93+ pts wine review: CheckMate Artisanal Winery End Game Merlot 2016

Ottawa, ON

August 2022

Matt’s review:

CheckMate Artisanal Winery produces world-class Chardonnay and Merlot from their Golden Mile Bench winery situated in Canada’s wine capital, Oliver, BC.

2016 End Game is a rich and concentrated expression of ultra premium Okanagan Merlot. Sourced from the Osoyoos East Bench and Black Sage Bench in the heart of Canada’s pocket desert, End Game showcases the great ripeness, balance, and complexity achievable from these desert-influenced vineyard sites. Aged in 100% new French oak for 21 months, and at 14.7%ABV, this deeply colored Merlot has an expressive nose, showing concentrated dark fruits, dried fruit, currant, black sage, and sweet spices. Elegant with depth, it’s balanced with finely textured tannins, with 5+ years of refinement already this wine is poised to evolve beautifully over the next decade. Decant, then enjoy 2022-2032. Tasted bottle 1884, July 2022. 93+ points. Revisited May 2023, bottle 1889, 94 points, enjoy 2023-2032+. Matt Steeves – http://www.quercusvino.ca

Available winery-direct $220 (magnum format)