Wine Picks LCBO VINTAGES Release Feb. 2, 2019: Argentina + Portugal

The upcoming February 2, 2019 LCBO VINTAGES Release focuses on wines from Argentina in the main theme, while the mini-theme looks at wines from Portugal. Wines from this Release will be on shelves at LCBO outlets across Ontario this Saturday.

We'll begin with the main theme that features some of the new regions, styles, and producers that are defining Argentina's wine scene. Among the thirteen wines featured, six are included among my top Argentinean wine picks. There are two white wines from Argentina among my picks - a Torrontés grown at 1,830 m altitude in the mountainous Cafayate Valley, and an unoaked Chardonnay that was made without malolactic fermentation. Among the reds, Cabernet Franc is gaining in popularity (and quality) in Argentina. There's also a pair of quality Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Lastly, no Argentinean list is complete without the country's signature varietal - Malbec, of which there is an excellent single vineyard example from Trapiche.

In the mini-theme that features wines from Portugal, two of the seven wines are among my wine recommendations. The white wine is made with the indigenous Loureiro, while the red wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, and Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo).

Among my red wine recommendations from the rest of the Release, the Côtes du Rhône-Village is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, the Côtes du Rhône is a blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault, and the Roussillon is made with 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. From Spain, the Priorat red is a blend of Cariñena, Garnacha, and Syrah. From Italy, the Morellino consists of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot, while the Guidalberto (Sassicaia's little brother) is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The Brunello is 100% Sangiovese Grosso, and the Amarone is a blend of 30% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, and 10% Oseleta / Negrara / Dindarella / Croatina / Forselina.

From my white wine picks, the Spanish white is an intriguing blend of Moscatel and Chardonnay, while the rest are single varietal wines. For sweet wine lovers, the Ontario Riesling will be medium sweet, while the Riesling Spätlese from Mosel will be very sweet.

Both sparkling wine picks are dry, with the Cava consisting of 90% Viura and 10% Malvasía, while the Champagne is equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Enjoy my wine recommendations from this Release. Salud!

Red Wine:

• CHÂTEAU LE GRAND RETOUR PLAN DE DIEU CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2016 - AC, France (#224592) (XD) - $15.95
• OPTA RED 2015 - DOC Dão, Portugal (#633834) (D) - $15.95
• TESSELLAE OLD VINES GRENACHE/SYRAH/MOURVÈDRE CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON 2016 - AP, Midi, France (#343517) (XD) - $18.95
• VITICCIO MORELLINO DI SCANSANO 2015 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#574186) (XD) - $19.95  88 pts  wine review
• ZUCCARDI Q CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 - Tupungato & La Consulta, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#140855) (XD) - $19.95
• CATENA APPELLATION SAN CARLOS CABERNET FRANC 2016 - Mendoza, Argentina (#450106) (XD) - $19.95

• COUDOULET DE BEAUCASTEL CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2016 - AC, France (#048884) (XD) - $29.95
• TORRES SALMOS 2015 - DOCa Priorat, Spain (#450734) (XD) - $39.95  91 pts  wine review
• TRAPICHE TERROIR SERIES FINCA AMBROSÍA SINGLE VINEYARD MALBEC 2014 - Gualtallary, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#402941) (XD) - $42.95
• CATENA ALTA HISTORIC ROWS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2015 - Mendoza, Argentina (#959965) (XD) - $48.95
• ABBADIA ARDENGA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2013 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#672337) (XD) - $50.95
• TENUTA SAN GUIDO GUIDALBERTO 2016 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#072439) (XD) - $60.95
• TEDESCHI CAPITEL MONTE OLMI RISERVA AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2012 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#964403) (XD) - $79.95

White Wine:

• GORU EL BLANCO 2017 - DO Jumilla, Spain (#625962) (XD) - $13.95
• VILA NOVA LOUREIRO 2016 - DOC Vinho Verde, Portugal (#632547) (XD) - $13.95
• PIATTELLI RESERVE TORRONTÉS 2017 - Cafayate Valley, Salta, Argentina (#536672) (XD) - $14.95
• GOLDSCHILD ÜRZIGER WÜRZGARTEN RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2015 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#621482) (S) - $16.95
• FAMILIA SCHROEDER ALPATACO CHARDONNAY 2017 - Patagonia, Argentina (#629428) (XD) - $16.95
• MOUNT RILEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#981670) (XD) - $17.95
• JEAN-MARC BROCARD KIMMERIDGIAN CHARDONNAY 2017 - AC Bourgogne, France (#290049) (XD) - $19.95
• FIELDING ESTATE BOTTLED RIESLING 2017 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#251439) (M) - $19.95
• J. MOREAU & FILS CHABLIS 2017 - AC, Burgundy, France (#466144) (XD) - $25.95

Rosé Wine:

• CHÂTEAU LÉOUBE LOVE ROSÉ 2017 - AP Côtes de Provence, France (#575282) (XD) - $23.95

Sparkling Wine:

• CONDE DE HARO BRUT CAVA 2015 - Traditional method, DO, Spain (#168559) (XD) - $19.95
• LAURENT-PERRIER BRUT MILLÉSIMÉ CHAMPAGNE 2007 - AC, France (#983874) (XD) - $83.95