June 13, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Spain + California

The first theme of the upcoming June 13, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release focuses on wines from Spain, while the second theme looks at wines from California. As the weather warms, the slew of rosé wines also start appearing in VINTAGES shelves, as you'll find in this Release. All of the wines from this Release will be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We'll begin with the main theme that looks at wines from Spain, of which there are nine wines featured and four are included among my top wine picks. Up first is a lovely Rioja red wine that is a blend of 92% Tempranillo and 8% Mazuelo that was aged for 18 months in hybrid barrels made of French and American oak. Also from Rioja is a barrel-fermented white wine made with Viura. Outside of Rioja, there is a nice Albariño from Rías Baixas in northwestern Spain. Lastly, there is a nice Cava sparkling wine that is made with 67% Macabeo and 33% Parellada.

From the theme on California wines, there are ten wines featured, but just one is included among my top wine recommendations. Fortunately, it is a sub-$20 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County that will probably fly off the shelves.

Among my red wine recommendations, we begin in Portugal with a traditional red blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca. Meanwhile, the Côtes du Rhône-Villages is a 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah. From Tuscany, the Chianti Classico is made with 100% Sangiovese. Novel grapes that we don't see much of in Ontario include Xinomavro from Greece, Areni from Armenia, and Grignolino from Piedmont.

All of my white wine picks from the rest of the Release are single varietal wines. Among them are a pair of Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand, and a Hunter Valley Semillon from Australia. There are also a pair of barrel-fermented whites, including a Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and a Torrontés from Argentina. For sweet wine lovers, look for the off-dry Riesling from Niagara, or take the sweetness up a notch with a Gewurztraminer from Alsace.

Among my dry rosé wine picks, the rosé from Provence is a blend of 53% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 14% Grenache, 9% Mourvèdre, 7% Ugni Blanc, and 2% Rolle, while the Tavel consists of 45% Grenache Noir, plus Clairette, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and other varietals completing the blend.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this Release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• DOMAINE LA DÉCELLE RÉSERVE VALRÉAS 2017 - AC Côtes du Rhône-Villages, France (#14391) (XD) - $17.00  90 pts  wine review
• CRASTO 2018 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#81588) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC 2018 - Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#723478) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• ACCORNERO BRICCO DEL BOSCO GRIGNOLINO DEL MONFERRATO CASALESE 2018 - DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#426635) (XD) - $19.95
• KIR YIANNI CUVÉE VILLAGES XINOMAVRO 2017 - PDO Naoussa, Greece (#14151) (XD) - $19.95
• CHATEAU ST. JEAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Sonoma County, California, USA (#38034) (D) - $19.95
• VOSKENI ARENI DRY RED 2016 - Vayots Dzor, Armenia (#14674) (XD) - $23.95
• LORNANO LE BANDITE RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#230672) (XD) - $24.95  90 pts  wine review
• LAN RESERVA 2012 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#42929) (XD) - $24.95  90+ pts  wine review
• LE RICHE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2016 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#13355) (XD) - $26.95

White Wine:

• VIÑA REAL FERMENTADO EN BARRICA BLANCO 2018 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#14056) (XD) - $17.95
• LAWSON'S DRY HILLS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#214460) (XD) - $17.95
• PAZO DE VILLAREI 2018 - DO Rías Baixas, Spain (#14054) (XD) - $18.95
• PIERRE SPARR GRANDE RÉSERVE GEWURZTRAMINER 2018 - AC Alsace, France (#747600) (M) - $18.95
• SUSANA BALBO SIGNATURE BARREL FERMENTED TORRONTÉS 2018 - Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#384339) (XD) - $21.95
• VILLA MARIA CELLAR SELECTION SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#974527) (XD) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
• HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE RIESLING 2018 - VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#643361) (D) - $27.95  90 pts  wine review
• BELLINGHAM THE BERNARD SERIES OLD VINE CHENIN BLANC 2017 - WO Coastal Region, South Africa (#12724) (XD) - $29.95  FE  90 pts  wine review
• TYRRELL'S BELFORD SEMILLON 2017 - Single vineyard, Hunter Valley, South Australia (#14322) (XD) - $46.95  FE

Rosé Wine:

• CHÂTEAU LA TOUR DE L'ÉVÊQUE ROSÉ 2019 - AC Côtes de Provence, France (#319392) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU D'AQUÉRIA TAVEL 2019 - AC, Rhône, France (#319368) (XD) - $24.95

Sparkling Wine:

• SEGURA VIUDAS HEREDAD RESERVA BRUT CAVA - Traditional method, DO, Spain (#558825) (D) - $32.95  90 pts  wine review