VINTAGES Release September 3: Chile + Burgundy

The wines from the LCBO VINTAGES Release on September 3rd will be on shelves this coming Saturday and features wines from Chile as its main theme, while the secondary theme is Burgundy. Interestingly, there's no Local Talent feature; instead, there are 4 fine Scottish single malt whisky's from Glenfarclas to commemorate the 150th anniversary of a storied Canadian regiment.

We'll begin with the feature on Chile that focuses on the country's three distinct winemaking zones - Costa (the coast), Entre Cordilleras (area between coast and mountains) and the Andes. In all, there are 14 wines featured and 4 are included among my wine picks. From Costa is a Sauvignon Blanc, while the Entre Cordilleras gives us the De Martino Cabernet Sauvignon and the Junta Syrah/Carménère (65/35 blend). From the Andes is a perennial favourite of mine - the Concha y Toro terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a single block from the Pirque Vineyard, a vineyard located along the Maipo River, near the foothills of the Andes.

Eight wines make up the Burgundy theme and two are included in my wine recommendations. Both the Montagny and the 1er Cru Chablis are unoaked Chardonnays that showcase fruit and terroir. The Bourgogne Chardonnay is found near the back of the magazine as a Flagship Store Exclusive (FSE) and is also an unoaked Chardonnay.

From the rest of the release in red wines, the Rompesedas is a mature wine made with Tinta de Toro (a.k.a. Tempranillo), while the Orben is also a Tempranillo from Rioja. Many of my red wine picks are single varietals, but the Gigondas is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre.

In white wines, there are quite a few options if you enjoy sweeter wines. At the dry-er end (i.e. less sweet) is the Gewürztraminer, followed by the semi-sweet Pinot Gris. Going up the sweet scale a few more notches are a pair of Spätlese (i.e late harvest) wines made using Riesling and a local German varietal called Siegerrebe.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this release! Salud!

Red Wine:

• WITS END LUNA SHIRAZ 2014 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#311258) (XD) - $17.00
• JUNTA MOMENTOS RESERVE SYRAH/CARMÉNÈRE 2014 - Curicó Valley, Chile (#464396) (XD) - $16.95
• DE MARTINO LEGADO RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013 - Maipo Valley, Chile (#205674) (XD) - $18.95
• IL MOLINO DI GRACE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2012 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#085209) (D) - $19.95
• ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC 2013 - La Consulta and Vista Flores Vineyards, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#723478) (D) - $19.95
• ROMPESEDAS 2006 - DO Toro, Spain (#425868) (D) - $19.95
• LA CREMA PINOT NOIR 2014 - Monterey County, California, USA (#367896) (XD) - $26.95  reviewed here
• LAVAU GIGONDAS 2013 - AC, Rhône, France (#234955) (XD) - $29.95  reviewed here
• CONCHA Y TORO TERRUNYO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013 - Las Terrazas Block, Pirque Vineyard, Pirque, Maipo Valley, Chile (#562918) (XD) - $29.95
• AUNTSFIELD SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2013 - Southern Valleys, South Island, New Zealand (#361246) (XD) - $31.95
• STAGS’ LEAP WINERY PETITE SIRAH 2013 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#590356) (D) - $39.95
• ORBEN 2011 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#191379) (XD) - $39.95

White Wine:

• ORO DE CASTILLA VERDEJO 2015 - DO Rueda, Spain (#745562) (XD) - $15.95
• ANSELMANN EDESHEIMER ROSENGARTEN SIEGERREBE SPÄTLESE 2014 - Prädikatswein, Pfalz, Germany (#910554) (S) - $16.95
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE BOTTLED GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2013 - Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#302059) (D) - $17.95  reviewed here
• VIGNERONS DE BUXY BUISSONNIER MONTAGNY 2014 - AC, Burgundy, France (#382879) (XD) - $19.95
• ERRAZURIZ ACONCAGUA COSTA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - Aconcagua Costa, Chile (#462614) (XD) - $19.95
• WEINGUT VOLLENWEIDER WOLFER GOLDGRUBE GOLDKAPSEL RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2009 - Mosel, Germany (#464727) (S) (375 mL) - $27.95  FSE
• JOSEPH CATTIN HATSCHBOURG TRÉSOR DES SEIGNEURS PINOT GRIS 2013 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#260240) (M) - $27.95
• OLIVIER LEFLAIVE BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY 2014 - AC, Burgundy, France (#942482) (XD) - $29.95  FSE
• DOMAINE HAMELIN BEAUROY CHABLIS 1 ER CRU 2014 - AC, Burgundy, France (#391805) (XD) - $32.95  reviewed here
• KISTLER LES NOISETIERS CHARDONNAY 2014 - Sonoma Coast, California, USA (#251223) (XD) - $99.95

Rosé Wine:

• MIMI EN PROVENCE GRANDE RÉSERVE ROSÉ 2015 - AP Côtes de Provence, France (#452573) (XD) - $18.95

Fortifieds:

• TORRES FLORALIS MOSCATEL ORO - Spain (#642173) (S) (500 mL) - $15.95  reviewed here
• BURMESTER 10-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#223958) (S) - $28.95