Wine Picks - October 17, 2015 VINTAGES Release: Napa + Barolo

The October 17, 2015 VINTAGES Release will be in LCBO outlets this coming Saturday and features wines that are especially known for its high-quality and are usually out-of-budget for the majority of wine drinkers. The major feature of this release is on wines from Napa Valley, while the mini-feature is about Barolo from the great 2010 vintage.

Unfortunately, none of the Barolo wines made my list of wine picks, while only one of the sixteen Napa wines are among my wine recommendations below. From Napa is the 2010 Heitz Cellar Cab, a special wine that is 100% Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. There are also a pair of Napa wines worth consideration that are found at the back of the VINTAGES magazine as part of that Flagship Store Exclusives (FSE) collection. The first is the Howell Mountain vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Dunn Vineyads, while the second wine is a (surprising!) Sauvignon Blanc from Joseph Phelps.

The quality of Riesling in this release intrigued me the most, with styles ranging from bone-dry all the way to nearly Icewine-sweet levels. In order from dry (i.e. not sweet) to most sweet are Riesling wines from Kilikanoon, Hiestand, Tawse, Bischöfliche and Wegeler. If you enjoy sweet wines, you should also check out the Vouvray (Chenin Blanc). Chardonnay fans should check out the pair of wines from Burgundy.

Among my red wine picks, you'll be hard pressed to find a nice, mature red from 2006 for $15, as is the Monasterio de las Viñas blend (Garnacha, Tempranillo and Cariñena) from Spain. Also a blend is the wine from CVNE that is 85% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, while the single vineyard wine from Argentina is actually a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. And lastly, the 2009 Bordeaux wine is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

Enjoy my wine recommendations for this week. Cheers!

Red Wine:

• MONASTERIO DE LAS VIÑAS RESERVA 2006 - DO Cariñena, Spain (#166579) (XD) - $14.95
• CATHEDRAL CELLAR PETIT VERDOT 2013 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#427559) (XD) - $15.95
• 3 RINGS SHIRAZ 2013 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#015495) (XD) - $18.95
• SUSANA BALBO SIGNATURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013 - Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#260919) (XD) - $19.95
• ALTA VISTA ATEMPORAL 2011 - Single Vineyard, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#144352) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU RENARD MONDESIR 2009 - AC Fronsac, Bordeaux, France (#420299) (XD) - $26.95  reviewed here
• DOMINIO DE TARES CEPAS VIEJAS MENCIA 2011 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#379891) (XD) - $29.95  reviewed here
• CVNE IMPERIAL RESERVA 2009 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#424390) (XD) - $38.95
• CASTELLO DI AMA SAN LORENZO CHIANTI CLASSICO GRAN SELEZIONE 2010 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#418897) (XD) - $45.95  reviewed here
• HEITZ CELLAR CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#642124) (XD) - $89.95  reviewed here
• DUNN VINEYARDS HOWELL MOUNTAIN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#193763) (D) - $149.95  FSE

White Wine:

• ALKOOMI WHITE LABEL SEMILLON/SAUVIGNON BLANC 2014 - Frankland River, Western Australia (#428383) (XD) - $16.95
• TRÉSORS DE LOIRE VOUVRAY 2014 - AC, Loire, France (#427427) (M) - $17.95
• TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA RIESLING 2014 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#089029) (M) - $17.95
• HIESTAND RIESLING TROCKEN 2013 - Qualitätswein, Rheinhessen, Germany (#424515) (D) - $19.95
• KILIKANOON MORT’S BLOCK RIESLING 2014 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#428342) (XD) - $19.95
• BISCHÖFLICHE WEINGÜTER TRIER SCHARZHOFBERGER RIESLING KABINETT 2012 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#670752) (MS) - $22.95
• LOUIS MOREAU VAULIGNOT CHABLIS 1 ER CRU 2013 - AC, Burgundy, France (#525386) (XD) - $34.95
• WEGELER WEHLENER SONNENUHR RIESLING AUSLESE 2010 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#391128) (S) (375 mL) - $36.00
• JOSEPH PHELPS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013 - St. Helena, Napa Valley, California, USA (#965277) (XD) - $59.95  FSE
• PATRICK JAVILLIER LES TILLETS MEURSAULT 2013 - AC, Burgundy, France (#714899) (XD) - $75.95  FSE

Sparkling Wine:

• JANÉ VENTURA RESERVA DE LA MUSICA BRUT NATURE 2010 - DO Cava, Spain (#420364) (XD) - $17.95
• DUVAL-LEROY RESERVE BRUT CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#661264) (XD) - $55.95