March 7, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California + Burgundy

I just returned from a lovely vacation in New Zealand where I also visited some wineries in Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, Waiheke Island, and Auckland - stay tuned for more about my visit. In the meantime, wines from the March 7, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release arrived on shelves across Ontario last Saturday. This Release features wines from two premium winegrowing regions - California is the main theme, while Burgundy is the mini-theme.

Of the twelve wines featured as part of the theme on California wines, there are a few solid gold offerings that are consistently top-quality wines. However, just one wine made my list of wine picks - a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon (which also includes 2% Petit Verdot & 2% Malbec) from the Red Hills Lake County AVA, just north of Napa Valley, that is planted on red volcanic soils that are shot through with obsidian rock.

The mini-theme seeks to find bargains in Burgundy - with some pretty good success as three of the seven wines featured are included among my wine recommendations. All three of my recommendations are white wines, with one made with Aligoté. The other two wines are both made with Chardonnay - one is a 1er Cru Chablis, while the other is from Montagny.

From my top red wine picks from this Release, the Saint-Roch is a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache from 60-year-old vines. From Italy, the Riserva Chianti Classico is made with 100% Sangiovese, while the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva is made with a minimum of 70% Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile) and a maximum of 30% of Canaiolo. From Bordeaux, the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.

Among my white wine recommendations, there is only one blend - a 68% Sauvignon Blanc and 32% Semillon combination from Australia. For sweet wine lovers, the Kew Riesling from Niagara is off-dry, while the Tawse Riesling further amps up the sweetness levels.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this Release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• QUINTA DAS CARVALHAS RED BLEND 2015 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#11150) (XD) - $13.95
• SAINT-ROCH VIEILLES VIGNES SYRAH / GRENACHE 2017 - AP Côtes du Roussillon, France (#195107) (XD) - $16.95
• DOMAINE TOURNON MATHILDA CHAPOUTIER SHIRAZ 2017 - Victoria, Australia (#327395) (XD) - $18.95
• TABALÍ VETAS BLANCAS SYRAH 2016 - Viñedo Espinal, DO Limarí Valley, Chile (#213538) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES ST. DAVID'S BENCH VINEYARD GAMAY NOIR DROIT 2017 - VQA St. David's Bench, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#346742) (XD) - $19.95
• ROCKCLIFFE THIRD REEF SHIRAZ 2017 - Great Southern, Western Australia (#453209) (XD) - $19.95

• REVEREND V MOUNT BARKER SYRAH 2017 - Great Southern, Western Australia (#13175) (XD) - $21.95
• EL ENEMIGO CABERNET FRANC 2015 - Mendoza, Argentina (#11813) (XD) - $23.95  89 pts  wine review
• SAN FELICE IL GRIGIO RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#716266) (XD) - $29.95  91 pts  wine review
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE ORGANIC PINOT NOIR 2017 - Unfiltered, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#274753) (XD) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review
• CARPINETO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO RISERVA 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#368910) (D) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review
• OBSIDIAN RIDGE ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2017 - Obsidian Ridge Vineyard, Red Hills, Lake County, California, USA (#544940) (XD) - $49.95
• CHÂTEAU SIMARD 2015 - AC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France (#12090) (XD) - $49.95

White Wine:

• PAUL MAS SINGLE VINEYARD COLLECTION RESERVE VIOGNIER 2018 - Nicole Vineyard, IGP Pays d'Oc, Midi, France (#370098) (XD) - $13.95
• KEW OLD VINE RIESLING 2015 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#392126) (D) - $15.95
• CHARLES MONTSERAT BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2018 - AC, Burgundy, France (#12026) (XD) - $16.95
• ABRAS TORRONTÉS 2017 - Cafayate Valley, Salta, Argentina (#10965) (XD) - $16.95
• SKUTTLEBUTT SAUVIGNON BLANC / SEMILLON 2018 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#47621) (XD) - $18.95
• ESK VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12638) (XD) - $21.95
• TAWSE QUARRY ROAD ORGANIC RIESLING 2018 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#198853) (M) - $24.95
• LA CHABLISIENNE VAILLONS CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2016 - AC, Burgundy, France (#11900) (XD) - $27.95
• JOSEPH DROUHIN MONTAGNY 2017 - AC, Burgundy, France (#11903) (XD) - $32.95
• GREYWACKE WILD SAUVIGNON 2016 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#282806) (XD) - $38.95  FE