Vikas Sharma

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post.

Lots of stuff going on – coordinating moves from Toronto – renovations in our new home in North Vancouver – and just plain getting settled in to a rhythm has been a bit of challenge, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel (for now) – as everything should be moved in and consolidated this week.

Next project? A kitchen and two bathrooms.

We moved into our new place this past Friday, and had a proper dinner last night (Saturday). And what better way to enjoy your first dinner at home than to open a special bottle from the cabinet.

This past holiday season, one of the legal firms with whom we work was kind enough to send me a little gift. Well, to my surprise, when that gift arrived, it was a lovely box of four bottles of red from a fantastic Okanagan producer.

During our travels last summer with our friends Craig and June throughout the Okanagan, they took us to a super-exclusive spot called Checkmate Artisanal Winery, which is the winery featured in the gift I received.

Checkmate is owned by the Mark Anthony Group. For those of you who are acquainted with the region, you’ll be aware of the MAG and know that they are a powerhouse of wine producers around the world. What I love about them is that they are a Canadian organization that stands behind quality wines.

Coming from Ontario, I haven’t been exposed to this level of quality from a local producer (I know, I know, please don’t shoot me), so I love that they are a Vancouver-based company that makes some really good juice!

Before I get into the wine, I’ll tell you a little bit about the winery.

First, it’s gorgeous (see a couple of photos below). Similar to a couple of others in the interior of BC, like Martin’s Lane or Phantom Creek, a lot of coin was dropped on these places to create something special for the vineyard guest.

Second, what’s most interesting about this Checkmate is that they focus on two grapes; Merlot and Chardonnay. That’s it.

I’m not much of a white drinker, but their Chardonnay is quite good … and it better be for $100/bottle. And truth be told, I’m not spending $100 for a bottle of Chard – or any white wine for that matter.

My favourite little tidbit about Checkmate is about the stemware. It’s evident that no expense was spared in the building of the space, nor in the service and presentation of their product, and the stemware was no exception. It’s gorgeous, fine, and perfect.

The interesting part is that the host made sure to tell us that the glassware was $80 per piece. You know the saying, “If you need to ask the price, ” well, I didn’t ask. So don’t tell me.

So what about the wine? On with the show:

Wine: Checkmate – Opening Gambit

Region/Appellation: Okanagan Valley (Oliver)

Grape(s): Merlot

Vintage: 2016

Style: Red

Price: $95

The Visual: Oily viscosity in the glass with medium legs – medium intensity in colour, which was garnet with a cherry rim.

The Aroma: Eucalyptus, Green Pepper, Blackberry, Leather, and a bit of Cherry. The aromas were pretty intense.

The Flavour: Was medium + in intensity, and was medium-bodied. With tight, grippy, astringent tannins and flavours of Cherry, Mint/Herbs, and to be honest, I was having trouble getting much more than that.

Alcohol: high at 14.7%.

Balance: The flavours were less balanced than I was hoping for, with the Cherry and Mint (herbaceous) flavours really driving the profile.

Other notes: Dry – with a lot of structure. I think that I might have opened this bottle too early. I probably should have cellared for another five, or perhaps let it sit longer before digging into it. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did – but perhaps it’ll taste different today, and then again tomorrow. It typically takes me several days to get through a bottle, and I love it when the bottle still tastes good four or five days later. I vacuum seal it and throw it in the fridge between tastings.

Food pairing: I’m not 100% sure where this wine will end up yet, so I won’t provide a solid food pairing. I did enjoy it with Spanokopita, Grilled Shrimp. Roast Potato, and Greek Salad – and it was fine.

Final Comments: I’ll preface my final comment by saying this, it’s not often that we get to open up a $100 bottle of juice, and how we interact with that bottle needs to be careful. Our expectations, how we approach drinking, smelling, and enjoying the wine probably also needs to be heightened.

I approached this wine like any other bottle, and didn’t get the result I was looking for. So, I’ll be fair and say that I’ll try it again over the next few days – and perhaps add more commentary if I’ve got something valuable to add.

Cheers – Salud – Salute – Živeli – Prost – Na Zdrowie – Skål – Santé