LCBO Sale Wine of the Week: May 2

Louis Latour 2016 Bourgogne Chardonnay (Burgundy, France)

Sale $19.55, Regular $21.55
Discount (until May 27): $2.00
LCBO #55533 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Citrus, apple, peach, apricot and herbals like Thai basil and gooseberry. Interesting, fruity and fresh. Complex, with a hint of vanilla and butter.
Pairs with: White meats, scallops, creamy cheeses.
Good for: Splashing out for under twenty bucks on a couch-and-movie night. Also good for lunch of leftover pesto pizza after calling in sick.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink: Now to 2020.

Why we're drinking this
It’s Latour!… And the label is killer. You put this on the table, and most people will think you spent $30 or more. Scripty text on a label gets that kind of response. That, and a hefty bottle, a real cork, and some major foil. Nice. Seriously though, when you’re buying Bourgogne, you go Latour and you’re not disappointed. This is Chardonnay, full on. And I don’t want to hear any “I don’t like Chardonnay” whining out there. You might not like all the crappy Chardonnays you’ve had over the years, but here’s one worth a shot. So don’t make me come over there and give you a live demonstration (though you will enjoy it). Drop a twenty on this, get your change, go home, chill the heck out of it… and boom. If you’ve got a scallop or two handy, all the better.

Tasting note
Nose: Citrus, green apple, Thai basil, gooseberry, apricot, peach, cashew, vanilla. Palate: Apple, lime/grapefruit, peach, pineapple, almond. Finish: fruit and butter/butterscotch. This wine is lean, focused and savoury. 2016 was a crap vintage but this wine pulls it out and does a wicked job. It’s balanced, lively, refreshing, delicious, and more complex than one would expect from 2016, especially at this price. Amazing: there’s no oak in this wine. And yet, there’s lovely vanilla creaminess. That’s the malolactic fermentation speaking. More on that another time. Serve very cold and let it warm as you sip. Drink with white meats, simple snacks (popcorn, nuts, cheese), scallops (diver; not cheap) and sautéed shrimp.

Find it at your LCBO
Check availability on the LCBO website!

Sign Up for LCBO Sale Pick of the Week.
A FREE Service from kwäf!

This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud Dick Snyder