Aug. 4 LCBO Wine Picks: Blockbusters + Single-Vineyard German Wines

The next Vintages wine release will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on August 4. The major feature is titled "Blockbuster" wines and focuses on customers' all-time favourite wines. I have tasted and enjoyed many of these wines from previous vintages, but in this release just one wine made my list of wine picks. It's definitely on the pricey side, but the Pinino Brunello di Montalcino (100% Sangiovese) can be decanted and enjoyed now, or wait at least 2 years prior to opening.

The secondary feature in this release is on single-vineyard German wines. I love German Rieslings because many samples are medium in sweetness, complex and have balanced acidity. The Reinhold Haart Kabinett from the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen vineyard is one such example, while the more expensive Markus Molitor Spätlese (late harvest) from the Zeltinger Himmelreich vineyard is also very nice.

From the rest of the release, I look to South America for yet another lovely Argentinean Malbec and a Chilean Carmenère. The Langeudoc region in France always serves up great value wines, so the Syrah from Domaine Les Yeuses comes as no surprise - it's a steal at $13.95. A rosé from Provence is in a very fancy bottle and consists of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. The Castellani Filicheto Montepulciano is made up of 90% Prugnolo Gentile (the regional name for Sangiovese in Tuscany) and 10% Canaiolo Nero. The aromatic Terre Dora is made with the Fiano varietal.

Within Canada, we've got a medium-sweet sparkler from... Nova Scotia! Also in this release is an oustanding oaked Chardonnay made by Inniskillin right here in Niagara, Ontario. Enjoy my picks for this week!


Red Wine:

• PASCUAL TOSO RESERVE MALBEC 2009 - Barrancas Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina (#183897) (XD) - $19.95
• DOMAINE LES YEUSES LES ÉPICES SYRAH 2009 - IGP Pays d’Oc, Midi, France (#177584) (XD) - $13.95
• CONCHA Y TORO SERIE RIBERAS GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2009 - DO Peumo, Ribera del Cachapoal, Chile (#274043) (XD) - $16.95
• PININO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2006 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#032508) (XD) - $38.95
• CASTELLANI FILICHETO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2009 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#184937) (XD) - $17.95
• SOTER VINEYARDS NORTH VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2009 - Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#289470) (D) - $37.95

White Wine:

• INNISKILLIN WINEMAKER’S SERIES MONTAGUE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2010 - VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#586347) (D) - $18.95
• REINHOLD HAART PIESPORTER GOLDTRÖPFCHEN RIESLING KABINETT 2009 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#282335) (M) - $19.95
• CAPE POINT VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2010 - WO Cape Point, South Africa (#285221) (XD) - $18.95
• CLOS MARGUERITE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2010 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#281014) (XD) - $18.95
• TERRE DORA FIANO DI AVELLINO 2010 - DOCG, Campania, Italy (#120048) (XD) - $18.95
• MARKUS MOLITOR ZELTINGER HIMMELREICH RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2008 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#282350) (M) - $26.95

Rosé Wine:

• CHÂTEAU DE L’AUMÉRADE CRU CLASSÉ CUVÉE MARIE CHRISTINE ROSÉ 2011 - AC Côtes de Provence, France (#282459) (D) - $15.95

Sparkling Wine:

• BENJAMIN BRIDGE NOVA 7 2011 - Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada (#256289) (M) - $25.95

The rest of the wines from this release can be found here.