Vintages Essentials are the tried and true, always available wines in that swanky section of the LCBO. But, like all wines, they can vary vintage to vintage. Here’s a look at six of the best Essentials now on shelf, in a range of styles — including three whites, two reds and a rosé. The first two are on sale, so stock up.
2023 Eradus Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand
(Vintages 225557 $18.95 till May 25, reg. $19.95)
Wonderfully bracing yet well-toned, this expression of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc tastes more sophisticated than the price would suggest. The experience starts with a relatively shy fragrance that’s allusive and beguiling. The attack is linear and luminous, a bolt of lightning that arrests the senses then cascades with that complexity found on the nose. Think passion fruit and lime, limestone, cut grass and a touch of basil — all scored with textured salinity and pithiness. Lovely persistence, too. Ideal with fresh, tender-crisp spears of Ontario asparagus steamed to perfection. (13.5% alc. 2 g/L sugar)
2024 Kim Crawford Rosé Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
(Vintages Essential 650325 $18.95 till May 25, reg. $20.95)
Light, lively and fresh with a kiss of sweetness, this salmon-hued rosé works especially well chilled down and served cocktail-style at happy hour. It’s a wine you don’t overthink. You just splash it in your glass and let it sprint in and offer its bright dose of immediate refreshment. Like a summer rain, that’s it’s gift. Flavours suggest sugared ruby grapefruit and candied apple while incising acidity creates optimal balance. Works very well with smoked fish dip, bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers or just a bowl of crunchy corn chips. (13% alc. 7 g/L sugar)
2023 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Italy
(Vintages Essential 474742, $20.95)
Some wine drinkers deem Pinot Grigio to be a bit simple for their tastes. That criticism though would be difficult to level against this label. It’s a tightly wound, deeply mineral version that spirals with allusions of sand, sea spray and chalk as well as lemon zest, green pear and a vivid steeliness. Such energy and poise in the glass. Frankly, it’s a wine that is as much felt as it is tasted. This is the bottle to keep in the door of the fridge for any moment at all. (12.5% alc. 4 g/L sugar)
2023 Louis Jadot Chardonnay Bourgogne AOC, France
(Vintages Essential 933077, $36.95)
Lovers of elegantly wooded Chardonnay will appreciate this quintessentially Burgundian classic. The soft scent draws you in and calls to mind vanilla custard and burnt sugar, as well as a touch of hazelnut, maybe, and cooked apple. The wine slips in like satin with a gratifying weight as flavours echo the elements found on the nose, then shift to reveal a biscuity note and touch of wet stone. This sophisticated Chardonnay by a respected producer is a dinner party waiting to happen. Does not disappoint. (13% alc. 2 g/L sugar)
2015 Faustino Gran Reserva DOCa Rioja, Spain
(Vintages Essential 976662, $31.95)
This generous, gratifying red spent two years in French and American oak, then several years in bottle before release. The result is a mellowed wine of depth and intrigue. Yet, it’s still youthful. Each glassful opens with heady scents of ripe cherry-blackberry fruit laced with vanilla-nut and graphite. More of the same emerges on the palate, threaded with marzipan and mushroom, hazelnut and cocoa, dark earth and warm leather. This slow sipper is one to pour with roasted meats or a nibble of aged Manchego. (13.5% alc. 2 g/L)
2021 Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha DO Campo de Borja, Spain
(Vintages Essential 273748, $21.95)
If you’re missing those ripe Californian reds that taste round and velvety with weight and lift, this is your wine. Ripe and full of fruit, this pure Garnacha is jam-packed with red and black berry fruit that saturates the palate initially and then slips away to reveal notes of chocolate and coffee, earth and stone. It’s a full-bodied wine, yes, but also juicy and fresh — so supremely drinkable. It’s the bottle that has you topping up again and again. Serious value for money. Pour it with grilled sausages. (15% alc. 3 g/L sugar)
