Checkmate 2014 Opening Gambit Merlot 750ml
- UPC:
- 776545800848
- Gift wrapping:
- Click View Cart to add
Description
Opening Gambit - 90 percent merlot, 10 percent petit verdot - is quickly becoming my favourite Checkmate merlot thanks to its stunning nose. The fruit is beautifully aromatic despite its warm, Osoyoos East Bench site that is neatly tucked up against the US border. The hill is steep (1083 to 1437 feet above sea level) and undulating, pitching the vines over various expositions to the sun that, in the end, delivers a very hedonistic red. Iodine, black cherries and blackcurrants spill from the glass, inviting you inside the wine. Initially, the wine presents delicious dark, ripe fruits before the tannins begin to set in. Dense long and supple, they suggest time in the bottle is the message here. Like all the McGahan wines, the oak is well-integrated thanks to 52-plus days of maceration before the juice is run directly from the tank into the barrel. This wine takes me to Bolgheri with its rich, savoury, sagebrush mocha notes that persist throughout the finish. A very sexy merlot, triggering the question 'why can't the standard be more like this across the valley? Impressive texture. Food friendly.
Score: 94 points -- Anthony Gismondi, gismondionwine.com, 2018
Shipping & Returns
We use Canada Post for the majority of deliveries and a courier for those nearest our location. If you are not at home when Canada Post attempts delivery of your package, they will leave a note with the nearest pickup location. By law, we cannot ship outside of the province and packages delivered by Canada Post cannot be left on the doorstep. Orders for downtown Vancouver may arrive the same or next day depending on time of order. Order cut-off is generally 10am PST on a best-effort basis. We will contact you if we require more information to set up delivery.
Within Downtown Vancouver - 1-2 business days
Outside Downtown Vancouver - 2-3 business days
Read the full shipping terms by clicking here. These shipping estimates depend on the courer's and recipient's availability and are not offered as any kind of guarantee.
