LCBO VINTAGES Release August 8: Oregon + Washington + B.C. + Loire

The LCBO VINTAGES Release on August 8, 2015 will be on shelves this Saturday and highlights 23 wines from The Great Northwest, while the mini-feature displays 7 Summery wines from Loire Valley.

The Great Northwest thematic highlights wines from Oregon and Washington in the U.S.A., and wines from Canada's British Columbia. Unfortunately, only one wine - a Cabernet Sauvignon from B.C. - is among my wine picks. There's also a Pinot Noir from Oregon found in the back of the magazine, but it's a Flagship Store Exclusive (FSE) and only available at select VINTAGES outlets. Disappointed with the lack of selection from those three wine regions again. Was there nothing else that could have been brought in?

Furthermore, just one wine from Loire made my list of wine picks - a Pouilly-Fumé that is 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

From the rest of the release, there is a nice Rasteau from Rhône that's blended using 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, and an 80/20 Syrah-Grenache blend from Midi. Also from France is a 70/20/10 blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon & Petit Verdot from Bordeaux, and a Pinot Noir from Burgundy. The majority of dry table red wines from Portugal are blends, including the version from Ramos Pinto in this release that is primarily Touriga Nacional (43%) and Touriga Franca (37%), and the final 20% is a blend of 6 other local Douro grape varieties.

In white wines, the Domaine Lafage is an interesting blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Chardonnay, and 20% Marsanne. Lastly, the Grecomusc' is the local name of the Rovello grape which offers alluring floral aromas in a dry style of wine.

For sweet wine lovers, you'll want to pick up either the Pinot Gris from Alsace or the much sweeter Riesling from Germany.

Enjoy my LCBO wine recommendations from this release. Cheers!

Red Wine:

• ESPELT VITICULTORS OLD VINES GARNACHA 2013 - DO Empordà, Spain (#422469) (XD) - $14.95
• ORTAS CAVE DE RASTEAU LA DOMELIÈRE RASTEAU 2013 - AC, Rhône, France (#222927) (XD) - $15.95
• CHÂTEAU DE TREVIAC 2012 - AP Corbières, Midi, France (#670505) (XD) - $16.95  reviewed here
• RAMOS PINTO DUAS QUINTAS 2013 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#359893) (D) - $17.95
• CHÂTEAU PLAISANCE 2009 - AC Bordeaux Supérieur, France (#404285) (XD) - $19.95
• MISSION HILL RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 - BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#553321) (XD) - $26.95  reviewed here
• VICCHIOMAGGIO AGOSTINO PETRI RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2010 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#993360) (XD) - $29.95
• PAOLO CONTERNO RIVA DEL BRIC BAROLO 2010 - Unfiltered, DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#172783) (XD) - $39.95
• DOMAINE DROUHIN PINOT NOIR 2012 - Dundee Hills, Oregon, USA (#961284) (XD) - $49.95  FSE
• DOMAINE PAVELOT SAVIGNY-LES-BEAUNE AUX GRAVAINS 1ER CRU 2012 - AC, Burgundy, France (#206136) (XD) - $53.95  FSE

White Wine:

• VICENTE GANDÍA NEBLA VERDEJO 2014 - DO Rueda, Spain (#422048) (XD) - $14.95
• DOMAINE LAFAGE CÔTÉ EST 2013 - IGP Côtes Catalanes, Midi, France (#179838) (XD) - $14.95
• YALUMBA THE Y SERIES VIOGNIER 2014 - South Australia (#624502) (D) - $16.95
• WEGELER SWEET RIESLING 2012 - VDP Gutswein, Mosel, Germany (#409672) (MS) - $19.95  reviewed here
• CHÂTEAU FAVRAY POUILLY-FUMÉ 2014 - AC, Loire, France (#323642) (XD) - $21.95
• RIEFLÉ STEINERT PINOT GRIS 2010 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#408229) (M) - $24.95
• CONTRADE DI TAURASI GRECOMUSC’ 2012 - IGT Campania Bianco, Italy (#418715) (XD) - $32.95

Rosé Wine:

• CHÂTEAU VAL JOANIS TRADITION ROSÉ 2014 - AP Luberon, Rhône, France (#707281) (XD) - $15.95

Sparkling Wine:

• PIPER-HEIDSIECK BRUT CHAMPAGNE 2006 - AC, France (#409326) (XD) - $79.95

The rest of the wines from the August 8 VINTAGES release can be found here.