April 17, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Sustainable + Piedmont

The major theme of the April 17, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release focuses on Sustainable Wines from around the world, while the mini-theme looks at wines from Piedmont. All of these wines, plus those from the rest of the Release should be on shelves across Ontario by Saturday.

We begin with the main theme on Sustainable Wines from around the world. Of the nineteen wines featured, four are included among my top wine picks. The concept of Sustainability is broken down into three areas of impact - in the vineyard, in the winery, and within the community. The Fumé Blanc from Niagara is an organic wine that consists of primarily Sauvignon Blanc aged in oak barrels (and concrete eggs), as well as a splash of Semillon. Villa Maria has many sustainability initiatives as it is a core value of this quality producer, and their Sauvignon Blanc from Wairau Valley is definitely a worthy buy. The last two wines that follow sustainability principles are the Rasteau that is a GSM blend consisting of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, and the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico is a blend of 97% Sangiovese and 3% Abrusco.

From the feature on Piedmont wines, four of the nine wines listed are included among my top wine recommendations. While Piedmont is mostly known for their red wines, there are some fine white wines as well. After Moscato Bianco, the top still white wine grapes are Cortese and Arneis. In this Release, the wine from Gavi is made with Cortese, while the best-known examples of Arneis come from Roero. The king of red wine varieties from Piedmont is without a doubt Nebbiolo, but did you know that the Barbera grape is actually the region's most widely planted varietal? You can explore Barbera by Stefano Farina, as well as the relatively rare Grignolino varietal.

There are quite a few French red blends from the rest of the Release. The Bordeaux red is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, while the red from Southwest France consists of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and the local varietal Abourriou. From Rhône, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape consists of 50%  Grenache, 35%  Syrah, and 15% Mourvèdre, while the Rioja is a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, and 10% Graciano & Mazuelo (Carignan). Single varietal wines include a fine Beaujolais made with Gamay, as well as the maturing wine from Abruzzo that is made with Montepulciano.

Among my white wine recommendations, the only blend is the Greek wine that consists of 75% Assyrtiko, 15% Athiri, and 10% Aidani. For those that prefer slightly sweet wines, you'll want to pick-up the pair of Riesling wines from Niagara to compare and contrast.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this Release! Cin cin!

Red Wine:

• STEFANO FARINA BARBERA D'ALBA 2018 - DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#10601) (XD) - $17.95
• GÉRARD BERTRAND GRENACHE/SYRAH/MOURVÈDRE 2018 - AP Corbières, Languedoc, France (#394288) (XD) - $17.95
• ACCORNERO BRICCO DEL BOSCO GRIGNOLINO MONFERRATO CASALESE 2019 - DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#426635) (XD) - $19.95
• DOMAINE DE CÔTES RÉMONT 2018 - AP Chénas, Beaujolais, France (#18368) (XD) - $20.95  90 pts  wine review
• DOMAINE DE BEYSSAC INITIAL 2016 - Unfined and unfiltered, AP Côtes du Marmandais, Southwest, France (#18367) (XD) - $20.95
• BAYLE-CARREAU CHÂTEAU LANDREAU 2016 - AC Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux, France (#18535) (XD) - $20.95  90 pts  wine review
• CASTORANI AMORINO MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2013 - DOC, Abruzzo, Italy (#366732) (XD) - $24.95  89 pts  wine review
• DOMAINE DE L'ESPIGOUETTE PAS DE MEUNIER RASTEAU 2017 - AC, Rhône, France (#18797) (XD) - $24.95
• CHÂTEAU FORTIA CUVÉE DU BARON CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2017 - Sustainable, AC, Rhône, France (#959999) (XD) - $51.95
• BARONE RICASOLI CASTELLO DI BROLIO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#942607) (XD) - $59.95
• R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA TONDONIA RESERVA 2008 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#356337) (XD) - $63.95

White Wine:

• TENUTA FRATELLI POVERO TERRE DEL CONTE ROERO ARNEIS 2019 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#436915) (XD) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• LA GIUSTINIANA TERRE ANTICHE GAVI DI GAVI 2019 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#17658) (XD) - $18.95
• RADFORD DALE VINUM CHENIN BLANC 2018 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#13338) (XD) - $18.95  90+ pts  wine review
• JULES TAYLOR SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#224428) (XD) - $19.95
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE RIESLING 2018 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#286377) (D) - $19.95
• CHARLES BAKER B-SIDE RIESLING 2018 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#523845) (D) - $21.95
• VILLA MARIA WAIRAU VALLEY RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Sustainable, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#536201) (XD) - $24.95  90+ pts  wine review
• NYKTERI SANTORINI 2018 - PDO, Greece (#18923) (XD) - $27.95  FE
• HIDDEN BENCH FUMÉ BLANC 2019 - Rosomel Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#68825) (XD) - $29.95
• TESCH KRONE RIESLING TROCKEN 2018 - Qualitätswein, Nahe, Germany (#18253) (XD) - $34.95

Sparkling Wine:

• CAVE SPRING BLANC DE BLANCS BRUT SPARKLING - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#213983) (XD) - $29.95

Fortified:

• GRAHAM'S QUINTA DOS MALVEDOS 2009 - Bottled in 2011, DOP, Portugal (#18363) (S) - $59.95  FE