Vintners Dennis O’Neil and Steph Martin began development of Checkerboard Vineyards in 1999 and retained winemaker Martha McClellan to create a portfolio of wines reflecting the mountainside. The estate includes four vineyard sites of different elevation, exposure and soil composition, providing the foundation for a portfolio that includes Checkerboard Aurora Vineyard, Checkerboard Coyote Ridge Vineyard, Checkerboard Nash Creek Vineyard, Checkerboard Kings Row, Checkerboard Sauvignon Blanc, and Checkerboard Rose. Grapes are harvested at dawn in micro-lots and delivered steps away to the winery where clusters are sorted, discarding any blemished ones. Individual berries are hand-selected for vinification and transferred for fermentation, by hand, to Taransaud wooden tanks, stainless tanks, and individual wooden barrels.
Farming is based on long-term sustainability and includes water conservation and monitoring, permanent cover crops planted in alternating rows, and the use of entomology for pest control and the development of soils with good organic matter and microbiology. Checkerboard Vineyards is a member of Fish Friendly Farming which promotes environmentally-friendly land practices and water quality management. Aurora Vineyard is located in a small valley midway up Diamond Mountain and on a large knoll at an elevation of 1,200 feet. The knoll bulges outward, giving the vineyard full Southern exposure and open light from the East and West and protection from Napa Valley’s summer fog. Six acres are planted in the knoll’s rich, volcanic soils that are riddled with basalt cobble in a loamy red clay. The remaining six acres are planted in a deep gravely mix of volcanic ash and chips of decomposed Rhyolite that were washed down from the steep, rocky crags of Diamond Mountain above.
There's a fresh, sweet aroma to the 2016 Checkerboard Aurora Vineyard that builds excitement and anticipation for what's to come. On approach, the palate is juicy and expansive and explodes with flavors of blackberry, mulberry, dark cherry, caramel, leaf tobacco and green olive. The wine continues with a voluptuousness that's linear and constant yet lifted by natural acidity. The finish is showy, long and lingering with finely polished tannins. An exceptional vintage.
"Sous la Velle" takes its name from its location 'under the village' of Saint Romain. The vineyards enjoy a steep and south facing exposure, planted on marl scree with the vines taking root in the limestone and offering a beautiful minerality to the wine. The nose expresses small red and black fruits, blackcurrant, cherry, raspberry and violet. The mouth provides a rich, supple and elegant wine with a good structure, pure fruit and vibrant acidity.
After destalking the grapes, the juice, skin and pulp are put into the vat for cold maceration. It lasts from 15 to 18 days. The alcoholic fermentation will follow, lasting from 5 to 6 days. These steps may be punctuated by push-downs. Aging in oak for 12 months.
Pork Filet Mignon, Pike Perch, Tomme de Morvan Cheese.
"Sous la Velle" takes its name from its location 'under the village' of Saint Romain. The vineyards enjoy a steep and south facing exposure, planted on marl scree with the vines taking root in the limestone and offering a beautiful minerality to the wine. The nose expresses small red and black fruits, blackcurrant, cherry, raspberry and violet. The mouth provides a rich, supple and elegant wine with a good structure, pure fruit and vibrant acidity.
After destalking the grapes, the juice, skin and pulp are put into the vat for cold maceration. It lasts from 15 to 18 days. The alcoholic fermentation will follow, lasting from 5 to 6 days. These steps may be punctuated by push-downs. Aging in oak for 12 months.
Pork Filet Mignon, Pike Perch, Tomme de Morvan Cheese.
Named for the former Ranch owned by Butch Cassidy and the sundance Kid.
Cholila Ranch Malbec is made from 100% Malbec. The estate-grown grapes are manually harvested, carefully sorted, and destemmed. The wine undergoes traditional maceration for 21 days with selected yeasts. Cholila Ranch Malbec is aged both in American and French oak for 9 months, followed by a minimum of 6 months bottle aging prior to release.
