WEEKEND WINE PICKS

Jabber The Winemaker The Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile $22.99 I 90/100

UPC: 850038330002 When Kim Crawford sold the winery to Constellation Brands, they bought his name too. Jabber is what his friends call him, and his new label in Chile might be his most important work. Working with granitic soils, red clays, black chalk, slopes, and three microclimates within Casablanca, Crawford makes deliciously bright, citrus-powered Sauvignon with a tight mineral, reductive note, and less biting acidity. It is a Chilean version of Sancerre with a riff of ripeness running through the wine. Ready to drink with mussels, clams, or freshly shucked oysters. Fine value. Private wine shops only.

Passato Roero Arneis 2021, Langhe, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy $25.99 I 91/100

UPC: 857852002733 From Roero, Piedmont comes Passato, a straw-coloured Arneis with a floral, almond, and green melon nose, at only 13.5 per cent. Post ferment, it spends six months on its lees to broaden the midpalate, pitching ripe pear, textural citrus, and almonds over a mineral stony base, finishing with exotic, bitter, food-friendly tropical fruit. It is a delicious wine with an array of West Coast seafood dishes. Make this a fixture on the deck. Private wine shops only.

J. de Villebois Sauvignon Blanc 2022, France $26.99 I 89/100

UPC: 3760189780519 We saw this wine last vintage and thought it was impressive, and it was just fine in 2022. The Vin de France cuvée gives J. de Villebois the leeway to work outside Sancerre with grapes grown on the cool Atlantic Coast and in the Loire Valley. Don't be fooled. The result is more Sancerre than Vin de France, which means you get a Sauvignon that overdelivers for its price. Fresh, dry and linear, there is a line of citrus and gooseberry with a slight tug of dryness. Still, it's a treat for the price and should be an easy order with fresh oysters.

Torres Celeste Crianza 2019, Ribera del Duero, Castilla-leon, Spain $26.99 I 92/100

UPC: 8410113003508 Celeste has a history of over-delivering for the price, and it is easy to know why. It could be the sheer elegance, the drinkability or both. Whatever it is, you need to stock up. It is a fabulous restaurant wine, making it an even better value if you buy it and drink it at home. The all-tempranillo red has muted, smoky undertones that mix with black cherries, a dash of oak and a warm, long, lush, balanced finish. This is crazy delicious, and it is your choice: you can drink it or cellar it for five more years. It is on sale until April 27 in 67 B.C. liquor stores.

Altesino Rosso di Montalcino 2020, Tuscany, Italy $28.99 I 90/100

UPC: 662255300337 Most Rosso di Montalcino is made from younger vines and juice that never made the Brunello cut, but not at Altesino. Everything is estate grown, and the Rosso lives its one life mainly faithful to the house style, which is elegance supported by red fruits and spice. Look for light, breezy cherry and raspberry mixed with polished leather, dark plums, and earthy dried herbs mid-palate. Fragrant, accessible, and with bright acidity, I love this with anything mushrooms or grilled chicken off the barbecue. This is baby Brunello at its best, on sale until April 27 in 47 B.C. liquor stores.