Aug. 30 LCBO Wine Picks: 90+ + Washington + Oregon + Champagne

The next LCBO Vintages release will be in stores this Saturday, August 30th. This is the annual 90+ point wine release, along with features on the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon) and some of the biggest names in Champagne.

We'll begin with the Pacific Northwest, where eight rather ho-hum wines are featured and none made my LCBO wine picks. It seems to almost always be the case that wines coming into Vintages from Washington, Oregon, and even B.C., tend to be lacklustre. Having said that, if you look near the end pages of the magazine, there is a fine oaked Chardonnay from Evening Land Vineyards in Oregon that you will find only at Vintages Flagship Stores.

Of the 31 wines listed in the 90+ feature, 9 are listed below. Included among them are Cabs from Domaine Bousquet and Forest Hill, a Carménère from Santa Carolina, the Marziano Abbona Barolo (Nebbiolo grape), Penfold's Shiraz, a Grenache-Syrah blend from Patrice Magni, and Schubert's Pinot Noir. Not surprisingly, most of these red wines fall into the premium price category. Just one white wine and one rosé from this list made the cut - a Sauvignon Blanc from Robert Oatley, and the "Brangelina" Miraval Rosé (Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle, Syrah blend).

From the rest of the release, we have a few red-blends, including a Grenache-Syrah blend from Famille Perrin, a 60% Corvina / 35% Rondinella / 5% Molinara blend from Montresor, and a Merlot-dominated blend from Château de Ricaud. Also a blend is the Mas de Bressades Rosé, consisting of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Cinsault. Those who prefer sweeter wines can seek any of the three Rieslings I've mentioned below.

Hope you will enjoy the last few days of summer with a few of my wine recommendations. Cheers!


Red Wine:

• DOMAINE BOUSQUET RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 - Tupungato Valley, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#678813) (XD) - $14.95
• BARAHONDA BARRICA MONASTRELL/SYRAH 2011 - DO Yecla, Spain (#378869) (XD) - $17.95
• FAMILLE PERRIN LES CORNUDS VINSOBRES 2012 - AC, Rhône, France (#566844) (D) - $17.95
• MONTRESOR CAPITEL DELLA CROSARA VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO 2011 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#379172) (D) - $18.95
• CHÂTEAU DE RICAUD RÉSERVE DES COTEAUX 2010 - AC Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, France (#365643) (D) - $18.95
• SANTA CAROLINA RESERVA DE FAMILIA CARMÉNÈRE 2010 - Rapel Valley, Chile (#034942) (XD) - $18.95
• FOREST HILL ESTATE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010 - Great Southern, Western Australia (#380840) (XD) - $32.95
• PENFOLDS BIN 128 SHIRAZ 2012 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#509919) (XD) - $34.95
• DOMAINE PATRICE MAGNI CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE 2011 - AC, Rhône, France (#380626) (XD) - $47.95
• MARZIANO ABBONA PRESSENDA BAROLO 2008 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#276584) (XD) - $52.95
• SCHUBERT BLOCK B PINOT NOIR 2011 - Wairarapa, New Zealand (#066985) (XD) - $55.95

White Wine:

• VIEIL ARMAND MÉDAILLE RIESLING 2010 - AC Alsace, France (#377754) (D) - $15.95
• FEATHERSTONE BLACK SHEEP RIESLING 2013 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#080234) (M) - $16.95
• CREEKSIDE BACKYARD BLOCK SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013 - VQA Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#341792) (XD) - $17.95
• ROBERT OATLEY MARGARET RIVER SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#186106) (XD) - $18.95
• MURI-GRIES PINOT GRIGIO 2013 - DOC Alto Adige, Italy (#270983) (D) - $19.95
• SCHLOSS REINHARTSHAUSEN HATTENHEIMER WISSELBRUNNEN RIESLING KABINETT 2012 - Deutscher Prädikatswein, Rheingau, Germany (#114801) (M) - $20.95
• DOMAINE LE VERGER CHABLIS 2012 - AC, Burgundy, France (#181289) (XD) - $22.95
• STAGS’ LEAP WINERY VIOGNIER 2013 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#597369) (XD) - $34.95
• STAGS’ LEAP WINERY CHARDONNAY 2012 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#655381) (XD) - $34.95
• EVENING LAND SEVEN SPRINGS CHARDONNAY 2011 - Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#375048) (XD) - $58.95

Rosé Wine:

• MAS DES BRESSADES CUVÉE TRADITION ROSÉ 2013 - AP Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#950576) (XD) - $15.95
• MIRAVAL ROSÉ 2013 - AP Côtes de Provence, France (#342584) (XD) - $22.95

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