CheckMate Artisanal Winery Fool's Mate Chardonnay 2017

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Fool's Mate Chardonnaytext

94POINTS

17^½/20

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaTasted twice now, Fool's Mate is a blend of sites, and it is clear 'the sum is greater than its parts' in 2017. The mix is 74 percent Jagged Rock Vineyards, dirt that sits just east of Phantom Creek on the Black Sage Bench. The other sites in play include 11 percent Border Vista Vineyard (Osoyoos), with 5 percent contributions from Sunset Vineyard (Black Sage Bench), and Dekleva and Combret vineyards (Golden Mile Bench). The clones are equally diverse: Dijon 76, Dijon 95, 809, Dekleva, and Combret, and the results are highly encouraging. The elegance and general style is getting better and better: think more ballerina, less tap dancer. It's not Burgundy, and it is not California, but it is all Checkmate and Okanagan, and it has plenty of life ahead. Winemaker Phil McGahan used eight high end Burgundy barrels that were 41 percent new, plus one foudre, and one concrete egg. Expect a cool pear, nectarine affair supported by a savoury mineral undercurrent and a long, silky, saline, smooth finish. At 14.1 percent alcohol, the organic viticulture continues to encourage phenolic ripeness at an earlier stage, allowing for earlier picking and lower alcohols. It also is 66 percent wild fermented, which McGahan claims adds some complexing white noise to the mix. Good value.Tasted: 06 December 2020Tasted by: Prices:

$80.00

750ml

winery direct, restaurants, select private wine shops

Producer: CheckMate Artisanal WineryDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits
Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 628917UPC: 776545802071

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94POINTS

17^½/20

CheckMate Artisanal Winery Fool's Mate Chardonnay 2017

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 of Fool’s Mate from 2013 to 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. The last wine in the vertical lineup was the youngest, 2017. Fool’s Mate is the only blend of sites, and it fits the adage of 'the sum is greater than its parts' most years. Seventy-two percent of the blend comes from Jagged Rock, a piece of dirt that sits just east of Phantom Creek on the Black Sage Bench. The other sites in play include Sunset Vineyard, Dekelva Vineyard, Combret, Golden Mile Bench, and Border Vista Vineyard, mixing clones Dijon 76, Dijon 95, 809, Dekleva, and Combret. It's the best yet, without a doubt. It’s not Burgundy, and it is not California, but it is the most balanced of all the Fool’s Mates in the vertical, and it is only beginning its life. The use of more high-end barrels (Burgundy barriques – 84% (of which 42% were new); concrete egg – 16%) have given it better definition and complements its pear and nectarine flavours, subtle underlying minerality, and now characteristic, sea salt notes. One to buy and cellar.Tasted: 04 February 2020Tasted by: Prices:

$80.00

750ml

winery direct, restaurants, select private wine shops

Producer: CheckMate Artisanal WineryDistributors: Mark Anthony Wines and Spirits
Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 628917UPC: 776545802071

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