October 22, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California

The October 22, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release is a humongous release with almost 200 products! The main theme of this release focuses on premium wines from California. A segment of the release also offers a large range of wines for Gift Giving, as well there is an impressive collection of wines offered at Flagship outlets in-store and online. All of the products in this release should be available for purchase across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the main theme that focuses on premium wines from California. It is a rather small feature with just ten wines featured, and only one wine is among my top wine picks - a stunning Chardonnay grown in the Sonoma Mountains.

From the Gift Giving feature there are nearly 50 products available, some as single bottles ranging in size from 200 mL up to Double Magnum (3 L), as well as boxes of 2 to 6 wines packaged in wooden gift boxes. One such offering is a delicious trio of wines by Castelli del Grevepesa from Tuscany that includes a Chianti Classico, a Riserva Chianti Classico, and the Rosso di Toscana. Both Chianti Classico wines are crafted with 100% Sangiovese, while the third wine is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, and 25% Syrah.

Among my top red wine picks, at the top of the list is an excellent Bordeaux red that is crafted with 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Rhône blend wine lovers can savour a Côtes du Rhône-Villages that is a blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, and 5% other permitted varieties, or the Barossa Valley GMS blend that consists of 44% Grenache, 31% Mourvèdre, and 25% Shiraz. From Italy, the Brunello and all of the Chianti Classico wines are made with 100% Sangiovese, while the Etna Rosso is crafted with Nerello Mascalese. Moving to South America, there is a fine blend from Argentina that consists of 55% Malbec, 19% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Lastly, if you enjoy exploring new varieties, try the Pais varietal wine from Chile.

The only blend among my top white wine recommendations is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc which consists of 70% Grenache Blanc, 20% Roussanne, and 10% Clairette. The Lugana is crafted with Trebbiano (aka Verdicchio), while the Pouilly-Fuissé is made with Chardonnay. For Riesling wine lovers, there are a trio of offerings with a pair of off-dry Rieslings from Niagara and a fairly sweet Riesling Kabinett from Mosel. Also for sweet wine lovers, there is a delicious Gewurztraminer from Alsace.

Other lovely wines in this release include a Champagne that is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, and 20% (Pinot) Meunier, while the Cava is crafted with Chardonnay, Macabeo, Parellada, and Pinot Noir. The dry rosé from Provence is a blend of 50% Cinsault, 28% Grenache, 13% Syrah, and 9% Cabernet. Moving on to lusciously sweet wines, the Vin Santo is a blend of Trebbiano, Malvasia, and Sangiovese, while the Vintage Port wine is made with Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta Amarela, Sousão, Tinta Roriz, and other varieties from 80-100 year old vines.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• SAN PEDRO 1865 SELECTED VINEYARDS CARMENÈRE 2020 - DO Valle de Maule, Chile (#249201) (XD) - $19.95
• GARCÉS SILVA CATALINO PAÍS 2019 - Coronel de Maule, DO Secano Interior, Valle del Maule, Chile (#25638) (XD) - $19.95  FE
• SCHILD ESTATE GRENACHE/MOURVÈDRE/SHIRAZ 2018 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#108183) (XD) - $19.95
• LA NERTHE LES CASSAGNES CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2019 - AP, France (#494674) (XD) - $24.95
• THIRTY BENCH WINEMAKER'S BLEND CABERNET FRANC 2020 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#30073) (XD) - $24.95

• CLOS DE LOS SIETE 2018 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#622571) (XD) - $25.95  90+ pts  wine review
• TORNATORE PIETRARIZZO 2019 - DOC Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy (#18926) (XD) - $32.95  FE
• FONTODI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#933317) (XD) - $39.95  92 pts  wine review
• CARPINETO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#16727) (XD) - $49.95  FE  92 pts  wine review
• MICHELE CASTELLANI CINQUE STELLE AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2017 - Collezione Ca' del Pipa, DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#75127) (D) - $50.95

• DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#113357) (XD) - $64.95
• CASTELLI DEL GREVEPESA CLEMENTE VII TRIO - Three bottles in wooden gift box, Tuscany, Italy (#577908) (XD) (2250 mL) - $84.95  wine reviews
• CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG  89 pts
• RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2018 - DOCG  90 pts
• ROSSO DI TOSCANA 2016 - IGT Toscana  89 pts
• ELDERTON COMMAND SINGLE VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2018 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#716142) (XD) - $99.95
• CHÂTEAU SAINT-PIERRE 2015 - 4e cru, AC Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France (#353516) (XD) -- $129.95  FE

White Wine:

• PETER ZEMMER PINOT GRIGIO 2020 - DOC Alto Adige, Italy (#95802) (XD) - $17.95
• VIEIL ARMAND SÉLECTION GEWURZTRAMINER 2019 - AC Alsace, France (#18153) (M) - $19.95
• SANTA CAROLINA GRAN RESERVA CHARDONNAY 2019 - Sustainable, carbon neutral, DO Valle de Itata, Chile (#928580) (XD) - $19.95
• ZENATO SAN BENEDETTO LUGANA 2021 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#707158) (XD) - $19.95
• ORGANIZED CRIME WILD FERMENT RIESLING 2019 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#11952) (D) - $20.95

• BISCHÖFLICHE WEINGÜTER TRIER KANZEMER ALTENBERG FEINHERB RIESLING KABINETT 2020 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#15292) (S) - $27.95  FE
• HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE RIESLING 2020 - Sustainable, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#643361) (D) - $29.95  91 pts  wine review
• DOMAINE LES VIEUX MURS POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2020 - Sustainable, AC, Burgundy, France (#241117) (XD) - $33.95
• BLACK HILLS ESTATE ROUSSANNE 2020 - Black Sage Bench, BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#17728) (XD) - $33.95  FE
• DOMAINE DU GRAND TINEL CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE BLANC 2018 - AC, Rhône, France (#27430) (XD) - $58.95  FE
• KISTLER SONOMA MOUNTAIN CHARDONNAY 2020 - Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma County, California, USA (#183921) (XD) - $116.95

Rosé Wine:

• CHÂTEAU PIGOUDET CLASSIC ROSÉ 2021 - AP Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, France (#668434) (XD) - $25.95

Sparkling Wine:

• ELYSSIA GRAN CUVÉE BRUT CAVA - Traditional method, DO, Penedès, Spain (#392548) (D) - $24.95
• CHARLES HEIDSIECK BRUT RÉSERVE CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#36962) (XD) - $74.95

Dessert Wine:

• FÈLSINA VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI CLASSICO 2009 - DOC, Tuscany, Italy (#26544) (S) (375mL) - $49.95  FE

Fortified Wine:

• NIEPOORT VINTAGE PORT 2019 - DOP, Portugal (#27485) (S) - $135.95  FE