March 19, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Cabernet Sauvignon

The main theme of the March 19, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release is yet another mono-themed release and focuses on wines made using Cabernet Sauvignon. There's also a number of Online Exclusive (OE) wines as part of this release and will be available for purchase exclusively on lcbo.com a couple of days prior to release day. In-store wines should be available across the province by Saturday.

Titled "The ABCs of CABs", we begin with the theme on wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon. This noble red grape varietal is considered the "King of Grapes" due to its bold and ageable character. The grape is treasured and celebrated in Bordeaux's iconic blends of the Left Bank, but has also found a home in many other wine regions around the globe. Of the sixteen wines listed as part of the theme, only a Cabernet Sauvignon from McLaren Vale in Australia is among my top wine picks.

Red wine options from the rest of the release are aplenty. Starting in Rhône, there is a lovely Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mourvèdre, and 4% Cinsault, while the Lirac consists of 55% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 10% Carignan, and 5% Mourvèdre. Also from Rhône, the Crozes-Hermitage is 100% Syrah, while the Côtes du Rhône-Villages is a blend of roughly 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 25% Carignan. From Italy, the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico consists of 80% Sangiovese and the rest Merlot and Colorino, while the Barolo is, of course, made with Nebbiolo. Other blends include a Madiran that is mostly Tannat plus Cabernet Franc completing the blend, as well as a Douro red that consists of roughly equal parts Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca.

All of my white wine picks are single varietal wines. There are a pair of lovely Torrontés wines from Argentina - one is unoaked, while the other is barrel fermented and aged in French oak barrels. From Italy there is a Pinot Grigio from the northeastern part of the country in Friuli, while the Pecorino is from Abruzzo in central Italy. On the local front, there is a fine Chardonnay that is available only as an Online Exclusive, as well as its mutated variant, the unique and aromatic Chardonnay Musqué. Other recommendations include an Albariño from Spain, a Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and a Semillon from Hunter Valley.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CRASTO 2019 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#81588) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• MITOLO JESTER CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#43224) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• LA POSTA FAZZIO MALBEC 2019 - Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina (#444687) (XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• SUTHERLAND PINOT NOIR 2019 - WO Elgin, South Africa (#624924) (XD) - $19.95
• MONTGRAS AMARAL SYRAH 2019 - Sustainable, DO Valle de Leyda, Chile (#21958) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU MAUCOIL 2019 - AC Côtes du Rhône-Villages, France (#638502) {XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC 2020 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#723478) (XD) - $20.95  89 pts  wine review

 

• CHÂTEAU PEYROS VIEILLES VIGNES MADIRAN 2017 - AC, Southwest, France (#234997) (XD) - $22.95
• FERRATON PÈRE & FILS LA MATINIÈRE CROZES-HERMITAGE 2018 - AP, Rhône, France (#127712) (XD) - $28.95  OE
• CHÂTEAU DE MONTFAUCON BARON LOUIS LIRAC 2015 - AP, Rhône, France (#13438) (XD) - $32.95  91 pts  wine review
• DOMAINE DROUHIN OREGON PINOT NOIR 2019 - Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#11263) (XD) - $42.95  OE
• RUFFINO RISERVA DUCALE ORO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2017 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#353201) (XD) - $49.95  92 pts  wine review
• DOMAINE DU VIEUX TÉLÉGRAPHE TÉLÉGRAMME CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2019 - AC, Rhône, France (#292722) (XD) - $59.95
• BORGOGNO BAROLO 2016 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#283499) (XD) - $65.95  OE
  

White Wine:

• RUSTENBERG STELLENBOSCH CHENIN BLANC 2019 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#698274) (XD) - $14.95
• ZUCCARDI SERIE A TORRONTÉS 2021 - IP Salta, Argentina (#389262) (XD) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• FERZO ABRUZZO PECORINO SUPERIORE 2020 - DOP, Abruzzo, Italy (#573683) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE CHARDONNAY MUSQUÉ 2020 - Sustainable, Cave Spring Vineyard, VOA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#246579) (XD) - $19.95
• ATTEMS PINOT GRIGIO 2020 - DOC Friuli, Italy (#707950) (XD) - $19.95
• SUSANA BALBO SIGNATURE BARREL FERMENTED TORRONTÉS 2020 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#384339) (XD) - $21.95
• PAZO DAS BRUXAS ALBARIÑO 2019 - DO Rias Baixas, Spain (#417667) (XD) - $21.95
• TYRRELL'S HUNTER VALLEY SERIES SEMILLON 2019 - Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia (#632034) (XD) - $24.95
• BACHELDER LES VILLAGES CHARDONNAY 2018 - VOA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#16059) (XD) - $34.95  OE
  

Fortified:

• FONSECA LATE BOTTLED VINTAGE PORT 2015 - Unfiltered, DOP, Portugal (#87551) (S) - $23.95