Best White Wines Under $20 at the LCBO

After a spectacular day of spring-like skiing, I was enjoying a glass of white wine on the outdoor deck. It wasn’t the greatest Chardonnay but it was perfectly acceptable and fine for the moment. While there are spectacular Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs for a price, I thought about all of us living on budgets and decided to dedicate this post to my recommendation of the best whites under $20 available at the LCBO. My goal is to pick the right white wine for you to have in the fridge for when friends drop by, or the right wine on budget to bring to a party.

I selected 6 wines: 4 Chardonnays and 2 Sauvignon Blancs – all under $20 at the LCBO.

I tasted the following:

1. Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2017, Adelaide Hills, Australia:  $ 14.95
2. Woodbridge Robert Mondavi Chardonnay, California, 2016:  $13.45
3. Kim Crawford Chardonnay, New Zealand, 2016:  $19.95
4. Gnarly Head Chardonnay, California, 2016:  $15.95
5. Saint Clair Family Estate Sauvignon Blanc, 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand:  $17.95
6. Errazuriz Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc, 2017, Chile:  $13.95

And here’s how they lined up:

First Place - tie:

• Gnarly Head, Chardonnay California, 2016:  $15.95

Aroma or “Nose” – For each wine, I poured the wine into my glass, let it sit for a while and then swirled it in the glass, put my nose to the glass, smelled the aromas and rated the aromas that came to me. At first, this wine gave me aromas of mushy peas, asparagus and green veggies – didn’t love it! Then after I let it sit for a bit longer, I went back to it and got light lemon, and creamy vanilla – like creamy vanilla ice cream with a little oak scent, baked apples and a little baked pineapple scent. The taste is oaky, full and fruity – a big mouthful of wine with a nice punch (and I noted it’s better than the Mondavi Woodbridge). This wine would taste even better as an appetizer wine with cheeses. Overall, it’s a great wine for the price.

OR:

• Kim Crawford, Chardonnay, New Zealand, 2016:  $19.95

I think this was actually my favourite but it’s more expensive than the Gnarly Head. When I thought about price and taste, I loved the Kim Crawford most, but if my budget only permitted up to $16 then I’d buy the Gnarly Head. The Kim Crawford Chardonnay is by far the nicest of the four Chardonnays I tasted and is listed on many wine menus as a wine by the glass option.  When I “nosed” the wine, I smelled aromas of apples, pineapple, light lemon and quite strong, pure vanilla. The wine has a nice, balanced fruity and smooth flavour with a medium-tart aftertaste. This is a really nice choice if you can spend up to $20.

These next two wines are made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape which offers quite a different flavour to the Chardonnay wine. The Chardonnay grape is known for its flavours of apples, melon, pineapple, butter and vanilla. Chardonnay is often aged in oak barrels so the oak imparts aromas and flavours of oak, honey, and vanilla and can give the wine a lovely creamy, buttery texture. Sauvignon Blanc wines are lighter and are known for their fresh, fruity, zesty aromas and flavours of gooseberry, grapefruit, minerals, and citrus fruits.

Second Place:

• Saint Clair Family Estate Sauvignon Blanc, 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand:  $17.95

This is a very different wine from the Chardonnay wines. When I “nose” the wine, I get gentle aromas of gooseberry and exotic fruits, subtle citrus fruits like grapefruit, lime and lemon. The taste is light, fresh, balanced, fruity and smooth.  This is a lovely Sauvignon Blanc wine to have on hand or to bring to dinner –  it’s sophisticated and absolutely presentable.

Third Place:

• Errazuriz Estate Series Sauvignon Blanc, 2017, Chile:  $13.95

I wanted to offer up a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile because the country is known for making fruity and balanced Sauvignon Blanc wine due to the great wine-making climate. The Errazuriz Sauvignon Blanc offers a big, tart taste full of limes, gooseberry, grapefruit and the freshness of green pepper. This is a more tart and zesty wine than the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc reviewed above. It tastes a lot softer when paired with appetizers like goat cheeses, nuts, olives and dips. The wine offers a nice, balanced finish.  We call it smooth with a fruity bite.

Fourth Place:

• Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi, Chardonnay, California, 2016:  $13.25

I chose this wine because it’s generally a passable, basic California Chardonnay and it’s listed on many bar and pub menus as a white wine option. It offers a light, sweet nose with aromas of ripe peach, light pineapple, and pear. After I let it sit for a while I went back to it and got quite a strong vanilla and oak aroma along with some soft lemon. The oak is gentler than the Australian Chardonnay listed below but nothing like as balanced or smooth as the Chardonnays reviewed above. The taste is soft, smooth and sweet with flavours of mango and other tropical fruits and a gentle aftertaste. The Mondavi Woodbridge Chardonnay is a passable, affordable Chardonnay wine – not the greatest but I think I’d still order it over a beer!

