January 20, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California's Central Coast

Here's my top wine picks from the January 20, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection that features California's Central Coast as the theme of the release. Overall, it is a small release with only 70 products on offer, and more than 70% of the wines coming in at under $30. All the wines should be available on LCBO shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

There are only nine wines as part of the theme on California's Central Coast, a vast area runs along the Pacific Ocean from the Monterey region, just south of the Bay Area in the north, to the Santa Barbara region in the south, which is just north of Los Angeles. The only wine recommendation from the theme is a sustainably crafted Chardonnay from the Monterey region, with fruit coming from San Bernabe and Santa Lucia Highlands, and was barrel-fermented and aged in predominantly French oak.

At the top of the stack of my top red wine picks from this release is a 2011 Rioja that is typically made with 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, and 10% Graciano / Mazuelo. On the local front, there are a couple of Bordeaux-blends from the great 2020 vintage - the Thirty Bench wine is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, and 22% Merlot, while the Creekside wine is a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, and 7% Cabernet Franc. From France, there are a pair of similarly blended Syrah-Grenache wines, with the Languedoc red composed of 85% Syrah and 15% Grenache, while the Roussillon red is a blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache. Other red wines in this release include a Chianti Classico Riserva that is made with Sangiovese, a lovely Pinot Noir from New Zealand, and a Nerello Mascalese from Sicily.

Among my top white wine recommendations, the only blend is the 2019 white wine from Sicily that is crafted with 90% Catarratto and 10% Chardonnay. The other whites are a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, a Chardonnay from Sicily, and if you want to go off the beaten path, try the white wine from Marche that is made using the rare Passerina varietal.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• TENUTE ORESTIADI MOLINO A VENTO NERELLO MASCALESE 2022 - IGP Terre Siciliane, Italy (#36295) (XD) - $14.95
• SAINT-ROCH CORBAROL SYRAH/GRENACHE 2021 - AP Côtes du Roussillon, France (#195107) (XD) - $16.95
• CREEKSIDE RED TRACTOR CABERNET/MERLOT 2020 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#11851) (D) - $17.95  88+ pts  wine review
• ALKOOMI GRAZING COLLECTION SHIRAZ 2021 - Frankland River, Western Australia (#33369) (XD) - $17.95
• CHÂTEAU PAUL MAS CLOS DES MÛRES 2021 - Sustainable, AP Languedoc, France (#286393) (XD) - $17.95
• TORRE IL CERRETO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#33410) (XD) - $24.95
• THIRTY BENCH WINEMAKER'S BLEND RED 2020 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#320986) (XD) - $26.95
• SPY VALLEY PINOT NOIR 2020 - Sustainable, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#734681) (XD) - $26.95
• R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA TONDONIA RESERVA 2011 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#356337) (XD) - $70.95

White Wine:

• COLOMBA BIANCA VITESE CHARDONNAY 2022 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#35952) (XD) - $14.95
• FAZI BATTAGLIA PASSERINA 2022 - IGT Marche, Italy (#36275) (XD) - $16.95  89 pts review coming
• TENUTE ORESTIADI IL BIANCO DI LUDOVICO RISERVA 2019 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#36478) (XD) - $18.95
• SPY VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#686675) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• DIORA LA SPLENDEUR DU SOLEIL CHARDONNAY 2020 - Sustainable, Monterey County, California, USA (#24293) (XD) - $24.95