Checkmate 2021 End Game Merlot 750ml

End Game, a blend from the Okanagan, is a testament to the region's potential. It's a mix of fruit from two sandy south Okanagan benches. The vineyards, with their multiple expositions and elevations, produce a range of flavours and styles heightened by long days and plenty of warm, late-day sun. The nose opens with characteristic black raspberry with hints of sweet sassafras. The palate, slightly leaner this year, is more lively but still lined with desert scrub and sagebrush. It's a stylish and fun wine to drink, but its aging potential truly sets it apart. It will mature gracefully into the late ‘20s, a testament to its quality and craftsmanship. The wild ferment, with 50-55 days of skin contact, finishes in the barrel, where the wine ages 20 months in new French oak. Serious.

 Score: 92 points -- Anthony Gismondi, gismondionwine.com, 2024