June 22 Wine Picks: Rhône + South Africa + Canada Day

The next LCBO Vintages release will be on shelves across Ontario on Saturday, June 22. This edition of the Vintages magazine begins with a look at the Rhone Valley, specifically focusing on the vintages of 2009, the stellar 2010's, and the just now starting to come to market - 2011 vintage. The secondary feature in this release is on wines from South Africa that showcase the different varietals grown in the country, and includes a few blended wines. Unfortunately, most of the 6 South African wines are quite average, and none made my list of wine picks below.

From the 2009 Rhône vintage is a red-blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Carignan from Château Signac. From the fabulous 2010 Rhône vintage, we have the GSM-blended Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape from vines that are between 30-55 years old, and is made from 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 15% Mourvèdre. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Château la Nerthe is also a 2010 blend that is mostly Grenache. From the 2011 vintage, we have yet another Grenache-led blend from La Ferme du Mont. Not from the Rhône-feature - because it's a 2012 - is a Tavel Rosé from one of the more popular French houses and is a dry blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvèdre.

To help celebrate Canada Day, the Vintages team has selected 8 wines from across our great country - including a Muscat-led sparkling wine from Nova Scotia, a Vidal Icewine from Niagara, and a red-blend from Niagara's Creekside Estate Winery consisting of 47.3% Cab Sauv, 37.2% Merlot, 10.8% Shiraz, and 4.7% Malbec.

From the rest of the release, we have a couple of great value red-blends from Portugal. The Quinta do Roncao is a blend of 50% Touriga Franca, 30% Tinta Roriz & 20% Touriga Nacional, while the Alvaro Castro is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz & Jaen (aka Mencía).

Also, worth mentioning is the Torres Floralis from Spain that is made using the Moscatel de Alejandría grape. I tasted this dessert wine recently at the Family Wine Merchants tasting and it is absolutely gorgeous - and a steal at $16.95.

Enjoy my wine picks for this week and Happy Canada Day to all. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• QUINTA DO RONCÃO RESERVA 2011 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#147942) (XD) - $14.95
• ALVARO CASTRO RED 2009 - DOC Dão, Portugal (#285288) (D) - $16.95
• LA FERME DU MONT LE PONNANT CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2011 - AP, France (#171371) (XD) - $17.00
• CHATEAU LOS BOLDOS VIEILLES VIGNES CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 - Cachapoal Alto, Chile (#000661) (XD) - $18.95
• CREEKSIDE LAURA’S RED 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#117960) (XD) - $19.95
• CONCHA Y TORO MARQUÉS DE CASA CONCHA SYRAH 2009 - Buin, Maipo Valley, Chile (#019042) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU SIGNAC CUVÉE TERRA AMATA 2009 - AC Côtes du Rhône-Villages Chusclan, France (#140079) (D) - $22.95
• GRANT BURGE CORRYTON PARK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#317834) (XD) - $32.95  reviewed here
• CASCINA DARDI BUSSIA BAROLO 2006 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#268516) (XD) - $35.95
• DOMAINE DE LA CHARBONNIÈRE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#062711) (D) - $39.95
• CHÂTEAU LA NERTHE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#735407) (XD) - $43.95

White Wine:

• FEATHERSTONE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#089011) (D) - $19.95
• BURGÁNS ALBARIÑO 2011 - DO Rias Baixas, Spain (#945063) (XD) - $17.95
• DOMAINES SCHLUMBERGER KESSLER PINOT GRIS 2008 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#249623) (D) - $25.95
• LE CLOS JORDANNE VILLAGE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#033936) (XD) - $30.00
• STAGS’ LEAP WINERY CHARDONNAY 2011 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#655381) (XD) - $34.95

Rosé Wine:

• FAMILLE PERRIN TAVEL ROSÉ 2012 - AC, Rhône, France (#680801) (XD) - $19.95

Dessert Wine:

• TORRES FLORALIS MOSCATEL ORO - Spain (#642173) (MS) (500 mL) - $16.95  reviewed here
• REIF VIDAL ICEWINE 2011 - VQA Niagara River, Ontario, Canada (#544791) (S) (200 mL) - $24.95

Sparkling Wine:

• BENJAMIN BRIDGE NOVA 7 2012 - Gaspereau Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada (#256289) (S) - $25.95

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