June 8, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Rosé

Here are my top wine picks from the June 8, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, which features Rosé Wines from Around the World is the theme of the release. It is a big release with over 125 wines offered. Included in the printed magazine is a sneak preview of the next release, which will be an Online & Flagship Exclusives only release. All the wines from this release are already in stores, and can also be ordered online.

We'll begin with the theme on Rosé wines, of which twenty-two are featured as part of the theme and seven are included among my top rosé wine picks. At the top of the list is a locally crafted rosé from Niagara that is a blend of 94% Pinot Noir and 6% Viognier. The rosé from Provence is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault, while the rosé from the Rhône Valley is composed of mainly Grenache, plus Mourvèdre and Cinsault. The rosé from Spain is also Grenache-based and made with 60% Grenache and 40% Tempranillo, while the rosé from Tuscany is, somewhat unsurprisingly, a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. The only mono-varietal rosés are from Chile and the Loire Valley in France, and both are crafted using 100% Pinot Noir.

Among my top red wine recommendations, Tuscany really shines with five recommendations. At the top of this list is the Brunello di Montalcino, which is crafted with Sangiovese Grosso, while the other Tuscan wines are all blends. The Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is mainly Sangiovese (~80%), while the Riserva Chianti Classico is composed of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Colorino. The Bolgheri Rosso is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, while the Super Tuscan by Avignonesi is composed of precisely 50.82% Sangiovese, 24.58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23.51% Merlot, 0.78% Syrah, and 0.30% Canaiolo. Moving to France, there are a couple of Grenache-led Rhône Valley wines, with the Rasteau made with 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, and 5% Carignan, while the Côtes du Rhône-Villages is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. The last blend is from Portugal, and it is a blend of 30% Tinta Roriz, 30% Touriga Nacional, and 20% Syrah. Only a few of my red wine picks are single varietal wines, and among them is the Rioja that is made with Tempranillo.

There is only one blend among my white wine picks - a 70/30 blend of Loureiro and Alvarinho. There are a trio of Chardonnay wines - one each from the Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley, and Margaret River, as well as a pair of Assyrtiko wines from Greece. Wines that are a bit rare to see here in Ontario are a Pinot Bianco from northern Italy, and the Godello from Bierzo. If you enjoy some sweetness in your wines, look for the Riesling from Niagara.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release!

Red Wine:

• CASA SANTOS LIMA QUID PRO QUO RED 2021 - Vegan, Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal (#37768) (XD) - $11.95  88+ pts  wine review
• MONTES LIMITED SELECTION PINOT NOIR 2022 - DO Aconcagua Costa, Chile (#37937) (XD) - $15.95  88+ pts  wine review
• AVIGNONESI CANTALORO 2019 - Vegan, IGT Toscana, Italy (#36519) (XD) - $18.95
• MARQUÉS DE CÁCERES EXCELLENS CUVÉE ESPECIAL COLECCIÓN PRIVADA CRIANZA 2019 - Vegan, DOCa Rioja, Spain (#10684) (XD) - $18.95
• RHONÉA TRADITION RASTEAU 2021 - AP, Rhône, France (#998716) (XD) - $19.95  88+ pts  wine review
• ROCCA DELLE MACÌE RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#930966) (XD) - $23.95  91 pts  wine review

 

• VECCHIA CANTINA RISERVA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2016 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#36523) (XD) - $23.95  91+ pts  wine review
• MADONNA DELLE GRAZIE LISCONE 2018 - DOC Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata, Italy (#36549) (XD) - $24.95
• LA FERME DU MONT LE PONNANT CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2022 - Unfiltered, AP, France (#171371) (XD) - $26.95  91 pts  wine review
• LE MACCHIOLE BOLGHERI ROSSO 2021 - DOC, Tuscany, Italy (#483412) (XD) - $42.95
• WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE BLACK LABEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#84996) (XD) - $44.95
• LA TORRE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2018 - Estate Bottled, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#17626) (XD) - $64.95

White Wine:

• MARIA PAPOILA LOUREIRO/ALVARINHO 2022 - DOC Vinho Verde, Portugal (#408146) (XD) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• GODELIA BODEGA SELECCION PARCELAS LA PELONA GODELLO 2023 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#37706) (XD) - $17.95
• ZACHARIAS ASSYRTIKO 2022 - PGI Peloponnese, Greece (#588814) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• DEEP WOODS MARGARET RIVER CHARDONNAY 2023 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#33569) (XD) - $19.95  90+ pts  wine review
• TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA RIESLING 2022 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#89029) (M) - $19.95
• MEGA SPILEO ASSYRTIKO 2022 - PGI Achaia, Greece (#31680) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• NALS MARGREID BERG PINOT BIANCO 2022 - DOC Südtirol Alto Adige, Italy (#36511) (XD) - $22.95
• STAGS' LEAP CHARDONNAY 2022 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#655381) (XD) - $44.95
• KISTLER LES NOISETIERS CHARDONNAY 2022 - Unfiltered and Unfined, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, USA (#251223) (XD) - $139.95

Rosé Wine:

• BORN RAMBLA ROSÉ 2023 - Penedès, Spain (#37863) (XD) - $15.95  89 pts  wine review
• CASAS DEL BOSQUE BOTANIC SERIES PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2023 - Sustainable, Las Dichas, Valle de Casablanca, Chile (#15277) (XD) - $16.95  89 pts  wine review
• RICASOLI ALBIA ROSÉ 2023 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#556266) (XD) - $18.95
• FAMILLE PERRIN TAVEL 2023 - AC, Rhône, France (#680801) (XD) - $23.95
• HIDDEN BENCH LOCUST LANE ROSÉ 2023 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#68833) (XD) - $24.95  92 pts  wine review
• SAINT AIX ROSÉ 2023 - AP Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, France (#451906) (XD) - $26.95
• JEAN-MAX ROGER LA GRANGE DÎMIÈRE SANCERRE ROSÉ 2023 - AC, Loire, France (#490813) (XD) - $29.95