Cost: $37.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Southbrook Vineyards Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
A musky style, quality but at a price. Score: 90/100.
Tasting Note: Gold in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose, mild tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, peach, pear, cantaloupe, blood orange, guava, vanilla & musk.
Negatives: None
Interesting Note: Organic
Winemaker’s Note: “Hand-harvested from a unique Chardonnay clonal planting in the Lincoln Lakeshore sub-appellation. Grapes were gently pressed using a long and slow press cycle. Settled juice was transferred to French oak barrels (20% new) for 10 months of aging before bottling.” Winery
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with Tandoori chicken.
Nice crisp rosé versatile with food. Score: 90/100.
Tasting Note: Orange-Red in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Cherry, pomegranate, cranberry & white pepper.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Organic
Winemaker’s Note: “Grapes were harvested and loaded directly into the press. Cold juice settling and racking was followed by inoculation with non-aroma enhancing organic yeast and a cool fermentation that spanned four weeks. Fermentation was halted early to leave a slight residual sugar to balance acidity and alcohol. Bentonite clay fining was used prior to sterile filtration and bottling.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in 2 – 3 years on its own or pair it with pork souvlaki.
Cost: $20.95 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: France Region: Mâcon-Uchizy, Mâconnais Format: 750 mL Producer: Cave Talmard Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Beautifully made. This delicious Chard has finesse & elegance, all at a bargain price for this quality. Score: 94/100.
Tasting Note: Light yellow gold in colour with good acidity, a medium+ intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, mangos, pineapple, pear, peach, roasted almonds, ginger, dill & limestone.
Negatives: None
Interesting Point: Originally reviewed Oct 18, 2021. Winery was founded in the 17th Century and is still family owned.
Pairings: Drink this now or in next 5-7 years & pair it with shrimp tempura.
Cost: $23.95 US Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: Costco, Virginia, United States of America Country: United States of America Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California Format: 750 ml Producer: Ferrari Carano Alcohol: 14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Beautifully made full body, complex Chard for those that like oaked Chards & one of the best, especially at this price. Score: 95/100.
Tasting Note: Bright yellow gold in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose, mild tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, pear, golden apples, dill, ginger, crème brûlée, meringue, oak spice, cinnamon, roasted almonds & Easter Lilly on the nose.
Negatives: 14.5% alcohol
Winemaker’s Note: “Each lot for this wine is hand harvested, whole-cluster pressed, then barrel fermented with native and cultured yeast. The wine completes 89% malolactic fermentation and is sur lee aged and stirred weekly for 5 months. The final blend was assembled in June, 2019, and the wine is barreled again in neutral oak until bottling, for a total of almost 15 months of barrel aging. All vineyard lots are treated separately until blending.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in 5 – 7 years on its own or pair it with cooked lobster on a campfire.
Cost: $21.95 Grape: Pinot Gris Category: White Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Creek Shores, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: 13th Street Winery Alcohol: 12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Elegant, beautifully made showing nice citric fruit & acidity. Score: 93/100.
Tasting Note: Straw in colour with good acidity, medium+ intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon-lime, honeydew melon, pear, pitahaya, shale & white rose on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Note: Vegan friendly
Pairings: Drink this now or in 3 – 5 years on its own or pair it with Barramundi.
Cost: $15.95 Grape: 57% Chenin Blanc, 25% Viognier, 18% Roussanne Category: White Wine Location: LCBO General List Country: South Africa Region: Cape Coast Format: 750 ml Producer: Essay Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Very interesting wine, in a good way, complexity shows waves of different notes. Score: 93/100.
Tasting Note: Medium straw in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Guava, papaya, pineapple, litchee, honeydew melon, dragon fruit & lemon.
Negatives: None
Interesting Note: Essay is a play on words: “SA” is the popular way of saying “South Africa” in SA. It also implies an “assemblage” or blending of ingredients to create a whole greater than its parts.
Winemaker’s Note: “Grapes were hand harvested and cold fermented in stainless steel tanks. The Chenin Blanc is only free-run juice. A few months of lees contact enhances texture. The unwooded wine was fined and filtered before bottling.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with Asian chicken skewers with green papaya salad.
Cost: $25.00 Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: Winery Country: Canada Region: Beamsville Bench, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: The Farm Alcohol: 13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Vibrant & full of nice citric fruits, spice & integrated oak. Score: 92/100.
Tasting Note: Yellow gold in colour with good acidity, low to medium intense nose, dusty tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, peach, pear, honeycomb, vanilla, oak spice, ginger, dill, limestone.
Negatives: None
Winemaker’s Note: Unfiltered
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with Alaskan King Crab legs
Cost: $25.00 (Sale at the Winery: $20.00) Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO Vintages Country: Canada Region: Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Region, Ontario Format: 750 ml Producer: Kin Vineyards Alcohol: 13.2% Alcohol/Vol.
Full body Chard with a nice balance between the oak, tropical & citric fruits. Score: 90/100.
Tasting Note: Yellow gold in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose, dusty tannin & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, peach, mango, pear, honeycomb, oak spice, ginger, dill, limestone & on the nose.
Negatives: None
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with Curry Mango and Lime Chicken Skewers
Cost: $15.45 (Sale price until July 21, 2024: $13.45) Grape: Chardonnay Category: White Wine Location: LCBO General Listing Country: Chile Region: Valle de Casablanca Format: 750 ml Producer: Vina del Nuevo Mundo SA Alcohol: 13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Quality of this wine is double of its price. It’s balanced between acidity, oak & fruits. Score: 94/100.
Tasting Note: Light gold in colour with good acidity, medium+ intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, peach, mango, pear, light oak spice, ginger, dill, limestone & fresh cut white flowers on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Note: Certified sustainable/organic
Pairings: Drink this now or in 4 – 6 years on its own or pair it with Pastel de jaiba (Crab pie)
Tasting Note: Gold in colour with good acidity, medium intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, pear, green apples, kumquat, ginger, almonds & white lilies on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Note: Vegan & Certified Organic
Winemaker’s Note: “A regional blend of Chardonnay from our Organic grower partners. All lots were gently pressed to yield delicate juice. Slightly settled juice was transferred to 300L neutral French oak barrels for wild fermentation, including malolactic, light oak spice and aged for 10 months.”
Pairings: Drink this now or in 3 – 5 years on its own or pair it with East Coast Lobster
Tasting Note: Gold in colour with good acidity, medium+ intense nose & a long length on the finish. This wine features: Lemon, pear, green apples, kumquat, ginger, dill, almonds, light oak spice & Acacias on the nose.
Negatives: None
Interesting Note: Vegan & Certified Organic
Winemaker’s Note: “A regional blend of Chardonnays from organic growers. Harvested at several dates throughout October 2020. Grapes were whole cluster pressed and fermented in neutral 300L barrels. Malolactic fermentation was followed by 10 months aging before bottling prior to harvest 2021”
Pairings: Drink this now or in 3 – 5 years on its own or pair it with East Coast Lobster
Twilight Wines 