March 2, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Italian Women in Wine

Here's my top wine picks from the March 2, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection which is titled "Women in Wine - Italian Tastemakers". There are 89 wines included in this release, which also includes a selection of Online & Flagship Exclusives. In keeping with what seems to be the trend of the year, the number of wines in each release does seem to be smaller than in the past. Having said that, it is a very good release with many lovely wines to add to your collection. All the wines in this release should be available for purchase by this Saturday.

The feature of this release focuses on twenty-one Italian women in wine. There are thirteen wines as part of the theme, and four are included among my top wine picks. At the top of the list is the pioneering Donatella Cinelli Colombini and her Brunello di Montalcino that is crafted with 100% Sangiovese. There is also an organic Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany by Barbara Widmer, who uses a terroir-driven approach and is the daughter of the founders of Brancaia. Chiara Lungarotti and Teresa Severini are the daughters of Giorgio Lungarotti, and they bring us a lovely white blend that is composed of 50% Vermentino, 30% Grechetto, and 20% Trebbiano. And lastly, the white wine from Sicily is predominantly Lucido (a synonym for Catarratto), by Gabriella Anca Rallo, who founded Donnafugata with her husband.

The blends among my red wine recommendations include a red wine from the spectacular 2020 NIagara vintage that is composed of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Syrah, while the red wine from Spain is crafted with 70% Monastrell, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Portuguese red is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca, while the Roussillon red is made of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan. The other red wines are all single-varietal wines, including the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico that is made with 100% Sangiovese Grosso.

Among my white wine picks from the rest of the release, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of roughly equal parts Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Clairette, and Picpoul, while the wine from Croatia is composed of 70% Pošip, 20% Chardonnay, and 10% Vugava. White wines from Bordeaux are usually blends, including the Lagarde Blanc that is 60/40 Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, but the Savas Cuvée Eva is actually made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The Riesling from Australia is crafted in a dry style, while the delectably sweet fortified wine from Greece is made with White Muscat.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release. Cin cin!

Red Wine:

• EL GORU GOLD MONASTRELL / SYRAH / CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Vegan, DOP Jumilla, Spain (#13621) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU SAINT-ROCH CHIMÈRES GRENACHE / CARIGNAN / SYRAH 2020 - AP Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, France (#119354) (XD) - $19.95
• ZUCCARDI Q MALBEC 2022 - Sustainable, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#723478) (XD) - $20.95
• CRASTO 2020 - Vegan, DOC Douro, Portugal (#81588) (XD) - $21.95
• CASAS DEL BOSQUE GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2022 - Sustainable, Valle del Cachapoal, Chile (#36166) (XD) - $22.95  89 pts  wine review
• KACABA CABERNET / SYRAH 2020 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#26424) (XD) - $24.95  90 pts  wine review
• BRANCAIA N°2 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - DOC Maremma Toscana, Italy (#28451) (XD) - $33.95  92 pts  wine review
• BABICH WINEMAKERS' RESERVE SYRAH 2017 - Single vineyard, estate grown and bottled, Hawke's Bay, North Island, New Zealand (#32412) (XD) - $36.95  FE  92+ pts  wine review
• BIBBIANO VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#32287) (XD) - $49.95
• DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#113357) (XD) - $73.95  93+ pts  wine review

White Wine:

• WAPISA PATAGONIA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Rio Negro, Patagonia, Argentina (#36181) (XD) - $17.95
• LUNGAROTTI TORRE DI GIANO BIANCO DI TORGIANO VERMENTINO / GRECHETTO / TREBBIANO 2022 - DOC, Umbria, Italy (#268110) (XD) - $17.95  90 pts  wine review
• DONNAFUGATA ANTHÌLIA BIANCO 2022 - Sustainable, DOC Sicilia, Italy (#195115) (XD) - $18.95
• LES HAUTS DE LAGARDE BLANC 2022 - Vegan, AC Bordeaux, France (#387787) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• DOMÄNE WACHAU TERRASSEN FEDERSPIEL GRÜNER VELTLINER 2022 - Sustainable, Qualitätswein, Austria (#31534) (XD) - $19.95
• STINA CUVÉE WHITE 2022 - PDO Central and South Dalmatia, Croatia (#32035) (XD) - $19.95
• SAVAS CUVÉE EVA 2020 - AC, Bordeaux, France (#35368) (XD) - $21.95
• MITCHELL WATERVALE RIESLING 2022 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#487785) (XD) - $21.95
• DE BORTOLI ESTATE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2019 - Dixons Creek, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia (#33565) (XD) - $23.95  90 pts  wine review
• PAPAGIANNAKOS ASSYRTIKO 2022 - Vegan, PGI Attica, Greece (#33260) (XD) - $24.95  90+ pts  wine review
• DOMAINE CHANTE CIGALE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE BLANC 2022 - AP, Rhône, France (#102962) (XD) - $48.95  FE

Fortified:

• SAMOS VIN DOUX WHITE MUSCAT - PDO Samos, Greece (#44578) (S) - $15.95  90+ pts  wine review