CheckMate Artisanal Winery - Yours for the Taking

CheckMate was born out of a bold vision to produce elegant, world-class wines in a very unexpected place. Our remarkable sites on the Golden Mile, Black Sage, and Osoyoos Lake Benches offer a variety of unique terroirs and climatic influences that allow us to produce wines that embody harmony and balance.

The Queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess because of her unparalleled ability to control and influence. Capture the Queen and victory is yours for the taking. Introducing the Queen’s Collection of CheckMate Chardonnay. A winning combination of Chardonnay and some of our most awarded releases to date.

2018 Queen Taken Chardonnay

95 points, Robert Parker
“This has its fair share of new wood present, as do most all of these youngsters, but there is surprising purity as well that makes its presence known quickly as it airs and warms. It often seems surprisingly transparent and classic, with a lingering finish.”
—Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

2018 Queen’s Advantage Chardonnay

95 points, Robert Parker
“It is quite elegant and its balance is perfect. It mostly dismisses its wood with ease and lingers indefinitely on the finish.”
—Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

2018 Capture Chardonnay

93 points, Robert Parker
93 points, John Schreiner
“The 2018 Capture Chardonnay was aged for 16 months in 50% new French oak, sourced from vines planted in 1997. This shows off caressing texture, a fair hit of new wood, and the winery’s typical finesse. The lingering finish is impressive too. It is fair to say that the winery goes from strength to strength with its Chardonnays.”
—Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Our latest release of wines is a true showcase of precision, persistence, and patience. These wines have earned some of our highest scores from Wine Enthusiast and we’re delighted to share them with you. Included in this release is our 2017 Opening Gambit Merlot and 2017 Black Rook Merlot, recently scoring 94 and 93 points respectively, as seen in the October issue of Wine Enthusiast.

2017 Opening Gambit Merlot

94 points, Robert Parker
94 points, Wine Enthusiast
“Ripe and fruity, this is a relatively fat Merlot compared to its siblings, but retains its balance easily. A rather deep and relatively intense Merlot, this does everything well, while still managing to project some finesse.”
—Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

2017 Black Rook Merlot

94+ points, Robert Parker
93 points, Wine Enthusiast
“This might have the most power of the Merlots and be the most interesting as it ages. It counters that power with ripe fruit, but the longer it sits, the more intense it becomes. Yet, there’s always the depth to counter the power. This is the one you toss in the cellar for an extra year while you focus on other things.”
—Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Information and inages courtesy of the winery.