I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but I’m curious if anyone has any thoughts on Checkerboard Vineyards. I just got an allocation for the 2012 vintage, 3-pack for $975. Pretty solid ratings on CellarTracker for prior vintages, but $325/bottle is a bit much.
Never heard of them but the bottlings that are CT you can find for well under $150.
Do a search on the other board they really like it…
Just tried all their 2012 wines at a dinner hosted by Checkerboard a couple weeks ago at the Chop House in Voorhees NJ.
All 3 of the single vineyard Cabs (Aurora, Nash Creek, and Coyote Ridge) had an herbal element (with pine?) that turned me off. However, one of our club members brought a 2007 magnum that was very nice and had no green to it at all. Back then it would have been equivalent to the Aurora vineyard, according to Beth from Checkerboard.
Their Sauvignon blanc was our starter wine and it was pretty good - and that says a lot because I usually have one sip of this varietal and surreptitiously put the glass down somewhere.
The WOTN was their King’s Row. Here’s my CellarTracker review on it:
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2012 Checkerboard Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Kings Row - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (1/20/2016)
Nice stuff! This, IMO, was the standout bottle at a Checkerboard-hosted dinner for their 2012 vintage, which included their single vineyard reds from Coyote Ridge, Aurora, and Nash Creek. Despite it being entry level, it was by far the most approachable of the lot with no hint of green. The others had a distinct pine & herbal taste (some more than others) while the King’s Row was all wonderful mountain fruit. There wasn’t much tannin compared to the others, and what was present was very fine. Not a huge fruit bomb; not an AFWE profile either. If memory serves, it was somewhere around 80% to 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a good portion of Merlot, then Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot filled out the blend. It could lay down for a couple years to be even better once it’s more resolved, but it’s so good now with an hour or two of air why wait? Easy to pair with food also, it went as well with everything from the fig & goat cheese crostini appetizer, to the filet, then to dessert. The Merlot probably helped make it a nice enhancement for flourless chocolate cake. Quite a versatile wine and well worth the price. (92 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
My only problem is that the 2012 is $165 a bottle, bringing the 3 pack to $495. Check WineSearcher and you can get vintages with a few years on them for much less:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/checkerboard+cabernet+sauvignon+kings+row
According to Beth, the 2009 vintage has similar qualities to the 2012. It’s a wine I’d certainly buy if a good enough deal came up, but for the asking price there are plenty of others I’d rather spend my money on.
One other comment - Checkerboard’s vineyards are on Diamond Mountain. Being a Lokoya loyalist might be biasing my opinion since their Diamond Mountain Cab from the Reverie Vineyard is one of my favorite bottles made from elevated plots.
Dennis when did they start doing SVD bottlings?
No idea Ed. This was my first experience with Checkerboard, and I was glad to have it as my wife and I got to try all their wines we were potentially interested in. I’d certainly drink their products any time, but I don’t think I’d be on their mailing list. Can’t see spending the $300+ per bottle for their Cabs when IMO Lokoya does Diamond Mountain better in the same price bracket.
Just an FYI, this I believe is the first vintage for the SVD’s. Have been to Checkerboard several times and the team there is first rate (Martha McClellan winemaker). Owners have put a TON of money into this property, which is breathtaking. Lots of elevation changes in the vineyards. They have started with pre-existing vines and this will be the major limitation as Martha has to work with what is there now. Eventually re-planting blocks may develop a different profile of the wines. Definitely not shooting for a fruit bomb, high PP type of wine. I can understand where you might get a piney note as these vineyards are tucked into forest locations. The profile is not due to underripe fruit, as I am sure Ms McClellan would not tolerate that condition. Can’t say for sure but this is not manipulated much, if at all, by the winery. (maybe a bit of bleeding to concentrate some vats?) Don’t expect to read many professional reviews soon as the owners are not looking for a lot of publicity/gift shop/tasting room on 29 kind of thing…at least no so far.
Agree on the Kings Row, much more approachable young. First vintages had a higher concentration of merlot in the blend and drank well earlier. I will have to pull the cork on one of the earlier regular releases after reading this note and will report back. If you go mailing list on this one it is an investment in the future, but the profile will likely always be different that typical valley floor cab given the mountain fruit and east facing aspect of the vineyards. If you like more pauillac like profiles, this wine may be for you…
Disclaimer, have been on thee mailer since early days. Only skipped one vintage due to $ squeeze, missed the '11’s. Do really like the wines although the prices are at my personal ceiling. Hanging on a couple of more years to see where the direction is going.
Hopefully my memory serves me well on this…
Coyote Ridge has an elevation of roughly 800 ft. Aurora has an elevation of roughly 1200 ft. Nash Creek is the highest elevation at 2000 ft.