Oct. 12 LCBO Wine Picks: Napa + Terroir of Burgundy and Piedmont

The next LCBO Vintages release is nearly upon us and will be on shelves across Ontario on Saturday, October 12. The main and sub-foci of this release features (very) high priced wines from Napa Valley, Burgundy and Piedmont - I suppose to get ready (already? so soon?) for the holiday season.

The Napa Valley feature highlights 8 premium and super-premium Cabernet Sauvignons ranging in price from $24.95 to $137.95. My top Napa red is the Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (93 pts), which I tasted back in April at the California Wine Fair and was my favourite wine at the event. At $84, it's hard to say that this is good value, but on merit alone, it's a great wine! Save this full-bodied wine for a special occasion in the near future, as it's drinking well right now, or 10+ years down the road.

Also part of the Napa focus are 3 Chardonnays and 4 wines using other varietals. I'm sure this feature also coincides with the upcoming Napa Valley Rocks tasting later this month. See my wine events page for more information.

Terroir comparison between the two world renown regions of Burgundy and Piedmont is the focus of the small secondary feature in this release. A common theme between the two regions, unlike most other regions around the world, is that these two regions almost strictly focus on single varietal wines - Pinot Noir in Burgundy and Nebbiolo in Peidmont. Both of these regions produce very terroir-driven wines. The Albert Morot hails from the Les Aigrots vineyard (Premier Cru), while the Giacosa Barolo is from Bussia, a sub-area of Montforte d'Alba. Both of these wines you'll want to let sit for 2-3 years before enjoying.

From the rest of the release, if you like dry wines (not sweet), then you'll want to pick up Domaine Lafage's Cuvée Centenaire, which is a blend of 80% Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, and 20% Roussanne. Grenache Gris is a mutation of the Grenache grape; it's skin colour is pinkish-grey and while quite obscure in winemaking, is most commonly used in pale rosé wines and lightly tinted white wines such as the Cuvée Centenaire.

In red wines, there are 4 French reds under $20 that you should consider. Domaine Lafage is represented here as well, with the Tessellae Carignan Old Vines that consists of 40% Syrah, 40% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, and (surprise, surprise) - 5% Grenache Gris. The Château Lieujean is a blend of 75% Cab Sauv and 25% Merlot. Both of these wines can be enjoyed over the next 4 years. From Midi is the red blend Mont Tauch that consists of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah that can be enjoyed now or 10 years later. And last but not least, from Domaine Les Aphillanthes we have yet another 2010 Rhône that is a GSM-blend (60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre) using 45-65 year old vines.

That's it for this week. Let me know if you purchase any of my Vintages recommendations as I'd love to hear your thoughts! Cheers!


Red Wine:

• TESSELLAE CARIGNAN OLD VINES CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON 2011 - AP, Midi, France (#343517) (XD) - $18.95
• MONT TAUCH LE TAUCH FITOU 2010 - AC, Élevé en Fûts de Chêne, Midi, France (#272484) (XD) - $19.95
• DOMAINE LES APHILLANTHES CUVÉE DES GALETS PLAN DE DIEU CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#252270) (D) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU LIEUJEAN 2010 - Cru Bourgeois, AC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#085308) (XD) - $19.95
• LUIS CAÑAS SELECCIÓN DE LA FAMILIA RESERVA 2005 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#334102) (XD) - $34.95
• DOMAINE TOURNON SHAY’S FLAT VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2011 - Pyrenees, Victoria, Australia (#311480) (XD) - $35.95
• FREEMARK ABBEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#904532) (XD) - $39.95
• GIACOSA BUSSIA BAROLO 2008 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#344721) (XD) - $39.95
• DOMAINE ALBERT MOROT BEAUNE AIGROTS 1ER CRU 2009 - AC, Burgundy, France (#042416) (XD) - $53.95
• HEITZ CELLAR CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2007 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#642124) (XD) - $83.95  reviewed here

White Wine:

• ANGELS GATE RIESLING 2010 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#160523) (D) - $13.95
• WILLIAM FÈVRE ESPINO CHARDONNAY 2011 - Maipo Valley, Chile (#350058) (XD) - $13.95
• DOMAINE LAFAGE CUVÉE CENTENAIRE 2011 - AC Côtes du Roussillon, Midi, France (#343491) (XD) - $17.95
• COLUMNA ALBARIÑO 2011 - DO Rias Baixas, Spain (#339929) (XD) - $18.95
• DOG POINT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#677450) (XD) - $22.95
• MALIVOIRE GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2011 - VQA Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#542522) (M) - $24.95

Sparkling Wine:

• DOMAINE DU CLOS DE L’EPINAY TÊTE DE CUVÉE BRUT VOUVRAY 2007 - Méthode Traditionnelle, AC, Loire Valley, France (#298398) (XD) - $20.95

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