Deep purple color. Aromas of ripe plum and mulberry with violet hints. Ripe black fruits and fig on the palate with touches of smoke and vanilla. A truly powerful yet balanced wine with a persistent finish.
Under the stewardship of winemaker Lynzee Schatz, Chronos wines are crafted for lovers of the Okanagan Valley terroir. World class quality with depth, complexity, and command of detail. The production of Chronos is precise and unrushed with a connection to the finest winemaking traditions around the world. Raise a glass of Chronos to inspire your most delightful and soul-stirring moments.
This wine shows raspberry, plum and white pepper on the nose. On the palate, the wine offers red plum, cherry and a touch of herbs with a wonderfrul fresh and long finish.
Burgers, grilled portobello mushrooms, smoked chicken or a charcuterie plate.
Review:
“The medium-bodied palate is so tightly wound at this youthful stage, slowly revealing layer upon layer of fragrant black and red fruits with loads of mineral sparks, supported by beautifully fine-grained yet firm tannins and seamless acidity, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of mineral and floral notes. This is gorgeous. ” Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent 100 Points
Force Majeure Epinette is made from 79% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot .
Epinette is Force Majeure's Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne (France) that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, the home of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Epinette is also the name of a musical instrument akin to a piano, as well as a word for pine tree, which is a fitting nod to their home in Washington state.
The wine itself is a blend of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, proportions of which change depending on the vintage. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in lower areas of the vineyard with deep, well-drained soils, much less rocky than the soils of our Rhone varietals.
Review:
The 2018 Epinette is the Merlot-dominated release from this team, and it's 79% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, all from the estate vineyard on Red Mountain. Lots of smoky black cherry and darker currant fruits as well as notes of chocolate, graphite, lead pencil, and chalky minerality emerge from the glass, and this full-bodied beauty is beautifully textured, with a stacked mid-palate, velvety tannins, and a blockbuster finish. It's up with the finest Merlots in the New World and will drink brilliantly for at least a decade, if not longer.
Previously known as Grand Reve, Force Majeure has skyrocketed to the top of the pyramid in Washington State, in no small part due to their talented winemaker, Todd Alexander, who moved from Bryant Family in Napa to Washington State to focus on this estate. While the focus is on their Red Mountain Vineyard, they make a bevy of world-class wines from throughout the Columbia Valley. Anyone doubting the quality coming from Washington State these days owes it to themselves to try these wines.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Holocene The Black Square Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
There is something ethereal about Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the cobblestone soils of the Walla Walla Valley. This region offers aromatic exuberance, elegance, finesse, a polished texture, layered complexity, and remarkable length. It is a place where one can craft a singular, stand-alone example of this varietal—unique not only in the United States but worldwide—while still echoing some of our favorite wines from Bordeaux.
In 2022, Winemaker Todd Alexander embarked on a new (yet familiar) journey that he had been patiently awaiting the perfect moment to explore. The Black Square is in its inaugural vintage, and this 2022 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, Oregon, which is part of the Walla Walla Valley.
The Black Square embodies elegance and grace framed by great structure, supple texture, and acidity to ensure longevity. It shows ample fruit with complex savory notes. This is not a heavy wine that is monolithic and dull—there are already plenty of those available. This wine offers a unique expression of Cabernet; it may be the most delicious wine Todd Alexander has ever crafted, venturing into new territory for Rocks District Cabernet Sauvignon.
Review:
As black as squid ink, The Black Square is balance personified. A concentrated blackberry aroma seems as dark as the wine's name, with equally dark espresso, olive and charred steak notes joining it in the abyss. A dark plum and ripe boysenberry flavor combo is accompanied by traces of salty Mission olives, wet slate and silky smooth tannins. The one bright feature illuminating the way is the wine's amped-up acidity. None so black
-Wine Enthusiast 98 Points Number 5 in the Top 100