VINTAGES Release June 25: Southern France + Canada Day

The VINTAGES Release on June 25 features wines from southern France as its main theme, while the mini-theme highlights some wines for a Canada Day picnic. All these wines will be on LCBO VINTAGES shelves this coming Saturday.

From the main theme on wines from southern France - which in this release encompasses the regions of Southwest, Languedoc, Roussillon, Rhône and Provence - 3 of the 16 wines made my list of wine picks, and all are red wines. We'll begin with the Domaine les Yeuses Syrah, one of the best values around, year-after-year. Also in this release is the Domaine de l'Alba l'Ermite that is a blend of 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache, and 10% Syrah. Lastly, the Domaine des Terrisses is a rich blend, mostly consisting of grapes you've likely never heard of - 60% Braucol (a.k.a. Fer Servadou), 20% Duras, and 20% Syrah.

To celebrate Canada Day with some Canadian wine, there is a fine selection of wines, all of which happen to come from Ontario. Among my wine recommendations for Canada Day celebrations is a 55/45 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, an always delicious off-dry Riesling, a lovely oaked Baco Noir - a grape I generally don't like but found this wine to be quite nice, and an Icewine that's rarely made using Chardonnay. A pair of rosé wines not included as part of the "Canada Day" theme, but can certainly be opened to celebrate the day include a dry rosé from Southbrook, and an off-dry version from Wildass.

Among the red wines from the rest of the release, the Australian wine is a biodynamic wine made using a 65/35 blend of Shiraz and Grenache, while the Amarone is a blend of 65% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, and 15% Corvinone.

In white wines, the Gavi is made with the Cortese varietal. And for sweet wine lovers, in order from least sweetest to most sweetest, look for the Gewürztraminer or the Rieslings from Alsace, Niagara, or Germany.

Enjoy my wine recommendations for this week. Cheers!

Red Wine:

• DOMAINE LES YEUSES LES ÉPICES SYRAH 2013 - IGP Pays d’Oc, Midi, France (#177584) (XD) - $15.95
• DOMAINE DE L’ALBA L’ERMITE 2013 - AC Corbières, Midi, France (#446138) (XD) - $17.00  reviewed here
• DOMAINE DES TERRISSES GRANDE TRADITION GAILLAC 2012 - AC, Southwest, France (#451922) (XD) - $17.95
• KACABA CABERNET/SYRAH 2013 - VQA Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#317925) (XD) - $18.95  reviewed here
• PAXTON AAA SHIRAZ/GRENACHE 2013 - McLaren Vale, South Australia (#149898) (D) - $19.95
• HENRY OF PELHAM RESERVE BACO NOIR 2013 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#461699) (D) - $24.95  reviewed here
• CA’ VIOLA BRICHET BARBERA D’ALBA 2012 - DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#452813) (XD) - $36.95  reviewed here
• PODERE LA CAPPELLA QUERCIOLO CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA 2011 - Unfiltered, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#095893) (XD) - $38.95  FSE
• GEMMA GIBLIN RISERVA BAROLO 2007 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#185025) (XD) - $38.95
• MONTE DEL FRÁ LENA DI MEZZO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2011 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#047506) (D) - $53.95  reviewed here
• CHIMNEY ROCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2012 - Stags Leap District, Napa Valley, California, USA (#731810) (XD) - $99.95

 

White Wine:

• JARDIN INSPECTOR PÉRINGUEY CHENIN BLANC 2014 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#443473) (XD) - $15.95
• BERSANO GAVI DI GAVI 2014 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#999979) (XD) - $16.95  reviewed here
• EL GORDO DEL CIRCO VERDEJO 2014 - DO Rueda, Spain (#441220) (XD) - $17.95
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE BOTTLED GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2013 - Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#302059) (D) - $17.95
• PARKER COONAWARRA ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2014 - South Australia (#447029) (XD) - $19.95
• ST. URBANS-HOF OLD VINES RIESLING 2014 - Qualitätswein, Mosel, Germany (#995746) (M) - $21.95  reviewed here
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE RIESLING 2014 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#183491) (D) - $23.95
• DOMAINE BOTT-GEYL SCHOENENBOURG GRAND CRU RIESLING 2012 - AC Alsace, France (#456970) (D) - $50.95  FSE
• TOLPUDDLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2013 - Tasmania, Australia (#447045) (XD) - $58.95  FSE

Rosé Wine:

• WILDASS ROSÉ 2015 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#071712) (D) - $17.95
• SOUTHBROOK TRIOMPHE ORGANIC CABERNET FRANC ROSÉ 2015 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#279117) (XD) - $19.95  reviewed here

Dessert Wine:

• TAWSE CHARDONNAY ICEWINE 2013 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#443739) (S) (200 mL) - $34.95