February 19, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: France

The streak of mono-thematic releases continues with the February 19, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release that is titled "French Connections" and focuses on the wines from France. In addition to wines on arriving on shelves across Ontario by Saturday, there is also a collection of wines in this release that are VINTAGES Online Exclusives (VOE) and can only be purchased online through lcbo.com.

We begin with the theme on wines from France, with a total of fifteen wines featured across France's top wine regions. Surprisingly, just one wine is among my top wine recommendations - a lovely Châteauneuf-du-Pape that consists of 35% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 30% Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault.

Among my top red wine picks, the always top-notch Purple Angel from Chile is a blend of 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot, while the Caro from Argentina is a blend of 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The only other red wine that is a blend is from Uruguay and composed of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Tannat. The Australian Shiraz is noteworthy as the grapes come from a block of vines planted around the year 1894. The rest of the red wines are all single varietals, and mostly from South America with a Bonarda and pair of delicious Malbec wines from Argentina, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, and a lovely Tannat from Uruguay. From the northern hemisphere, the Spanish red is made with Garnacha, the Petite Sirah is from Napa Valley, and the Pinot Noir is from Willamette Valley.

There is only a small selection of white wines in this release and among my top white wine picks are all single varietal wines. Three of my recommendations are crafted using relatively unknown grapes - Picpoul, Grasevina, and Verdejo. There are also three different Chardonnays, each with its own fermentation and ageing style. Lastly, for sweet wine lovers, there is an excellent medium-sweet Riesling from New Zealand.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this release! Salud!

Red Wine:

• HUMBERTO CANALE PATAGONIA INTIMO MALBEC 2019 - Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina (#144725) (XD) - $14.95  88+ pts  wine review
• SAN ALEJANDRO EVODIA 2019 - DO Calatayud, Spain (#23914) (XD) - $14.95
• SALENTEIN RESERVE MALBEC 2019 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#640854) (XD) - $17.95  90+ pts  wine review
• GARZÓN CABERNET FRANC/TANNAT 2018 - Uruguay (#12651) (XD) - $19.95
• LAURA HARTWIG SELECCIÓN DEL VITICULTOR BLOCK NOGALES CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - DO Santa Cruz, Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#21951) (XD) - $20.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• EL ENEMIGO SINGLE VINEYARD LA ESPERANZA BONARDA 2017 - Mendoza, Argentina (#629782) (XD) - $21.95

• CARO AMANCAYA RESERVE MALBEC/CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Mendoza, Argentina (#21999) (XD) - $23.95  91 pts  wine review
• GARZÓN RESERVA TANNAT 2019 - Maldonado, Uruguay (#558916) (XD) - $24.95
• GIRARD PETITE SIRAH 2018 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#521542) (XD) - $44.95  VOE
• CHÂTEAU LA NERTHE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2018 - AC, Rhone, France (#735407) (XD) - $55.95
• ADELSHEIM PINOT NOIR 2019 - Sustainable, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#683821) (XD) - $57.95  VOE  91+ pts  wine review
• MONTES PURPLE ANGEL 2018 - DO Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#62364) (XD) - $74.95  94 pts  wine review
• ELDERTON COMMAND SINGLE VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2017 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#716142) (XD) - $99.95

White Wine:

• BEAUVIGNAC PICPOUL DE PINET 2020 - AP, Midi, France (#350124) (XD) - $13.95
• CRIOS CHARDONNAY 2020 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#243196) (XD) - $15.95  88+ pts  wine review
• KUTJEVO GRASEVINA 2020 - Danube-Kutjevo Vineyard, Slavonia, Croatia (#519074) (XD) - $16.95
• VIÑA MAYOR VERDEJO 2020 - DO Rueda, Spain (#23254) (XD) - $17.95
• SIDEWOOD CHARDONNAY 2018 - Adelaide Hills, South Australia (#186346) (XD) - $19.95
• AIRFIELD YAKIMA VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2020 - Yakima Valley, Washington, USA (#479295) (XD) - $22.95
• GREYWACKE RIESLING 2020 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#14556) (M) - $29.95  VOE  93 pts  wine review