May 27, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Rosé

Here's my top wine picks from the May 27 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection that focuses on rosé wines - just in time for summer sipping. All of the wines from the theme, plus those from the main release should be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the feature on rosé wines, with fourteen wines included as part of the theme and five included among my top rosé wine picks. At the top of this list are a pair of higher-end wines - a sparkling rosé wine from California that is a blend of roughly 76% of Chardonnay and 24% of Pinot Noir, and the dry rosé from Provence that is composed of mainly Grenache and Rolle (aka Vermentino). Dry rosé wines in the sub-$20 range include a pair from France - the Rhône rosé is consistently a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, while the IGP Côtes Catalanes is consists of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache. Lastly, the rosé from Rioja is crafted with 100% Garnacha.

Among my red wine picks, Bordeaux has a strong showing with four recommendations. We start with the 2015 Bordeaux that is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot, while the 2019 Bordeaux is a blend of 85% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec, and 1% Carmenere. Also from Bordeaux, the 2020 Montagne-Saint-Émilion is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, while the 2020 Bordeaux Supérieur is made with 100% Merlot. Other red wines from France includes the Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is mainly Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, plus small amounts of Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin, and Vaccarèse, as well as the Languedoc red that is composed of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. The last of the blends is the Super Tuscan that consists of 55% Sangiovese and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Syrah from Niagara is actually a co-fermented blend of 99.4% Syrah and 0.6% Viognier. Some of the single varietal red wines include both wines from Spain that are crafted with Tempranillo (aka Tinto Fino), and the Chianti Classico which is made with Sangiovese.

White wine recommendations include a couple of relatively rare blends. From Sicily, there is a white wine consisting of 39% Insolia, 33% Grecanico, 19% Catarratto, and 9% Chardonnay, while the cuvée from Croatia is a blend of 70% Posip, 20% Vugava, and 10% Chardonnay. Single varietal wines include a trio of lovely Chardonnays - one each from Burgundy, Niagara, and Chile, as well as a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Lastly, the Riesling from Alsace will have a kiss of sweetness, but it is essentially a dry Riesling.

Other top wine picks in this release includes the Sauternes from Bordeaux that consists of 65% Sémillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc, while the Prosecco is made with 100% Glera.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release!

Red Wine:

• GÉRARD BERTRAND AN 806 CORBIÈRES 2019 - AP, Languedoc, France (#394288) (XD) - $18.95
• CHÂTEAU CLOU DU PIN PREMIUM 2020 - AC Bordeaux Supérieur, France (#28727) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2021 - DO Valle del Maipo, Chile (#57513) (XD) - $19.95
• KIR YIANNI CUVÉE VILLAGES XINOMAVRO 2019 - PDO Naoussa, Greece (#14151) (XD) - $19.95
• CASTELLI DEL GREVEPESA CLEMENTE VII CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#421388) (XD) - $22.95  89 pts  wine review
• CELESTE CRIANZA 2019 - Pago del Cielo, DO Ribera del Duero, Spain (#210872) (XD) - $23.95
• ALEJANDRO FERNÁNDEZ DEHESA LA GRANJA 2016 - Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y León, Spain (#192476) (XD) - $23.95  91 pts  wine review

• CHÂTEAU GUILLOU 2020 - AC Montagne-Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France (#140483) (XD) - $24.95  92 pts  wine review
• CREEKSIDE ICONOCLAST SYRAH 2020 - VQA St. David's Bench, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#471797) (XD) - $25.00  91 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU LE PUY EMILIEN 2019 - Unfined and unfiltered, AC Côtes de Bordeaux, France (#557660) (XD) - $36.95
• CHÂTEAU BEAUMONT 2015 - AC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#15203) (XD) - $42.95
• TENUTA SAN GUIDO LE DIFESE 2020 - Castagneto Carducci, IGT Toscana, Italy (#147876) (XD) - $43.95  92 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU MONT-REDON CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2019 - Sustainable, AC, Rhône, France (#29721) (XD) - $61.95

White Wine:

• TASCA D'ALMERITA REGALEALI BIANCO 2021 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#531780) (XD) - $17.95
• PIERRE SPARR GRANDE RÉSERVE RIESLING 2020 - AC Alsace, France (#959361) (D) - $18.95
• ARBOLEDA CHARDONNAY 2021 - DO Aconcagua Costa, Chile (#606772) (XD) - $19.95
• STINA CUVÉE WHITE 2021 - PDO Central and South Dalmatia, Croatia (#32035) (XD) - $21.95
• PADDY BORTHWICK SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand (#361220) (XD) - $21.95
• DOMAINE QUEYLUS TRADITION CHARDONNAY 2019 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#417774) (XD) - $29.95  90+ pts  wine review
• DOMAINE BOUSSARD CHABLIS 2020 - AP, Burgundy, France (#29709) (XD) - $39.95  92 pts  wine review

Rosé Wine:

• DOM BRIAL LE POT ROSÉ 2022 - Sustainable, IGP Côtes Catalanes, France (#32074) (XD) - $15.95
• FAMILLE PERRIN RÉSERVE ROSÉ 2022 - AC Côtes du Rhône, France (#719062) (XD) - $17.95
• IZADI LARROSA GARNACHA ROSÉ 2022 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#490961) (XD) - $18.95
• CAVES D'ESCLANS ROCK ANGEL ROSÉ 2021 - AC Côtes de Provence, France (#491027) (XD) - $49.95

Sparkling Wine:

• BRILLA! PROSECCO - DOC, Italy (#13836) (D) - $17.95  87 pts  wine review
• LOUIS POMMERY BRUT ROSÉ SPARKLING - Traditional method, California, USA (#31540) (XD) - $44.95  92+ pts  wine review

Dessert Wine:

• CHÂTEAU GUIRAUD 2006 - 1er cru, AC Sauternes, Bordeaux, France (#28721) (S) (375 mL) - $53.95