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CheckMate Artisanal Winery Black Rook Merlot 2016
Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaRetasted six months down the road, Black Rook remains focused on getting to the finish line somewhere around 2030. The fruit comes off the Black Sage Bench, pushed up against the Okanagan Highlands at 300+ metres. It is a warm, sandy site with low vigour soil that shapes small clusters, yielding intense black fruit that possesses both power and finesse. The mix in 2016 is 90 percent merlot, 5 percent petit verdot, and 5 percent cabernet franc. There was a splash of syrah in the blend last year, and it appears better without it. It remains a rich, brooding red wine, aged in 100 percent new French oak, but it presents with a sense of elegance and could be described as light on its feet, at least in the front end. The finish is warm and spicy. Only nine barrels were made in 2016. Buy and hold.Tasted: 29 August 2020Tasted by: Prices:| BC | $85.00 | 750ml | winery direct, restaurants, select private wine shops |
| BC | $196.00 | 1500ml | winery direct, restaurants, select private wine shops |
| BC | $480.00 | 3000ml | winery direct, restaurants, select private wine shops |
| BC | $989.00 | 6000ml | winery direct, restaurants, select private wine shops |
Grape: MerlotCSPC: 655431UPC: 776545801340
