Dreamy wines at dreamy prices

Taste wines for a living and you quickly learn that the LCBO stocks a lot of overpriced bottles. No surprise there. But you also discover some underpriced bottles worth writing about — especially in the current economy where everything seems to cost an arm and a leg.

So here are some of the best values on shelf at the LCBO — and why they’re such bargains.

The 2021 Cap Royal Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc from France (Vintages $18.95) is a dream of a wine for the money. It tastes like the perfect combination of French classicism, easy elegance and crispcool refreshment. It gleams a beautiful pale straw hue and wafts with a fresh, vivid perfume that suggests rolling meadows, a twist of grapefruit and crushed stone.

The fragrance is clean and fetching but not at all forward. Then, the wine slides in with poise, purity and a linear liveliness that lights up the palate before receding toward a wet stone finish.

Dignified, bone-dry expression of Sauvignon Blanc with a mere 12.5 per cent alcohol. Score: 92

Cap Royal is owned by Compagnie Médocaine des Grands Crus, which also owns Château Pichon Baron, the Second Grand Cru Classé that sells for more than $300 per bottle upon release, if you can get your hands on it. Of course, Cap Royal is a branded wine rather than a classed growth. But being under the same umbrella as Château Pichon Baron means its long-standing technical director, Jean-Réne Matignon, oversaw the winemaking of Cap Royal. And that talent shows.

There’s a saying in the wine world: Buy from a trusted producer and the wine won’t let you down. That’s certainly true here. Grab a few bottles while you can. Then, enjoy them all spring and summer long with fish and seafood.

Also from France is the 2019 Tessellae Old Vines Grenache Syrah Mourvedre from the Cotes du Roussillon, France (Vintages Essential $19.95). It’s an unpretentious bistro-style wine from the South of France, made from the hand-harvested fruit of 70-year-old vines.

In the glass, each swirl releases cherry-fruited goodness laced with a certain beefy appeal. The entry is seamless, supple and juicy — a sweep of red and black fruit that turns slightly more serious as earthy underbrush, graphite, pink peppercorn and a touch of salinity come to the fore.

This dry, full-bodied red with 14.5 per cent alcohol is well-balanced and versatile at the table. Excellent with cheese fondue or steak frites from the air fryer. Score: 90

This wine takes you straight to the South of France for less than $20.

If your preferred style of wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, pick up the

2018 Zaha Toko Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina (Vintages $27.95). This special wine hails from the cool region of Paraje Altamira in the Uco Valley. The Toko Vineyard rests at about 1,200 metres above sea level, where the fruit retains mouth-watering acidity thanks to cool nights that balance the hot days.

And the berries develop thick skins to withstand the intense UV rays. The result is deep, dark and delicious.

Each glassful of this inky red exudes the fragrance of muddled blackberries, dried shrubs and cassis as well as the unmistakable whiff of mountain air. That nose leads to brawny flavours of black forest fruit, black earth and a touch of toasted tobacco, along with crushed hazelnut and a fluttery note of violet somewhere.

A long velvety finish leaves the palate seasoned. Serve this bold red with grilled portabello mushrooms.

Score: 93

For a bottle of red closer to the $15 mark, reach for the 2018 Terra d’Aligi Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC from Italy (Vintages $16.95). Rich, ripe and full of fruit, each mouthful drenches the palate with open-handed flavour. Bold black cherry and blueberry flavours nuanced with spearmint, black peppercorn and bitter chocolate take hold, anchored with firm tannins. That grip hems in the fruit and lends structure and length. Pour this red with meat-lovers’ pizza or Nonna’s lasagna. Score: 90

Despite prices rising at Ontario’s liquor store and elsewhere — who ever thought we’d be paying about $5 for a head of iceberg lettuce at grocery stores — it’s nice to know you can still find wine that’s priced below what it’s worth. Don’t tell the LCBO, but the wines noted could all sell for a bit more than they currently cost.

CAROLYN EVANS HAMMOND IS A TORONTO-BASED WINE WRITER AND A FREELANCE CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST FOR THE STAR. WINERIES OCCASIONALLY SPONSOR SEGMENTS ON HER YOUTUBE SERIES YET THEY HAVE NO ROLE IN THE SELECTION OF THE WINES SHE CHOOSES TO REVIEW OR HER OPINIONS OF THOSE WINES. ALL PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. REACH HER VIA EMAIL: CAROLYN@CAROLYNEVANSHAMMOND.COM