2014 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay – LCBO 081653 – $13.95 – **** – This vintage of Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from Chateau des Charmes just may redefine entry level Ontario wine. This offers everything that a good Ontario Chardonnay should have. Hints of vanilla and spice on the nose layered over nice citrus and orchard fruit. The flavours match the nose with a nice creamy texture on the mid palate. Simply put I don’t think you would be able to guess the price on this wine if you tasted it not knowing. Now, a wine like this is important because it’s the sort of gateway that could help someone move from the front of the LCBO to the Vintages section to get their hands on some of the smaller batch wines. Needless to say you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get your hands on a choice bottle of Ontario Chardonnay. Serve this a little warmer than fridge temperature. If you serve this too cold and it may taste a little woody, but when you let it warm up you will unlock tropical and orchard fruit flavours.
