April 13, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Spring Celebrations

Here's my top wine picks from the April 13, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, in which the theme focuses on "Perfect Pairings for Spring Celebrations". It is a good-sized release with 95 products on offer, all of which should be available at LCBO outlets across Ontario by this Saturday.

We'll begin with the theme of the release, which is titled "Perfect Pairings for Spring Celebrations" and includes twenty-three wines, nine of which are included among my top wine picks. For brunch, try the Chenin Blanc from South Africa. For garden gatherings, try the Gamay from Beaujolais or the Cave Spring Chardonnay from Niagara. For backyard BBQs, the red wine from Languedoc is the recommended buy, and it is a blend of 65% Syrah, 20% Grenache, and 10% Mourvèdre. For romantic dining, you'll want to get your hands on the Bordeaux red that consists of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, or the Champagne that is composed of 50% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, and 25% Pinot Meunier. For choice cuts of meat such as steak, the top wines such as Second wine of Ornellaia (50% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 11% Petit Verdot) or the Purple Angel (92% Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot) are your best bets. And lastly, a wine for takeout is a red wine from Spain that is crafted with Garnacha.

The only blend among my top red wine picks from the rest of the release is a Portuguese red made with 30% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 30% Alicante Bouschet, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Syrah. Mono-varietal red wines from the main release include the Chianti Classico that is crafted with 100% Sangiovese from Panzano in Chianti, a fine Xinomavro from Greece, and a lovely organic Gamay from Ontario.

Among my top white wine recommendations, all are mono-varietal wines. You can sip local with a fine Beamsville Bench Chardonnay (Niagara), as well as a pair of medium-sweet Riesling wines, also from Niagara. White wines from elsewhere around the world include a lovely Moscofilero from Greece, an Albariño from Uruguay, and a Falanghina from Campania in Italy. The last white wine is from Portugal, and it is crafted with the Encruzado.varietal. My lone rosé wine recommendation is made with 100% Pinot Noir from Uruguay.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• SAN ALEJANDRO EVODIA 2021 - Vegan, DO Calatayud, Spain (#23914) (XD) - $16.95
• CAVE DE ROQUEBRUN SOLEIL DE SCHISTE 2022 - AP, Languedoc, France (#35995) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• H J. FABRE BARREL SELECTION MALBEC 2021 - Vegan, Patagonia, Argentina (#114983) (XD) - $18.95
• BOUTARI NAOUSSA XINOMAVRO 2020 - PDO Naoussa, Macedonia, Greece (#23218) (XD) - $18.95  91 pts  wine review
• HERDADE DO SOBROSO RED 2021 - DOC Alentejo, Portugal (#306563) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• LAURENT GAUTHIER GRAND CRAS VIEILLES VIGNES MORGON 2021 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#279059) (XD) - $22.95
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE ORGANIC GAMAY 2021 - Unfiltered, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20422) (XD) - $29.95  90+ pts  wine review
• LES HAUTS DE GRANGET 2018 - AC Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France (#35372) (XD) - $37.95
• FONTODI CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#933317) (XD) - $44.95
• LE SERRE NUOVE DELL'ORNELLAIA 2021 - Second wine of Ornellaia, DOC Bolgheri Rosso, Tuscany, Italy (#606194) (XD) - $78.95  93 pts  wine review
• MONTES PURPLE ANGEL 2020 - DO Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#62364) (XD) - $96.95  94 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• FREIRE LOBO VIGNO BRANCO 2021 - DOC Dão, Portugal (#37848) (XD) - $17.95
• SKOURAS MOSCOFILERO 2022 - PGI Arcadia, Greece (#27154) (XD) - $19.95  90+ pts  wine review
• RADFORD DALE VINUM CHENIN BLANC 2022 - Vegan, WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#13338) (XD) - $19.95
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE GROWN CHARDONNAY 2020 - Sustainable, Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#256552) (XD) - $21.95
• TAWSE LIMESTONE RIDGE-NORTH RIESLING 2021 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#431593) (M) - $21.95
• MASTROBERARDINO FALANGHINA DEL SANNIO 2022 - DOC, Campania, Italy (#562173) (XD) - $23.95
• BODEGA GARZÓN RESERVA ALBARIÑO 2023 - Maldonado, Uruguay (#646802) (XD) - $23.95  90+ pts  wine review
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE ORGANIC RIESLING 2019 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#183491) (M) - $24.95
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE ORGANIC CHARDONNAY 2021 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#68817) (XD) - $31.95 $29.95  91+ pts  wine review

Rosé Wine:

• BODEGA GARZÓN RESERVA PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2023 - Garzón, Uruguay (#15265) (XD) - $19.95  91 pts  wine review

Sparkling Wine:

• FRESNE DUCRET LA GRANDE HERMINE EXTRA BRUT 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE 2012 - AC, France (#14636) (XD) - $86.95