Checkmate Artisanal Winery Merlot Silent Bishop

There's a smokiness to this wine that was brought out with our smoked rib roast on Christmas Day. A smooth, subtle wine, it reinforced our meal rather than competed with it. Wish I had more than 1 bottle. I saved it for something special and it did not disappoint.

This was disappointing , thin and flat. Hope it was bottle variation as others seemed to like it

Rich dark fruit flavors of plum, cassis and licorice. Even tannin structure throughout with sufficient acidity to pair with steak or pork tenderloin. Soft spices on a medium length finish.

One of the smoothest Merlots.

Drank Christmas night 2020 with rib roast, quite delicious. Similar views to previous notes. The 2013 is Checkmate's inaugural vintage ( four different merlots) and while they are all good, Checkmate has improved. The 2014 Silent Bishop is outstanding and still available.

Very nice wine with fairly strong tannins considering it has been laid down for 7 years. Compared to a Thorn Merlot, not quite as good as there was some very fine sediment and the tannins were stronger. The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like prune, blackberry, mineral and mushroom. It tastes like blackberry, prune and mushroom. The body is medium/full. The wine has silky texture. The wine finishes …

Explosive nose of red/black berries while I'm decanting it...mucho elegante! Polished tannins, cassis and maple sugar on the palate....the finish is suuuper long with maple sugar lasting for minutes in your mouth. Very new world in style, almost juicy. Great with a braised meat (I'm having Osso Bucco tonight). Very good balance. Still young and only offering primary and secondary aromas, so if you like a more mature style, cellar for another 5-7 years without any trouble.

Superbe vin. En avant de beaucoup de Pomerol.

One of the better Canadian reds that I have had although also pricier than the average Canadian Red. This is a nice easy bordeaux blend. Nothing particularly is jumping out at me, but I appreciated the way that it blended in with food and while perhaps a touch better with some pork meatballs than chicken soup, it didn't overwhelm either of them. A hint of the old world style. More earthy than some wines. Fruit a bit more muted. Overall, …

Excellent Merlot, but a bit less exciting and focused than my last bottle. Still plenty of red/black berried, w/notes of sage and eucalyptus. I'm really not sure how the Checkmate wines will age. Tempted to drink them sooner than later.

Clear dark purple in color. Clean nose of black fruit. Great wine, and example of what BC can do.

Impressive and serious merlot, with a definitive new world profile. I could have sworn that this Merlot was from Napa in an excellent vintage like 2012 or 2013. More focused than the other Checkmate Merlot I had so far, this wine is intense with vanilla and super ripe berries. Excellent balance with a long finish. This is yummy! Can't wait to see what it's going to taste like in 10 years.