Apr. 13 LCBO Wine Picks: New Zealand + Portugal

The next Vintages release focuses on wines from 4 "premium" producers in New Zealand, while the secondary feature is on wines from Portugal. In Local Talent, Prince Edward County is featured - probably to coincide with the upcoming PEC in the City tasting - with 4 premium wines.

From New Zealand, a trio of Sauvignon Blancs from two producers are worth checking out. Both Dog Point and Cloudy Bay produce high-quality, premium wines, at premium price points. You will likely not be disappointed with Dog Point's Sauvignon Blanc or their Section 94 Sauvignon Blanc. Going further up in price is the Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc. All three are quite complex and interesting, and not your typical grassy/cat pee Savvys.

A couple of good value wines from Portugal also exist in this release. The Adriano Romas Pinto consists of 6 different local varietals, led by (45%) what is generally considered to be Portugal's best varietal - Touriga Nacional. If you want to try this varietal on its own, the Delaforce is a great choice as it's 100% Touriga Nacional.

From the rest of the release, it's interesting to note that the 2009 Maycas del Limarí Chardonnay is only arriving in Vintages now, while the 2010 arrived last June. The 2005 Marqués de Cáceres is already aged for your and made with 85% Tempranillo, and 15% Garnacha Tinta (Grenache) & Graciano. The 2010 Rhône from Domaine Durieu consists of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 3% Cinsault, and 2% Counoise and can be enjoyed now or a decade later. And finally, from our own backyard is the 2010 Château des Charmes Equuleus - it's a blend of 50% Cab Sauv, 25% Cab Franc and 25% Merlot and is made only in the best years.

Enjoy my picks for this week! New wines will be on LCBO Vintages shelves on Saturday, April 13. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• BODEGA SÉPTIMA SÉPTIMO DÍA MALBEC 2011 - Mendoza, Argentina (#219295) (D) - $15.95  reviewed here
• ADRIANO RAMOS PINTO DUAS QUINTAS 2010 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#359893) (XD) - $16.95
• DELAFORCE TOURIGA NACIONAL 2009 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#324517) (XD) - $18.95
• CUSUMANO NOÀ 2008 - IGT Sicilia, Italy (#109512) (XD) - $18.95
• ALPHA ESTATE HEDGEHOG VINEYARD XINOMAVRO 2008 - AOSQ Amyndeon, Greece (#259762) (D) - $19.95
• MARQUÉS DE CÁCERES TINTO RESERVA 2005 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#702761) (XD) - $24.95
• NORMAN HARDIE COUNTY UNFILTERED PINOT NOIR 2011 - VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#125310) (XD) - $35.00
• DOMAINE DURIEU CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#320168) (XD) - $35.95
• CHÂTEAU DE FONBEL 2009 - AC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France (#196451) (XD) - $37.85
• CHÂTEAU DES CHARMES EQUULEUS 2010 - Paul Bosc Estate Vineyard, VQA St. David’s Bench (Niagara), Ontario, Canada (#319525) (XD) - $40.00  reviewed here
• BREWER-CLIFTON MOUNT CARMEL PINOT NOIR 2009 - Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County, California, USA (#311647) (XD) - $64.95

White Wine:

• DR. HERMANN ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2007 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#313528) (M) - $16.95
• KELLEREI KALTERN CALDARO PINOT GRIGIO 2011 - DOC Alto Adige, Italy (#317867) (D) - $16.95
• CONCILIO CONOIDI GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2011 - DOC Trentino, Italy (#670711) (XD) - $16.95
• MAYCAS DEL LIMARÍ RESERVA ESPECIAL CHARDONNAY 2009 - Limarí Valley, Chile (#162040) (D) - $19.95
• RUSTENBERG CHARDONNAY 2011 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#598631) (D) - $22.95
• DOG POINT VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#677450) (XD) - $22.95
• DOG POINT VINEYARD SECTION 94 SAUVIGNON BLANC 2010 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#325977) (XD) - $39.95
• CLOUDY BAY TE KOKO SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#084897) (XD) - $48.95

Rosé Wine:

• CLAUDE RIFFAULT LA NOUE SANCERRE ROSÉ 2011 - AC, Loire, France (#323626) (XD) - $19.95

Sparkling Wine:

• SHOENHEITZ BRUT CRÉMANT D’ALSACE - AC, Alsace, France (#319962) (D) - $19.95

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