Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaOne of the perks of wine writing is the opportunity to take part in vertical tastings once in a while to track a single wine through several vintages. It's the ultimate test of a wine's ability to express each vintage while revealing its fingerprint and even more important to demonstrate whether it can age over time in the bottle. On this day, we tasted every vintage to date of Fool's Mate, from 2013-2017. As young as the winery is, it was a revelation. We learned that the original ageing window, thought to be about five years by winemaker Phil McGahan, is quickly expanding into the 7-10 year range as the wines evolve in the bottle. 2015 surprises with a sense of delicacy despite a super warm year, with the decision to pick early paying off as the wine ages. There is surprising finesse developing throughout the mid-palate, lifted by a stream of acidity underneath. A single concrete egg has provided a creaminess to add depth and a soft landing zone for its mineral, stony, salty notes. Coming along nicely and should be peaking from 2021 through 2024.Tasted: 04 February 2020Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$80.00
750ml
winery club members
Producer: CheckMate Artisanal WineryDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 628917UPC: 776545800244
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaFool's Mate has been a blend of south Okanagan sites and remains so in 2015 – year three. The mix is 33 percent Jagged Rock (nee The Barn Vineyard), Black Sage Bench, 26 percent Sunset Vineyard, Black Sage 24% Dekelva Vineyard, Golden Mile Bench, 13 percent Border Vista Vineyard, Osoyoos East Bench and four percent Combret Vineyard, Golden Mile Bench. Winemaker Phil McGahan continues to up his wild ferment totals from 66 to 81 percent to pursue uniqueness. The ageing process is the same as last year, 16 months in an 85/15 mix of 16 French oak barrels (46 percent new) and a single concrete egg. I like that McGhan makes this blend because it gives him so many options to create the ultimate south Okanagan chardonnay. Different sites and expositions, morning sun, afternoon sun, a broad mix of clones Dijon 76, Dijon 95, Dekleva selection and the Combret selection each contribute to the whole. It remains the most complex of the releases, right out of the gate. It was a cooker of vintage heat-wise, but clearly, McGahan made all the right decisions to maintain the brightness and freshness here while putting together a compelling chardonnay, at least on the mid-palate, that lingers with finesse and even an edgy acidity in the end. The '15 has the peach perfumed undertones, but it's the minerality and stony, salty notes in the back end that carry the wine to a higher level. Just a baby but should age well through 2020.Tasted: 31 March 2019Tasted by: Prices:
BC
$80.00
750ml
winery club members
Producer: CheckMate Artisanal WineryDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 628917UPC: 776545800244
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