5 FLAVOURS TO WELCOME SUMMER
Lemons. Grapefruit. Green apple. Tangy orange. Pineapple. Stone fruit. These flavours suit summer so well, don’t you think? They race across your palate all cool and clean with great tension and raciness. Pure refreshment, really. These are the same flavo
2015 Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay, Burgundy, France (Vintages Essential 933077 $23.95 in stores and online)
From the birthplace of cool climate Chardonnay — Burgundy — comes this reliable bottle that’s well-made and well-priced. Upon entry, the rich core of lemon curd tastes lifted and cool then fans out quickly with layers of flavour; think vanilla custard, burnt sugar, toasted pastry, hazelnut, salt and a hint of white pepper. The finish is clean and dry, long and resonant. Serve it with broiled lobster tails with drawn butter this summer sometime.
Score: 93
2014 Domaine des Deux Roches Saint-Véran Rives de Longsault, Burgundy, France (Vintages 488858 $24.95 in stores only, released July 8)
Also from Burgundy comes this new release that just sings with magnetic aromas and flavours of baked apple, nutmeg and Chantilly cream before tapering to a long slow finish that suggests baked butter pastry and grapefruit zest. The impeccable balance and generous concentration create a satiny, saturated mouth feel. Difficult not to like this thriller so snap up a bottle and pour it with a simple fish dish, steamed mussels and frites, or even homemade egg pasta in a light cream sauce. Lovely stuff. Score: 93+
2014 Hidden Bench Estate Chardonnay, VQA Beamsville Bench, Ont. (Vintages 68817 $29.95 in stores only, released July 8)
Articulate, delicate aromas of ripe cantaloupe, nougat, orange peel and the slightest suggestion of toasted marshmallow rise from the glass as you swirl. Then, a bracing attack of mixed citrus fills the mouth before the allusions of melon, nougat and wet stones return on the finish. Such delicacy and finesse. The fruit for this wine comes from certified organic fruit grown on the Beamsville Bench, a small region of Niagara where the limestone-rich soil imparts the stony minerality evident here. Pour this bottle with pan-seared scallops, fried potatoes and lightly dressed mixed greens.
Score: 91
2015 Southbrook Triomphe Organic Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ont. (Vintages 172338 $24.95 in stores only, released July 8)
This aptly named Chardonnay slips across the palate with perfect poise, purity and elegance. It starts with aromas and flavours of lemon meringue pie — all lifted and floaty — then moves toward richer notes of baked peach and warm marzipan before finishing with citrus zest and wet stones. Complex, concentrated and long, this is the kind of wine you can be proud to pour at a dinner party this summer.
Score: 92
2016 Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay, Margaret River, Western Australia (Vintages 416511 $24.95 in stores only, released July 8)
Bright, cresting notes of lemon — lemon squirt, lemon zest, lemon oil — as well as ginger and bitter lime characterize this taut, tart drop. It’s a stark reminder Australia makes so much more than fruit-drenched, sunshine-in-a-glass styles of wine when the grapes hail from cooler regions — such as Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and the chillier, maritime microclimates in Margaret River. Serve this exciting little number with teriyaki salmon and rice.
Score: 90