September 18, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Ontario

The upcoming September 18, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release is the annual harvest season look at Local Wines from Ontario. It is a mono-thematic Release, as per the usual. All of these local wines, plus those from main release will be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the theme on Local Wines from various wine regions across Ontario. Of the seventeen wines listed as part of this theme, three are included among my top wine picks. At the top of this list is a fine, off-dry Riesling (i.e. slightly sweet) by Charles Baker from Niagara. Also from Niagara is a Chardonnay Musqué, an aromatic mutation of Chardonnay that is grown primarily in Niagara and Finger Lakes wine regions. Lastly, there is a Pinot Noir from Prince Edward Country, located along Lake Ontario between Toronto and Kingston, Ontario. Although not part of the theme, there are also a pair of lovely wines from Two Sisters Vineyards in Niagara - a semi-sweet Riesling and a dry rosé made with Bordeaux varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. There's also a mead that was co-fermented with apple cider from a recipe written in 1980, resulting in an interesting (and delicious) Apple Honey Wine by Rosewood Estates Winery.

Nearly all of my red wine picks are from France and Italy, with the only wine not from either of these countries being a GSM blend from Australia that consists of 46% Grenache, 36% Shiraz, and 18% Mourvedre. From France, the Côtes du Rhône is a blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, while the Roussillon red consists of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. The 2016 Corbières is a blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache, and Syrah, while the 2017 Corbières is a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache. The Beaujolais is made with Gamay, while the Costières de Nîmes Syrah includes 10% Grenache. From Italy, the Chianti Classico (Annata) and Brunello are both 100% Sangiovese, while the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico is a blend of 93% Sangiovese and 7% Colorino. Lastly, the fantastic Barolo is made with 100% Nebbiolo.

Among my white wine recommendations, the Bordeaux Blanc is a traditional blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, while the Rhône white consists of Viognier, Grenache Blanc, and Roussanne. There are a trio of Sauvignon Blanc wines worth your consideration, with the versions from Margaret River (Australia) and Napa Valley (California) both seeing some oak ageing.

From my rosé wine picks are dry rosés, with the l'Escarelle a blend of mainly Rolle and Ugni Blanc, while the Paradis consists of 70% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre, and 10% Vermentino / Rolle. The rose from Languedoc is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. The lone sparkling wine is a dry bubbly made using an uncommon blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Last, but definitely not the least, is a lovely Sauternes dessert wine that is primarily Sémillon and a dollop of Sauvignon Blanc.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this Release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• LA VIE D'ARNAUD CORBIÈRES 2017 - AC, Languedoc, France (#18784) (XD) - $13.95  88+ pts  wine review
  
• FERRATON PÈRE & FILS SAMORËNS CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2019 - AC, France (#168708) (XD) - $16.95
• MICHEL GASSIER FLEUR DE SYRAH 2019 - AC Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#678086) (XD) - $18.95
• DOMAINE LA ROUGEANTE 2016 - AC Corbières, Languedoc, France (#15298) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• LORNANO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#211599) (XD) - $19.95  88 pts  wine review
  
• LAURENT PERRACHON ROCHE BLEUE JULIÉNAS 2019 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#487165) (XD) - $19.95

• FAMILLE LAFAGE LIEU DIT NARASSA 2017 - AP Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, France (#483313) (XD) - $23.95
• WAKEFIELD JARAMAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Clare Valley & Coonawarra, South Australia (#142398) (XD) - $24.95  90 pts  wine review
  
• SONS OF EDEN KENNEDY GRENACHE / SHIRAZ / MOURVÈDRE 2018 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#558692) (XD) - $24.95
• LUNGAROTTI ROSSO DI MONTEFALCO 2016 - DOC, Umbria, Italy (#577668) (XD) - $26.95  90 pts  wine review
  
• ROCCA DELLE MACÌE SINGLE VINEYARD RISERVA DI FIZZANO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#699454) (XD) - $34.95  91+ pts  wine review
• CLOSSON CHASE CLOSSON CHASE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2018 - VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#145888) (XD) - $36.00
• FATTOI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#33498) (XD) - $47.95
• AURELIO SETTIMO ROCCHE DELL'ANNUNZIATA BAROLO 2015 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#293761) (XD) - $55.95
  

White Wine:

• MATETIC CORRALILLO SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Estate bottled, Valle de San Antonio, Chile (#347740) (XD) - $15.95
• CHÂTEAU MONT-REDON RÉSERVE BLANC 2019 - AC Côtes du Rhône, France (#18602) (XD) - $17.95
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE CHARDONNAY MUSQUÉ 2019 - Sustainable, Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#246579) (XD) - $17.95
• CHÂTEAU THIEULEY ENTRE-DEUX-MERS 2019 - AC, Bordeaux, France (#21403) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• HOWARD PARK MIAMUP SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#20018) (XD) - $19.95
• TWO SISTERS VINEYARDS RIESLING 2018 - VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#20413) (M) - $35.00  FE
• CHARLES BAKER PICONE VINEYARD RIESLING 2017 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#241182) (D) - $39.00
• GRGICH HILLS FUMÉ BLANC DRY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017 - Estate grown, Napa Valley, California, USA (#346296) (XD) - $42.95  FE
  

Rosé Wine:

• REINE DES FLEURS ROSÉ 2020 - AP Languedoc, France (#19841) (XD) - $14.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• CHÂTEAU DE L'ESCARELLE LES DEUX ANGES ROSÉ 2020 - AP Coteaux Varois en Provence, France (#19902) (XD) - $24.95
• CHÂTEAU PARADIS TERRE DES ANGES ROSÉ 2020 - AC Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, France (#19838) (XD) - $27.95
• TWO SISTERS VINEYARDS MARGO ROSÉ 2020 - VQA Niagara River, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#22484) (XD) - $35.00  VOE
  

Sparkling Wine:

• APALTAGUA COSTERO EXTRA BRUT SPARKLING - Valle de San Antonio, Chile (#18559) (XD) - $17.95

Dessert Wine:

• ROSEWOOD LEGACY CYSER APPLE HONEY WINE 2017 - Ontario, Canada (#521138) (500 mL) (S) - $19.95  90+ pts  wine review
• CASTELNAU DE SUDUIRAUT 2006 - Second wine of Château Suduiraut, AC Sauternes, Bordeaux, France (#29694) (375 mL) (S) - $23.95