LCBO Food and Drink Spring 2016

WINE  PASSAGE TO SPRING

CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES BARREL-FERMENTED CHARDONNAY VQA  LCBO 81653, $13.95

WOLF BLASS GOLD LABEL CHARDONNAY LCBO 399543, $24.90 Wolf Blass sources the grapes for this elegant Chardonnay from high-altitude vine- yards in the Adelaide Hills, a relatively cool location that gives the wine an unexpected but delightful tang of acidity. Fruit aromas and flavours are more peachy than tropical, with a well-integrated streak of vanilla oak that lasts well into the long, graceful finish. Yes, it’s a big white, but feels more like an elite athlete than a sumo wrestler. B O L D WHITES

Barrel-fermenting doesn’t mean a Chardonnay is going to be super-oaky; it’s more that the oaky, smoky vanilla spice will be beautifully integrated. In this buttery, full-bodied but elegant wine from Niagara, it’s delightfully balanced by bright acidity and plentiful fruit flavours that remind me of pear, yellow apple and poached quince. A fine example of how good our local Chardonnay can be at a remarkably low price!

GHOST PINES CHARDONNAY WINEMAKER’S BLEND LCBO 308122, $19.95 Aaron Piotter, winemaker at Ghost Pines, looks for top-quality grapes all over California rather than relying on a single estate or vineyard. This creamy, full-bodied beauty is made with roughly equal propor- tions of fruit from Napa, Sonoma and Monterey, unified into a seamless blend. There’s a hint of oak behind the rich flavours of pear, apple sauce and citrus. It makes a gorgeous match with roast chicken or a saffron-scented mush- room risotto.

FLAT ROCK CELLARS

GOOD KHARMA CHARDONNAY VQA  LCBO 356873, $16.95 Intense apple, pear and pineapple flavours last for ages on the palate in this rich, full-bodied Chardonnay. But wait… There’s more. Oak-aging brings subtle spice while a whiff of minerality in the nose and a precise acid tang hold everything together—and advertise the wine’s provenance on Niagara’s benchland. A portion of sales goes to the Ontario Association of Food Banks, so this wine is a winner on many fronts.

KEW VINEYARDS 2012 OLD VINE CHARDONNAY VQA VINTAGES 438374, $18.95

The Chardonnay vines on Kew’s Beamsville Bench property in Niagara were planted in the mid-1970s and that maturity shows in the complexity of flavours this wine offers. Full-bodied and creamy, with just enough acidity to keep everything airborne, it’s full of canteloupe, pear and peach aromas, all interlaced with subtle oaky vanilla. Another splendid example of Ontario’s mastery of Chardonnay in all sorts of delectable styles.

90  FOOD & DRI NK SPRING 2016