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Checkmate Artisanal Winery Opening Gambit Merlot 2014 Wine Review

Checkmate Artisanal Winery Opening Gambit Merlot 2014

Checkmate Artisanal Winery Opening Gambit Merlot 2014

Okanagan Valley, British Columbia BC V.Q.A., Canada

Community Score:94/100

Community Reviews: 1

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Price: $84.95

Drink: Now

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.8%

Sweetness: Extra Dry

Wine Type: Red Wine


Winery: Checkmate Artisanal Winery

Agent: Mark Anthony Wine & Spirits

More Vintages: 2016  2015 

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Pricing & Stock Information

  • BCLDB
  • 193882
  • $84.99 
  • Check Stock

Reviews and Ratings

Matt Steeves - Certified Sommelier rated this wine as 94/100 with the following review:

CheckMate’s Opening Gambit 2014 (Merlot) is sourced from some of the most southerly vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, along the Osoyoos East Bench, a stone’s throw from the Washington border. It’s here in the heart of Canada’s pocket desert that grapes have no challenge achieving full ripeness, and thanks to the unique characteristics of the desert conditions, combined with attentive viticulturists, it all culminates in the ideal conditions for producing grapes with outstanding complexity and balance, ultimately showing CheckMate’s ability to produce world-class wines worthy of great acclaim, wines that shine alongside peers from Napa, Tuscany, and Bordeaux.

Opening Gambit 2014 shows sweet dark fruit, kirsch, Okanagan Black Sage, clove, and graphite on the nose. Full bodied, beautifully balanced, with fine integrated tannins and a robust yet elegant mouthfeel, the palate shows great complexity, concentration of flavours, and overall harmony. Showing wonderfully now, Opening Gambit 2014 will continue to evolve and gain complexity over the next decade. Enjoy 2021-2030+. Tasted bottle No. 4232, August 2021. 94 points. Matt Steeves – www.quercusvino.ca

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