Awarded VineRoutes’ 2025 Most Outstanding White Wine of the Year, CheckMate’s 2022 ‘Fool’s Mate’ Chardonnay highlights the winery’s remarkable consistency—marking its second top honour in three years and reinforcing its place among Canada’s benchmark producers
There’s something especially satisfying about a wine that lives up to every expectation you’ve built around it. The 2022 ‘Fool’s Mate’ Chardonnay from CheckMate Artisanal Winery (located within the Okanagan’s Golden Mile Bench sub-GI) does exactly that—having earned VineRoutes’ Most Outstanding White Wine of the Year in our 2025 editorial team blind tasting and impressing just as much on repeat visits.
It’s the kind of chardonnay that doesn’t need to demand attention; it naturally commands it, with a sense of balance, clarity, and quiet confidence that stays with you long after the glass is empty.
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This is not unfamiliar territory for CheckMate. In 2023, the 2020 ‘Queen Taken’ Chardonnay claimed the same top honour, marking this as the second time in three years that the winery has secured the distinction. In a category as competitive—and increasingly compelling—as Canadian chardonnay, that level of consistency is not just impressive; it’s defining.
The 2022 Fool’s Mate is a multi-vineyard expression, drawing from five distinct sites across the Okanagan Valley. While single-vineyard bottlings often dominate conversations around prestige, this wine stands as a compelling counterpoint. It demonstrates that thoughtful, perfectly executed blending can yield a result every bit as nuanced, complete, and site expressive.
In the glass, the wine unfolds with clarity and composure. Aromatically, it leans into ripe stone fruit (think peach, apricot, and melon) lifted by Meyer lemon and underscored by subtle baking spice. There’s a gentle richness here, hints of butterscotch and almond butter adding depth without ever tipping into excess. What anchors it all is a distinct saline minerality, a through-line that brings both energy and structure.
On the palate, Fool’s Mate is layered and textural, offering a fine, almost polished creaminess balanced by vibrant acidity. The interplay is seamless: richness never overwhelms, freshness never feels sharp. Instead, the wine moves with purpose, finishing long, and focused.
It’s this balance that defines the CheckMate house style, one that has steadily positioned the winery as a benchmark for modern Canadian chardonnay. There’s an assuredness to the 2022 vintage in particular—a sense that every element is exactly where it should be. Nothing feels forced or overworked. It simply exists in harmony.
Courtesy of CheckMate (Photo by Luis Valdizon).
What makes Fool’s Mate especially compelling is its accessibility within the portfolio. If it can be called an “entry point,” it is only in relative terms. The wine carries the same depth, intention, and craftsmanship as its single-vineyard counterparts, offering a complete expression that is both polished and inviting. It’s a wine that captivates immediately, yet rewards continued attention—something that has held true across multiple tastings.
At a time when Canadian chardonnay continues to evolve and assert itself on the global stage, wines like the 2022 Fool’s Mate serve as both benchmark and beacon. They reflect not only the potential of the region, but the clarity of vision behind it.
For CheckMate, this latest recognition is less a breakthrough than a continuation. And for those following the trajectory of chardonnay in Canada, it’s further confirmation that excellence here is no longer occasional—it’s expected.
The 2022 CheckMate ‘Fool’s Mate’ Chardonnay was awarded Most Outstanding White Wine of the Year for 2025, as published in our VineRoutes Newsletter. To discover more exclusive newsletter-only wine features, sign up here.
– Carmelo Giardina is the principal editor of VineRoutes
