September 23, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: High-Scoring Wines

Here's my top wine picks from the September 23 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection which is titled "High-Scoring Wines". It's a good sized release with 114 wines, and as we move closer to the gift-giving season, the prices also move up, with the average price per bottle settling in at just above $28/btl in this release. All of the wines should be available at the LCBO beginning this Saturday.

We begin with the feature on "High-Scoring Wines", which has nineteen wines listed, of which four are included among my top wine picks. There are a pair of red wines, including a perennially lovely Pinot Noir from Niagara, as well as a Chianti Classico that is mainly (~90%) Sangiovese. The other two wines are surprisingly both from Portugal - a white wine that is a blend of Viosinho, Arinto, Rabigato, and Gouveiro, and a Port wine that is a field blend of unspecified varieties.

At the top of the stack among my red wine picks is an Amarone that is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta, and Molinara, while other blends include a wine from Jumilla that is composed of 55% Monastrell, 30% Garnacha, and 15% Syrah. The only other blend is the Cab Franc from Argentina, which is actually crafted with 90% Cabernet Franc and 10% Malbec. The single varietal wines are all pretty straightforward with a pair Pinot Noirs - one from Germany and one from New Zealand, as well as a pair of Garnacha (aka Grenache) wines from Spain. There is also a fine Malbec from Argentina, and a Nero d'Avola from Sicily.

Moving on to my white wine recommendations from the main release, there are a couple of blends. First up is a wine from Limoux that is mainly Chardonnay, but also includes a splash of Mauzac, while the regionally blended Greek wine is composed of 70% Xinomavro and 30% Malagousia. Some of the excellent single varietal wines include a pair of Chardonnays - one from South Africa and one from Napa Valley, as well as a 100% Malagousia from Drama in Greece, and a Torrontés from Argentina. If you enjoy something on the sweeter side, try the always reliable Riesling from Niagara.

Among my top sparkling wine picks, which are all from Champagne, the Monmarthe Champagne is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay, while the 2009 Vintage Champagne is composed of 52% Pinot Noir and 48% Chardonnay. Lastly, the Brut Rosé Champagne is an unspecified blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• EL PETIT BONHOMME 2020 - Vegan, DOP Jumilla, Spain (#16578) (XD) - $16.95  88+ pts  wine review
• NAVASCUÉS ENOLOGÍA CUTIO GARNACHA 2019 - DO Cariñena, Spain (#30586) (XD) - $16.95
• DESQUICIADO CABERNET FRANC 2021 - Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina (#32146) (XD) - $17.95
• FEUDO MACCARI NOTO NERÉ NERO D'AVOLA 2020 - DOP, Sicily, Italy (#339101) (XD) - $19.95
• GARNACHA DE LA MADRE 2018 - Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain (#18927) (XD) - $19.95
• CASTELLO DI QUERCETO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#680496) (XD) - $24.95  89 pts  wine review
• ALTA YARÍ GRAN MALBEC 2020 - Gualtallary, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#32147) (XD) - $24.95
• JULES TAYLOR PINOT NOIR 2020 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#329805) (XD) - $27.95
• NEISS BOCKENHEIM PINOT NOIR 2019 - Vegan, sustainable, Pfalz, Germany (#25769) (XD) - $30.95  91 pts  wine review
• HIDDEN BENCH PINOT NOIR 2021 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#274753) (XD) - $37.95  92 pts  wine review
• MASI COSTASERA RISERVA AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2017 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#324137) (D) - $79.95

White Wine:

• CABRAL RESERVA 2020 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#35446) (XD) - $14.95
• THYMIOPOULOS ATMA WHITE XINOMAVRO/MALAGOUSIA 2021 - Greece (#33249) (XD) - $17.95
• ZUCCARDI SERIE A TORRONTÉS 2022 - Sustainable, Argentina (#389262) (XD) - $17.95
• AUNTSFIELD SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Sustainable, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#663286) (XD) - $21.95
• WINE ART ESTATE PLANO MALAGOUSIA 2022 - PGI Drama, Greece (#33256) (XD) - $23.95
• ALTUGNAC TERRES AMOUREUSES 2021 - AP Limoux, Languedoc, France (#16413) (XD) - $26.95  91 pts  wine review
• HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE RIESLING 2022 - VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#643361) (M) - $32.95
• HAMILTON RUSSELL CHARDONNAY 2022 - WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, South Africa (#931006) (XD) - $64.95
• GRGICH HILLS ESTATE GROWN CHARDONNAY 2019 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#346304) (XD) - $78.95

Sparkling Wine:

• MONMARTHE SECRET DE FAMILLE 1ER CRU BRUT CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#624775) (D) - $52.95  91+ pts  wine review
• DUVAL-LEROY PRESTIGE PREMIER CRU BRUT ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#483107) (XD) - $93.95
• LANSON LE VINTAGE BRUT CHAMPAGNE 2009 - AC, France (#29949) (XD) - $102.95

Fortified Wine:

• POÇAS COLHEITA PORT 2010 - Vegan, aged in cask, DOC, Portugal (#21813) (S) - $38.95