Wine Picks LCBO VINTAGES Release May 27, 2017: Southern Italy + Santa Barbara

The upcoming May 27, 2017 LCBO VINTAGES Release features wines from 5 sunny Southern Italy hot spots in its main theme, while the mini-theme focuses on wines from Santa Barbara. Wines from this release will be on shelves at LCBO outlets across Ontario this Saturday.

We'll begin my top wine picks from this release with the focus on southern Italy because nothing from Santa Barbara made the cut. The hot and sunny wine regions of Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Sicily, and Sardinia are featured, with a total of 12 wines listed and only 2 are included among my top wine picks. From the island of Sicily, there is a nice Grillo, one of the key white wine grapes on the island. One of the major grapes in Campania is Aglianico, and there is a nice little wine for $14 in this release. The last wine from Southern Italy is a Chardonnay from Puglia, and is actually listed near the back the VINTAGES Magazine as a Flagship Store Exclusive (FSE) - with limited availability.

From the rest of the release, the Domaine Guisset is a spicy blend of Syrah, Carignan and Grenache, while the Black Rock from South Africa is 68% Syrah that was co-fermented with other Rhône varieties to produce this multi-varietal blend. The latest vintage of the Emiliana Coyam is organic & biodynamic and consists of 48% Syrah, 24% Carmenere, 11% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Mourvedre, 3% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. The pair of big Cabernet Sauvignon wines from California are also blends, with the Chateau Montelena including 1.5% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Petit Verdot, while the La Jota includes one quarter other grapes - 10.5% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4.5% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec.

My white wine recommendations from this release consist of either Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay or Riesling. As is quite common, Riesling can be produced in styles ranging from bone dry to very sweet. From this release, the Pearl Morissette Riesling is bone dry, while the Hidden Bench Riesling will have a kiss of sweetness to it, and the Waimea Riesling is off-dry (i.e. slight sweet).

Among my sparkling wine picks, the Cava is a blend of Parellada, Xarel-lo and Macabeo, while the vintage Champagne is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir, and 10% Pinot Meunier.

Enjoy my top wine picks from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CAMPOREALE AGLIANICO 2015 - IGP Campania, Italy (#475251) (XD) - $13.95
• DOMAINE GUISSET 2014 - AP Côtes du Roussillon, Roussillon, France (#480863) (XD) - $15.95
• CHILCAS RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2014 - Lolol, Colchagua Valley, Chile (#486050) (XD) - $18.95
• FABRE MONTMAYOU RESERVA MALBEC 2014 - Mendoza, Argentina (#261867) (XD) - $18.95
• CONO SUR SINGLE VINEYARD EL RECURSO BLOCK 18 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 - Maipo Valley, Chile (#439364) (D) - $19.95
• EMILIANA COYAM 2013 - Los Robles Estate, Colchagua Valley, Chile (#063891) (XD) - $29.95  reviewed here
• RADFORD DALE BLACK ROCK 2013 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#485490) (XD) - $29.95
• COSTA DI BUSSIA CAMPO DEI BUOI BAROLO 2010 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#475277) (XD) - $47.95
• BACHELDER LA PETITE CHARMOTTE NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 2011 - AC, Burgundy, France (#357228) (XD) - $49.95  FSE
• CHATEAU MONTELENA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013 - Calistoga, Napa Valley, California, USA (#718452) (XD) - $74.95
• KISTLER PINOT NOIR 2014 - Sonoma Coast, California, USA (#377259) (XD) - $109.95  FSE
• LA JOTA HOWELL MOUNTAIN ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#659755) (XD) - $110.95  FSE

White Wine:

• FEUDO MACCARI GRILLO 2015 - IGT Terre Siciliane, Sicily, Italy (#477877) (XD) - $14.95
• RIVERA PRELUDIO NO. 1 CHARDONNAY 2015 - DOC Castel del Monte, Puglia, Italy (#177303) (XD) - $16.00  FSE
• MAYCAS DEL LIMARÍ RESERVA ESPECIAL CHARDONNAY 2015 - Limarí Valley, Chile (#143768) (XD) - $18.95
• WAIMEA CLASSIC RIESLING 2016 - Nelson, South Island, New Zealand (#408666) (D) - $18.95
• PAUL CLUVER SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - WO Elgin, South Africa (#483743) (XD) - $19.95
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE RIESLING 2015 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#183491) (D) - $23.95
• CLOS HENRI SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#675629) (XD) - $29.95
• PEARL MORISSETTE CUVÉE BLACK BALL RIESLING 2014 - Product of Canada (#416073) (XD) - $36.20  FSE
• DOMAINE BILLAUD-SIMON LES VAILLONS CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2014 - AC, Burgundy, France (#330175) (XD) - $39.95  FSE
• KISTLER LES NOISETIERS CHARDONNAY 2015 - Sonoma Coast, California, USA (#251223) (XD) - $99.95

Sparkling Wine:

• CYGNUS ORGANIC BRUT NATURE RESERVA CAVA - Méthode champenoise, DO Penedès, Spain (#352856) (XD) - $16.95
• ANDRÉ ET MICHEL DRAPPIER PINOT NOIR BRUT NATURE CHAMPAGNE - Zero dosage, AC, France (#179275) (XD) - $58.95
• BEAUMONT DES CRAYERES FLEUR DE PRESTIGE CHAMPAGNE 2006 - AC, France (#483099) (D) - $68.95

Fortified:

• FONSECA LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2011 - Unfiltered, DOP, Portugal (#087551) (S) - $22.95