Aug. 18 LCBO Wine Picks: 2010 Rhône + Pacific Northwest

The next batch of Vintages wines will be in LCBO outlets across Ontario on Saturday, August 18. In this release, the main feature is on the highly-praised 2010 vintage wines from Southern Rhône, in France.

I've always been a big fan of wines from Rhône and it is with delight I have a chosen a few for you to consume. First up is the Halos de Jupiter, made using 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre (i.e. a GSM blend) which you can drink now or cellar for 1-2 years. The Grands Bois Cuvée Philippine is another blend made up of equal parts Syrah and Grenache, and 15% Carignan. The third pick from Rhône is not cheap, but will delight for at least the next decade - the Siffrein Châteauneuf-du-Pape consisting of 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault.

The secondary feature in this release is on wines from the Pacific Northwest - British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Of the (just!) 6 wines that were featured, only the extra dry Pinot Gris from Oregon made my list of wine picks. I would prefer this region be the main feature in a future release with many more selections, as this region is terribly under-represented here in Ontario.

From the rest of the release, the Saumur-Champigny from Loire is made with Cabernet Franc. From Italy, we have a Chianti Classico made with 95% Sangiovese and 5% Colorino, while the Brunello di Montalcino is strictly Sangiovese.

In white wine, the Bosman Adama is a really interesting dry (i.e. slightly sweet) wine from South Africa that is blended using 60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Gris, 6% Viognier and 4% Semillon. Also interesting is the NZ Southbank Chardonnay because it is oaked, but comes off as dry. Hope you enjoy my picks for this week! Cheers!


Red Wine:

• LES HALOS DE JUPITER CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#276956) (D) - $17.95
• DOMAINE LES GRANDS BOIS CUVÉE PHILIPPINE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#286344) (XD) - $17.95
• LES VIGNOBLES TERROIRS ET LIEU-DIEU DE LOIRE SAUMUR-CHAMPIGNY 2009 - AC, Loire, France (#662585) (XD) - $15.95
• CENNATOIO ORO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2009 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#121210) (XD) - $21.95
• CALERA PINOT NOIR 2009 - Central Coast, California, USA (#933044) (D) - $31.95
• DOMAINE DE SAINT SIFFREIN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#169771) (D) - $39.95
• VERBENA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2007 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#165126) (XD) - $37.95

White Wine:

• BOSMAN ADAMA WHITE 2010 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#282764) (D) - $18.95
• BOLLIG-LEHNERT TRITTENHEIMER APOTHEKE RIESLING KABINETT 2009 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#284448) (M) - $17.95
• SOUTHBANK CHARDONNAY 2010 - Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand (#278523) (D) - $17.95
• COQUENA TORRONTÉS 2011 - Tolombon, Cafayate Valley, Salta, Argentina (#287458) (D) - $19.95
• THE EYRIE VINEYARDS PINOT GRIS 2009 - Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#717421) (XD) - $21.95
• MACULAN PINOT GRIGIO 2010 - IGT Veneto, Italy (#734921) (XD) - $13.95

Sparkling Wine:

• CAVE DE LUGNY CUVÉE MILLÉSIME BRUT CRÉMANT DE BOURGOGNE 2009 - AC, Burgundy, France (#183764) (D) - $18.95

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