LCBO Sale Pick of the Week: July 16

Louis Jadot 2014 Bourgogne Chardonnay (Burgundy, France)

Sale $18.95, Regular $21.95
Discount (until July 19): $3.00
LCBO (Vintages) # 933077 | 750 mL bottle

Tastes like: Crisp fresh cut apple, pear and tangerine. Oh, and finesse.
Pairs with: Poached or fried trout, mushroom quiche, onion tart, apple pie.
Good for: Croquet. Or women's rugby.
Alcohol: 13%
Drink: Now.

Why we're drinking this
You know, when it comes down to it, Chardonnay really is the king. It gets a bum rap from the cognescenti sometimes, in response to tarted-up (and mostly New World) abominations dripping in vanilla, toasty oak and over-ripe tropical fruits. (You got banana in your glass? Run!). So it's a delight to taste this latest vintage from Louis Jadot — one of Bourgogne's great negociants — and enjoy the unadulterated purity of a truly good wine. Just this month, UNESCO awarded World Heritage Status to Bourgogne's Cote d'Or, calling out the distinct wines produced in the 1,247 individual vineyard plots known as Climats. Talk about precision. You can get a taste of that right here.

Tasting note
Tough to find fault with this wine, it's just irresistibly good. And under $20? Please. Focused, elegant notes of fresh cut apple, lime pith and tangerine, with maybe a little peach — pure, crisp fruit that's fresh, ripe and clean. The merest whiff of vanilla from what must be high quality oak barrels. It's not a rich wine, though. Rather, it's austere in the best sense, with acidity that bites just a little bit (more of a nibble), gently lifting that palate out of its slumber. Oh damn, now I sound like a wine twit. Let's get back to basics: this wine is balanced, tasty and fun to drink. It ain't your everyday Chardonnay — it's a special thing. Just like its homeland.

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This week's selection by kwäf Taste Bud Dick Snyder