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18½/20
CheckMate Artisanal Winery Queen Taken Chardonnay Dekleva Vineyard 2021
Golden Mile Bench, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, CanadaQueen Taken is a historically significant Canadian chardonnay, beginning with its 46 year old vines located on the first Okanagan sub-Gi: the Golden Mile Bench. The Checkmate viticultural team has painstakingly restored the vineyard over the last decade, which has reshaped the earlier versions of this wine, taking it down a leaner, more complex road, reducing the alcohol and upping the freshness. In 2021, it was a mix of the primarily unknown Dekleva clone, named after the family that planted the first vines, with some recently planted old Wente clones. The latter clones bring more minerality and complexity to the blend. 50% of the wine is wild fermented, and all the wine is barrel aged in 58% new French oak for 16 months. Queen Taken is like no other Checkmate label and will be the beacon for the coming releases under Spencer Kelly. It will be tighter, fresher, and more Burgundian, if you like. In the glass are notes of pear, ginger, and wet stones. The minerality leads on the mid-palate with an assist from a savoury, vibrant undercurrent. Dekleva Vineyard is a single block wine located southwest of Oliver, beneath Mt. Kobau and the Thompson Plateau on the Golden Mile Bench. It is predominantly gravelly and coarse Stemwinder, Ponderosa, and Ratnip soils (rubble originating from the mountain above's fluvial fan deposits). Its exposition welcomes a very early and warming sunrise. At the same time, it protects the fruit from baking in the late day thanks to the shadow of Mount Kobau.Tasted: 08 March 2024Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:| BC | $125.00 | 750ml | winery club members |
| BC | $280.00 | 1500ml | winery online/direct |
| BC | $680.00 | 3000ml | winery online/direct |
| BC | $1425.00 | 750ml | winery online/direct |
Grape: ChardonnayCSPC: 514984UPC: 776545802903
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