LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: April 30

Kim Crawford Pinot Noir (South Island, New Zealand)

Sale $17.95, Regular $19.95
Discount (until May 24): $2.00
LCBO # 626390 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Black cherries, pomegranate, dry earth.
Pairs with: Mild beef stir fry, pork tenderloin, roast chicken, meat ravioli, white pizza, salmon on the grill.
Good for: Breaking out the vinyl albums on a Friday night.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Drink: Now.

Why we're drinking this
Sometimes you just want things to be easy. We love this wine for its forthrightness (is that a word?), and because it has a screw cap. While some may poo-poo the Kim Crawford brand as a mega-beast corporate wine — Crawford sold his business more than 10 years ago and is now legally restricted from putting his name on any of his new wine ventures — there’s something to be said for the consistency that corporate backing brings to commercial winemaking. This is a damn nice wine. Hell, we’re all about punk rock, but we still love the Stones.

Tasting note
If you’ve tasted last week’s recommendation — the Bouchard Père & Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir — then now’s the time for something completely different. The Bouchard is lean, elegant, cerebral. The Kim Crawford is fuller, brasher, blunt. More “in your face,” shall we say. It wields much more blue and red fruit front-and-centre, with black cherry and blueberry notes. It’s bigger in the mouth, nice and silky, with soft tannins. Yes, it’s a bit showy, but retains a degree of finesse, and it’s certainly enjoyable to drink, especially for a couple bucks off. We defy anyone not to enjoy this wine! Spin side one of Tattoo You and you’ll see what we mean.

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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud Dick Snyder