January 8, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Smart Buys

Happy New Year! The first release of the year is the January 8, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release and is always the "Smart Buys" release with most of the wines coming in at under $20. It's a very good release and all of the wines should be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the main theme of this mono-thematic release which is titled "Smart Buys" and features twenty-five wines under $20, four of which are included among my top wine picks. First up is an interesting red wine from Tuscany that is a blend of mainly Sangiovese, plus small amounts of Canaiolo, Malvasia Nera, and Trebbiano rounding out the blend, and all fermented and aged in concrete tanks. Also unwooded is a red blend from Minervois that consists of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache that was aged in concrete and stainless steel tanks. Other Smart Buys include a Pinot Noir from British Columbia and an off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet) Pinot Gris from Alsace.

From my red wine picks, the Valpolicella is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara, while the Gigondas consists of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. From Western Australia, the Folklore is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while the Margaret River Cab/Merlot is actually a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Some of the single varietal wines that should be on your shopping list include a Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa, and a dry Georgian wine made with Saperavi, as well as a pair of Shiraz wines - one from South Africa and the other from Hunter Valley in Australia.

Among my white wine recommendations, the only blend is a Sauvignon Blanc (that includes 5% Semillon) from South Africa. For a pure Sauvignon Blanc expression, there is a fine version from New Zealand. For Chardonnay wine lovers, the Chardonnay from Niagara and the Petit Chablis from Burgundy are both unoaked, while the Chardonnay from Australia was aged in oak. Other single varietal dry white wines include an Aligoté from Burgundy and an organic Pinot Grigio from Italy. For sweet wine lovers, in addition to the aforementioned Pinot Gris, there is also a fine off-dry Riesling from Washington.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers and happy drinking in 2022!

Red Wine:

• FORTANT GRANDS TERROIRS 2018 - AC Minervois, Languedoc, France (#20713) (XD) - $15.95
• PIAZZANO VENTOSO SANGIOVESE 2019 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#22761) (XD) - $17.00  89 pts  wine review
• ZANGAURA SAPERAVI 2018 - PDO Kindzmarauli, Kakheti, Georgia (#617332) (XD) - $17.95
• FOLKLORE CABERNET/MERLOT 2018 - Western Australia (#20879) (XD) - $17.95
• MONTRESOR CAPITEL DELLA CROSARA VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO 2018 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#379172) (XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• OAK BAY PINOT NOIR 2019 - BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#267146) (XD) - $19.95
• CANTINA TOLLO MO RISERVA MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO 2015 - DOP Abruzzo, Italy (#19874) (XD) - $19.95

• FRAM SHIRAZ 2019 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#21326) (XD) - $22.95  90+ pts  wine review
• LA MOTTE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#21155) (XD) - $24.95  91 pts  wine review
• TYRRELL'S HUNTER VALLEY SHIRAZ 2019 - Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia (#13990) (XD) - $26.95
• BEL ECHO PINOT NOIR 2018 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#159137) (XD) - $29.95
• LAVAU GIGONDAS 2018 - AC, Rhône, France (#234955) (XD) - $34.95  92 pts  wine review
• EVANS & TATE REDBROOK ESTATE CABERNET/MERLOT 2017 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#16530) (XD) - $38.95

White Wine:

• JOSEPH CATTIN PINOT GRIS 2019 - AC Alsace, France (#196956) (D) - $14.95
• FASOLI GINO SAN RAFFAELE PINOT GRIGIO 2020 - Vegan, DOC delle Venezie, Italy (#204768) (XD) - $15.95  88 pts  wine review
• THE FLEDGE & CO JIKKEN BARERU EXPERIMENTAL BARRELS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#21157) (XD) - $15.95
• KUNG FU GIRL RIESLING 2019 - Washington, USA (#394759) (D) - $16.95
• CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#557728) (XD) - $17.95  90 pts  wine review
• PONDVIEW BELLA TERRA CHARDONNAY 2020 - Sur lie, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#23972) (XD) - $19.95
• CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS PETIT CHABLIS 2019 - AC, Burgundy, France (#557769) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• VILLA MARIA WAIRAU VALLEY RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - Sustainable, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#536201) (XD) - $24.95
• STELLA BELLA CHARDONNAY 2018 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#102061) (XD) - $29.95