Mar. 16 LCBO Wine Picks: California Icons + Classic Euro Whites

The next LCBO Vintages release continues the recent promotion California wines - a trend that looks like it will last the entire month of March go into the beginnng of April with the California Wine Fair. The last release focused on the latest Trends in California, while this edition features wines from some of California's most iconic names.

You really can't go wrong with any of the 18 wines that are featured, while, of course, some will offer better value than others. For me, the 2009 Calera de Villiers Vineyard Pinot Noir is one worth pursuing. If you'd like, also get the 2009 Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir (#058966, $49.95) and compare with the de Villiers Vineyard - same winery, same grape, same vintage, but different vineyard within the Mount Harlen AVA (American Viticultural Area).

The secondary focus in this release is on Classic Euro white wines - Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewürztraminer are the three classic varietals. From this portion of the release, only the German Gewürztraminer Spätlese made the cut. Also in this release are three Irish Whiskies for St. Patrick's Day, and a maple-syrup-infused whisky from Quebec.

From the rest of the release, we have a 2009 Château de la Dauphine from Bordeaux that is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, and the 2010 Château Hauchat Bordeaux that is 100% Merlot. From the fabulous 2010 southern-Rhone vintage, we have a red wine from Domaine des Amadieu that is made with 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 20% Mourvèdre. The Antinori is one to cellar away for at least few years and consists of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.

New wines from this release will be in stores on Saturday, March 16. Enjoy my picks! Cheers!


Red Wine:

• CHÂTEAU HAUCHAT 2010 - AC Fronsac, Bordeaux, France (#123489) (XD) - $14.95
• CHÂTEAU LES ARMES DE BRANDEAU CUVÉE DE LA TRILOGIE 2009 - AC Castillon - Côtes de Bordeaux, France (#308445) (XD) - $16.95
• DOMAINE DES AMADIEU CUVÉE DES GARRIGUES CAIRANNE 2010 - AC Côtes du Rhône-Villages, France (#310060) (XD) - $17.95
• FAMILIA MAYOL MALBEC 2009 - Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina (#301234) (D) - $18.95
• VICCHIOMAGGIO AGOSTINO PETRI CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2008 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#993360) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU DE LA DAUPHINE 2009 - AC Fronsac, Bordeaux, France (#209742) (XD) - $29.85
• CALERA DE VILLIERS VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2009 - Mt. Harlan, Central Coast, California, USA (#227504) (XD) - $44.95
• ANTINORI GUADO AL TASSO 2008 - DOC Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy (#986380) (XD) - $99.95

White Wine:

• RUPPERTSBERGER LINSENBUSCH GEWÜRZTRAMINER SPÄTLESE 2011 - Prädikatswein, Pfalz, Germany (#320473) (MS) - $14.95
• CREEKSIDE LAURA’S WHITE 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#121764) (D) - $18.95
• LOIMER GRÜNER VELTLINER 2011 - DAC Kamptal, Austria (#142240) (XD) - $19.95
• DOMAINE CHENEVIÈRES LES GRANDES VIGNES CHABLIS 2011 - AC, La Chapelle-Vaupelteigne, Burgundy, France (#278952) (XD) - $22.95
• F. TINEL-BLONDELET L’ARRÊT BUFFATTE POUILLY-FUMÉ 2010 - AC, Loire, France (#169730) (XD) - $22.95
• DECOY CHARDONNAY 2011 - Sonoma County, California, USA (#311555) (D) - $24.95

Sparkling Wine:

• MARENCO BRACHETTO D’ACQUI - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#320002) (S) - $16.95

The rest of the wines from this release can be found here.