January 7, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Smart Buys

Happy New Year! Here are my top wine picks from the January 7, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release, the first release of the year which is always the "Smart Buys" release that focuses mostly on wallet-friendly wines. It's also a small release with 75 wines and fully three-quarters of the wines are coloured red. All of the wines should be in stores across Ontario by this Saturday.

From the feature on Smart Buys, there are twenty-one wines listed and four are included among my top wine picks. We start with one of the few white wines in this release - a white wine from Lazio that is a blend of 40% Chardonnay, 40% Sauvignon Blanc, and 20% Trebbiano Giallo, and a medium sweet Riesling from Germany. Red wines that are smart buys include an unoaked red from Portugal that is a field blend of 27 grapes, as well as a Syrah from Chile, and the Rosso di Montalcino that is crafted with 100% Sangiovese.

Red wines from the rest of the release are mostly single varietal wines. Blends include the wine from California which consists of 42% Grenache, 31% Cinsault, 24% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Counoise, and the Carmenère from Maipo that is actually a blend of 91% Carmenere, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Mourvedre, while the Chianti Classico is also a blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, and 5% Colorino. The Petite Sirah is also a blend that consists of small amounts of Syrah, Grenache, and other Rhône varieties. Single varietal wines include the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico which is made with Sangiovese, while the Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano is crafted with Sangiovese Grosso, locally known as Prugnolo Gentile. Lastly, the wine from Beaujolais is made with Gamay, while the Barolo is made with Nebbiolo, and the Calabrian wine is made with Gaglioppo.

The rest of my recommendations of consist of just four wines - a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, a rosé from Provence that is crafted with 70% Grenache and 30% Cinsault, and a Champagne that is made with 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay. Lastly, there is a lovely, sweet Icewine from Niagara that is made with Riesling.

May you drink even better in 2023! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• LUA CHEIA OLD VINES RED 2020 - Vegan, DOC Douro, Portugal (#266882) (XD) - $15.95
• VIÑA PEDROSA AVES DEL SUR RESERVA SYRAH 2018 - DO Valle del Loncomilla, Valle del Maule, Chile (#27196) (XD) - $16.95
• VIÑA DEL PEDREGAL KIDIA RESERVE CARMENÈRE 2018 - Sustainable, Single Vineyard, DO Valle Pencahue, Valle de Loncomilla, Valle del Maule, Chile (#24766) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• TENUTA IUZZOLINI CIRÒ ROSSO CLASSICO 2021 - DOC, Calabria, Italy (#13034) (XD) - $19.95  88 pts  wine review
  
• BORGO SCOPETO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#23325) (XD) - $19.95  88+ pts  wine review
• PÉREZ CRUZ LIMITED EDITION CARMENÈRE 2020 - Sustainable, Fundo Liguai de Huelquen Vineyard, DO Valle del Maipo Andes, Chile (#670539) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• TRAPICHE MEDALLA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Mendoza, Argentina (#568865) (XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• BONNY DOON LE CIGARE VOLANT 2020 - Red Wine of the Earth, Central Coast, California, USA (#18516) (XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review

 

• ALTUS/RISE WILDLIGHT SHIRAZ 2020 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#18411) (XD) - $19.95
• STÉPHANE AVIRON VIEILLES VIGNES MOULIN-À-VENT 2020 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#368134) (XD) - $23.95
• GATTAVECCHI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#672642) (XD) - $24.95
• LA MANNELLA ROSSO DI MONTALCINO 2019 - DOC, Tuscany, Italy (#372524) (XD) - $27.95
• CLEMENTE VII GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#573493) (XD) - $32.95
• MICHELE CHIARLO TORTONIANO BAROLO 2017 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#586388) (XD) - $44.95  92 pts  wine review
• STAGS' LEAP WINERY PETITE SIRAH 2018 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#590356) (XD) - $60.95  93 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• GUNDERLOCH FRITZ'S RIESLING 2021 - Qualitätswein, Rheinhessen, Germany (#216366) (M) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• CASALE DEL GIGLIO SATRICO 2020 - IGT Lazio Bianco, Italy (#569806) (D) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• SOHO WHITE COLLECTION PEGGY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 - Vegan, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#144386) (XD) - $19.95

Rosé Wine:

• LA RIVIERA CÔTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ 2021 - AP, Provence, France (#494120) (XD) - $21.95

Sparkling Wine:

• ANDRÉ CHEMIN CUVÉE SÉLECTIONNÉE BRUT 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#20245) (XD) - $58.95

Dessert Wine:

• LAKEVIEW CELLARS RIESLING ICEWINE 2019 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#471839) (S) (200 mL) - $34.95  92 pts  wine review