Provence & Checkmate Wine Dinner – An evening drenched in collaboration & creativity

Good Wine Gal, Barb Wild, Checks out Checkmate Winery at Provence.

When you first meet Joshua (Josh) Carlson, the wine director at Provence, you might think he’s an artist. He is a little tailored. His blue green eyes are framed by heavy black rimmed glasses. He sports a soft, casual smile and solid melodious tones. The only thing missing is the tilted beret and perhaps a Gitane (a short, strong filtered cigarette with Paris written all over) hanging from his bottom lip. Alas, il n’est pas Français but rather Scottish kin. How does he do that?

Josh has a great mind for wine with a palate and memory that are enviable. The first time I met Josh I was ordering flights of bubbles (what else) on the patio in the early summer of 2018. Despite the busy False Creek vibe with a full deck of guests, he chatted, unhurried, about Champagne and why he liked it as much as I did. We’ve kept in touch ever since. He’s one of my favorite wine guys in the city!

So here we are. It’s the fall of 2020. We are celebrating wine maker dinners at Provence with all the required pandemic precautions. Covid19 rules at Provence respect the mask, provide a QR code for menu, regard for the flow of people, sitting at well-spaced tables with ample quantities of hand sanitizer. Bathroom patrol includes regular wipe downs and refill checks.

I had a pre-dinner call with Josh. Sadly, he won’t be working Friday evening. Did we talk about the Iconic Wines of BC series? We sure did. With more to come from the Mission Hill Group including Cedar Creek, newly acquired Liquidity, Mission Hill Estate, and just last month’s Martin’s Lane – dinners ahead will bring the best of BC wine and BC food together at Provence. Rumor has it the culinary team is noticeably inspired by the Iconic BC Wine events. Bringing together the best of BC plate by plate, wine by wine sourcing the freshest and best ingredients is bliss for a kitchen.
If you aren’t familiar with Checkmate Winery, it’s one of the five links in the The Iconic Wineries of British Columbia chain. You should check it out. Phil McGahan, is the winemaker. I met Phil at the Checkmate Winery Pop-Up a few years ago. Along with fine stemware and a view that didn’t stop, the experience turned out t be the most elegant, sublime BC Chardonnay tasting I’ve ever had.

What you should know: Checkmate is dedicated to two varieties – Chardonnay and Merlot. With five single vineyard plots, all with unique “terroir” and expression, the grapes are cared for and harvested by hand. The fermentation and pressing is followed by French oak to a perfect degree. Resting time in heavy dark bottles with a single delicate image of a chess piece adds a little more magic.

The First Course
Josh relayed that the Checkmate 2015 Little Pawn received 100 points from John Schreiner, BC’s Top Wine Critic. This doesn’t happen often. The first course is Dungeness Crab & Celeriac Salad. Josh’s thoughts on the salad and wine pairing were noted. This wine is in its drinking window. It has good richness, delicate oak and botanicals along with good acidity to cut through the fatty and flavourful salty and fleshy, mayo dressed Dungeness crab.

The second course features Checkmate’s 2014 End Game. It beautifully paired with to the Veal Tournedos served with minced edamame and a blue cheese and peppercorn sauce. Again Josh’s thoughts were noted. This wine has flavours of blue and black berries with notes of cocoa, great structure and fine tannins (some drying but very elegant), perfumed but not hot (the alcohol is not leading you through this experience even thought is high) should be a perfect match to the roasted veal, sauce and accompaniments.

Other conversation notes
Changes ahead said no one! But I did hear a rumor that a wine shake-up is coming. With a name like Provence, I’m guessing the focus will actually embrace the place – and help us all explore more from the Sud de France! This is not to say that BC is going anywhere. After all, it’s our inspiration; it’s our back yard and our sense of place. Imagine being transported to Corsica, Picpoul, La Clape, Bandol, Costiers de Nimes and a host of other up and coming appellations that are fresh, interesting, tasty served up with great tapas and dishes the elevate the experience. Can we save a little space for Cab Franc from the Loire Valley – gosh I hope so!

Did Josh and I get carried away chatting? Of course we did. He mentioned Ann Gros (A.F.Gros). I swooned a little thinking back to the first time I tasted what is now, one of my favorite Burgundy sips. Apparently Ann is working on a new project in the south with her husband, growing Cinsault grapes and making wine in the Minervois. She’s bringing her Burgundian magic and high quality refinement to the south. We also chatted about Gerard Bertrand, my handsome biodynamic hero and his fantastic wines. It didn’t stop until we had covered off Josh’s working history from chef to sommelier, with red seals, management training and a continued passion to influence the Vancouver scene not only as a wine guy but also as an inspired leader and mentor to many.

I am dining at Provence Nov 6th to celebrate an early birthday for Mom. She turns 81.

Story of our dining adventure

We arrived a few minutes before our 6:30 pm reservation and were tucked into the best table in the house. Our evening started with a bottle of Loire Valley ancestral method Chenin Blanc Demoiselle from Les Vins Domaine du Closel. The evening ended with a birthday song and dessert plate of gelato and chocolate mousse. We celebrated two birthdays as the table and more happiness than we’ve felt in a while.

First course was Dungeness crab & celeriac salad paired with the 2015 Little Pawn (100% Chardonnay) (100pt wine rated by John Schreiner). The portion was very generous, with flavours that were fresh, rich and buttery suiting the brioche, dried apple, brie cheese, lemon curd, and butterscotch notes of the Little Pawn. I loved it. Opulent!

The second course was Veal Tournedos served on a bed of what I called edamame quinoa, grilled radicchio, bleu cheese, flavoured butter, baby tomato stew with a demi-glace drizzle, served with 2014 End Game (100% Merlot). Was it delicious? You bet. This was a very generous portion was richly flavoured and textured suiting the flavourful red and its fine drying tannins. The dish had a lot of complexity together in one bite. Black berries, black cherries, cocoa, sweet fruit, good balance, and structure to suite all that I pressed onto my fork and elevated carefully, lips surrounding and teeth sinking in as it all came together with one bite and then sip. The only comment – remember to decant the red. It is already 6 years old and could well be in its drinking window now and for the next 3 to 5 years but the sediment is not something worth sipping.
If you have a chance and need a Covid safe environment – make a reso and dine like a queen! I used Open Table.

Final Thoughts
Keep in mind that these wines retail for approximately $100 a bottle and so not really affordable to the average wine drinker. With the holidays coming, I thought adding Checkmate to the Good Wine Gal’s guide to the 12 Essential Wines of Christmas (new eBook from me) was worth it and after our fantastic dinner on Friday, it would seem that I’m not alone with praise.