Fifth Place:

• Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay, 2017 Adelaide Hills, Australia:  $14.95

I completed the review with a Chardonnay from Australia.  The less expensive Chardonnays from Australia tend to have strong oak aromas and flavours that can sometimes be overpowering. At first, the Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay has very light aromas which are difficult to pick out – maybe hints of sweet nectarine and peach and soft lemon/lime. Then after waiting a while, it gave off strong aromas of rough vanilla and oak which I didn’t like.  This wine has a harsh, tart oaky taste leaving a bit of a bite after sipping. This was my least favourite of the wines I tasted. I wouldn’t buy it again or choose to drink it from a wine menu.

I hope this short review is helpful.  I recommend you go and try a few of these for yourself and let me know which you liked best.  Your comments are welcome!

Our selection of Chardonnay wines priced under $20 at the LCBO

Introduction to Chardonnay Wine

This post is for those of you who would like to have a basic understanding of Chardonnay wine. I'll cover some background as to why Chardonnay wines can taste quite different depending on where they’re from and how they’re aged and an overview of the different flavours you can enjoy with a Chardonnay. This should help guide you to the type of Chardonnay wine you might enjoy the most and can purchase at the LCBO. I provide a tasting overview of four different Chardonnays that I bought at the LCBO at the end of the post.

The green Chardonnay grape is one of the most popular grape varieties used to make white wine in countries all over the world. It originated in Burgundy, France and the regions of Chablis, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Macon, Macon-Villages, Pouilly-Fuisse in Burgundy produce some of the most famous Chardonnay wines. Other famous Chardonnay-producing regions include California, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina. Each wine can taste quite different depending on where it comes from – the climate, the geography of the location and the way in which the wine is made. 

Once you start tasting Chardonnays from different regions you might notice that If you’re buying a Chardonnay from a cooler climate region like Chablis in northern Burgundy, France, you’ll have aromas of crisp minerals, apple and pear with citrus fruit and possibly even cucumber. In more moderate climates like Burgundy, you might detect aromas of “stone fruit” including peach with citrus and melon aromas. If you’re choosing a wine from the warmer regions like California and Australia you might like the aromas of peach, banana, pineapple, mango and possibly fig.

I was asked why it’s so important to “nose” or smell the wine before you drink it. The answer is quite simple. Each wine contains unique aromatic compounds which are released once the wine is poured. By smelling the aromas before we sip, we prepare our sense of taste for the flavours the wine will offer when we drink it. 

Another factor influencing the taste of your wine is the ageing process. Once the wine is made, the Chardonnay wine can be aged in oak barrels or stainless steel barrels before it is bottled. Chardonnay wine that has been stored in oak barrels before being bottled develops additional flavours of wood, vanilla, butter, caramel and baked apple pie – flavours that come from the oak being in contact with the wine.  The wine may also appear more golden in colour. The oak can give the Chardonnay a creamy, smooth texture.

Some wineries choose not to age the wine in oak but use stainless steel tanks instead. This allows the wine to maintain a crisp, clear, fruity flavour of green apple, pear, lemon and citrus or flavours of peach, fig, pineapple and mango depending on how ripe the grapes were when they were picked and whether or not the grapes were growing in a cooler climate or warm climate. Unoaked Chardonnay wines generally come from the cooler climate areas – for example, Chardonnay wines from Chablis in northern Burgundy are generally aged in steel tanks and offer the minerally, crisp green fruit and citrus aromas.

This weekend, we chose to taste a selection of Chardonnays.  Each was chosen as a typical example of what other wines from the same region might taste like. Take a look at our tasting notes below and then go and select a few bottles to try yourself.  Happy sipping!

1. Napa Valley in California:  Beringer (Winery), Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016 (Year the wine is bottled)

Grown in a warm to moderate climate due to the cooling effect of the fog from the San Pablo Bay. 25% of the wine was aged in stainless tanks, 75% in oak. Aromas of lemon, apple, pear, peach, honey, smokey and oaky. A smooth, fruity, oaky and sweetish taste.  $23.95.

2. Nelson, New Zealand:  Te Mania, Chardonnay

Grown in a cool, maritime climate and aged in stainless steel tanks with oak infused. Aromas of nectarine, citrus, mango, peach and oak. Taste of ripe peach and nectarine, smooth acidity with nice fruity aftertaste.  $25.90.

3. Chablis, Burgundy:  Albert Bichot, Chablis 2015

Grown in a cool climate and aged in stainless tanks. Pale yellow colour with aromas of apple, pear, and minerals.  Dry acidity and full body.  Crisp flavours of green apple and pear. $22.95.

4. Macon, Burgundy:  Domaine de Rochebin, Macon-Aze Chardonnay, 2016

Grown in a warmer climate and aged in concrete vats. Aromas of green and sweet red apple, peach apricot, and pear. Dry taste with fruit flavour.  $16.95.

A selection of Chardonnay wines from California, New Zealand, and France.