Aug. 22 LCBO VINTAGES Release: Top-Scoring Wines

The latest batch of wines from the August 22 LCBO VINTAGES Release will be in stores across Ontario this coming Saturday. It appears to a thinner-than-normal release with only one theme titled "Top-Scoring Wines".

In all, there are 19 wines featured in the "Top-Scoring Wines" thematic, and nearly half made my list of wine picks. All three Ontario wines that were featured come recommended - a Charles Baker single vineyard Riesling, the organic oaked Chardonnay from Southbrook, and the Featherstone 60/40 Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend from the great 2010 vintage. From Chile, there's an uncommon Carménère/Syrah blend that is mostly Carménère. A pair of white wines from South Africa are also included among my wine recommendations - a Chenin Blanc and an unoaked Chardonnay. For sweet wine lovers, you'll want to check out the Riesling Kabinett from Germany. Lastly, the red wine from Portugal is a blend of many grape varieties including the country's signature Touriga Nacional.

 

From the rest of the release, there is a nice 2010 Bordeaux red wine (100% Merlot) that comes in at a very affordable price point. The Rhône red from La Ferme Du Mont is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, while the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of 85% 90-year-old Grenache, 10% 60-year-old Mourvèdre, and 5% Syrah. A pair of red wines from Tuscany include a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that is a blend of 90% Prugnolo Gentile (clone of Sangiovese) and 10% Canaiolo, while the IGT Tuscan wine is 75% Sangiovese and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. Finally, the Rioja from Spain is 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano.

In white wines, the Lugana from Lombardy, Italy is 100% Trebbiano di Lugana. If you like your wines really sweet, then you'll want to pick up the Riesling Auslese from Germany.

Lastly, the Rhône rosé is made in a dry style (i.e. not sweet) using the grapes Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah.

Enjoy my LCBO wine picks for this week. Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CHÂTEAU DES MOINES MENODIN 2010 - AC Bordeaux Supérieur, France (#424259) (XD) - $14.95
• HERDADE DO ROCIM RED 2011 - Vinho Regional Alentejano, Portugal (#423574) (D) - $17.95
• VIÑA MAIPO GRAN DEVOCIÓN CARMÉNÈRE/SYRAH 2012 - Maule Valley, Chile (#274100) (XD) - $17.95
• CASTELLANI FILICHETO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2011 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#184937) (XD) - $18.95
• LA FERME DU MONT LE PONNANT CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2012 - Unfiltered, AC, Rhône, France (#171371) (XD) - $18.95  reviewed here
• TAHBILK THE TOWER SHIRAZ 2013 - Central Victoria, Australia (#412205) (D) - $19.95
• FINCA DE LA RICA EL NÓMADA 2011 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#425785) (D) - $24.95
• FEATHERSTONE ONYX 2010 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#372433) (XD) - $29.95  reviewed here
• POGGIO BONELLI POGGIASSAI 2011 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#085365) (XD) - $31.95  FSE
• DOMAINE DURIEU LUCILE AVRIL CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2012 - AC, Rhône, France (#295147) (XD) - $47.95
• CAKEBREAD BENCHLAND SELECT CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2011 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#924175) (D) - $162.95  FSE

White Wine:

• MAN VINTNERS FREE-RUN STEEN CHENIN BLANC 2014 - WO Coastal Region, South Africa (#126847) (XD) - $13.95
• HENRI BOURGEOIS PETIT BOURGEOIS SAUVIGNON BLANC 2014 - IGP Vins de Pays du Val de Loire, France (#672345) (XD) - $15.95
• DE WETSHOF LIMESTONE HILL CHARDONNAY 2014 - Unwooded, WO Robertson, South Africa (#419622) (XD) - $15.95
• REICHSRAT VON BUHL ARMAND RIESLING KABINETT 2012 - Prädikatswein, Pfalz, Germany (#060905) (MS) - $18.95
• S. CRISTINA MASSONI LUGANA 2014 - DOC, Lombardy, Italy (#200097) (XD) - $19.95
• SOUTHBROOK TRIOMPHE CHARDONNAY 2013 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#172338) (D) - $22.95  reviewed here
• CHARLES BAKER PICONE VINEYARD RIESLING 2012 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#241182) (M) - $35.20
• VON HÖVEL SCHARZHOFBERG SAAR RIESLING AUSLESE 2011 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#366377) (S) - $48.00  FSE
• FOXEN TINAQUAIC VINEYARD ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2013 - Santa Maria Valley, California, USA (#414219) (XD) - $54.95

Rosé Wine:

• FAMILLE PERRIN RÉSERVE ROSÉ 2014 - AC Côtes du Rhône, France (#719062) (XD) - $15.95

The rest of the wines from the August 22 LCBO VINTAGES Release are here.