 months, in French oak that is 45 percent new. It is a classic New World chardonnay, California-like this year, with rich, buttery, ripe fruit but classy, well-integrated, stylish oak and a strong Okanagan savoury mineral streak. If you like the richer, upfront style of chardonnay, this is for you. Lobster anyone?Tasted: 05 November 2018Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:| BC | $85.00 | 750ml | winery club members |
Grape: ChardonnayUPC: 776545800718
