May 13, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Online & Flagship Exclusives

Here's my top wine picks from the May 13 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection which will be available only Online at lcbo.com (click on the product code for each wine below to take you directly to their website) and in-store at the 10 Flagship Exclusive locations - 8 of which are in Toronto, plus one each in Ottawa and Oakville. There are 33 wines included as part of the release with more whites than reds. There is also one sparkling wine and one rosé. Overall, I would say it is a good release some fine options, with nearly half of the wines included among my top wine recommendations.

We'll begin with the red wines and only one of which is a blend - in fact, the Portuguese red wine is a field blend of 80% old vines and predominant variety is 20% Touriga Nacional. Syrah/Shiraz lovers have quite a few lovely options with a Syrah from Chile and a pair of Shiraz wines from Niagara and Australia. Lastly, at the higher end of the price spectrum there is a single clone Cabernet Sauvignon from California, while the vino from Campania is 100% Aglianico from vines that 200+ years old.

Among my white wine picks there are a couple of blends. One is a blend from Argentina that consists of 50% Chardonnay, 28% Sauvignon Blanc, and 22% Viognier, while the other is from South Africa and it is a blend of 33% Grenache Blanc, 28% Marsanne, 28% Viognier, and 11% Roussanne. Single varietal dry white wines include the Pinot Gris from Niagara, a Riesling from Australia, and a pair of Chardonnays - one each from Burgundy and Argentina. For sweet wine lovers, look to either Riesling from Germany, with the wine from Mosel being the sweeter of the two.

The lone rosé is dry and quite unique as its made with Nerello Mascalese and the ancient variety Nocera. Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• MONTES OUTER LIMITS SYRAH 2021 - DO Zapallar, Chile (#30209) (XD) - $24.95
• EASTDELL BLACK LABEL SHIRAZ 2019 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#32809) (XD) - $25.00
• POÇAS RESERVA RED 2018 - Caedo Ervadosa, DOP Douro, Portugal (#21812) (XD) - $28.95
• BLEASDALE GENERATIONS SHIRAZ 2019 - Langhorne Creek, South Australia (#30752) (XD) - $29.95
• NATIV BICENTO IRPINIA CAMPI TAURASINI 2018 - DOC, Campania, Italy (#575035) (D) - $44.95  93+ pts  wine review
• MARIETTA GAME TRAIL CLONE 6 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino, California, USA (#30574) (XD) - $69.95

White Wine:

• ROCKWAY PINOT GRIS 2021 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#32811) (XD) - $20.00
• HEWITSON GUN METAL RIESLING 2022 - Eden Valley, South Australia (#30581) (XD) - $24.95
• CAPE ROCK WHITE BLEND 2020 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#30016) (XD) - $30.95
• HEXAMER EISENDELL AUF DER SÜDSEITE RIESLING KABINETT 2020 - Prädikatswein, Nahe, Germany (#30602) (S) - $32.95
• TAPIZ SELECCIÓN DE BARRICAS BLEND DE BLANCS 2021 - San Pablo single vineyard, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#30011) (XD) - $34.95
• MARCHAND-TAWSE VIRÉ-CLESSÉ 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#648576) (XD) - $37.95
• CATENA ALTA CHARDONNAY 2020 - Sustainable, Mendoza, Argentina (#139964) (XD) - $39.95
• MAXIMINHOF STUDERT-PRÜM WEHLENER SONNENUHR *** RIESLING AUSLESE 2018 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#101873) (S) - $47.95

Rosé Wine:

• DONNAFUGATA DOLCE & GABBANA ROSA ROSÉ 2022 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#25860) (XD) - $53.95