February 1, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: France

Here are my top wine picks from the February 1, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, which explores France's top wine regions. There are 73 wines in this release, 60% of which are red, and nearly all the wines come in at under $40 and should be available on shelves by this Saturday, if not earlier. Grenache and Syrah (and Shiraz) wine lovers should take particular interest in this release as there are a number of quality, wallet-friendly offerings. The HST holiday is still in effect until Feb. 15. Prices noted below include HST, but will be deducted upon check out in-store.

We'll begin with the feature story that explores France's top wine regions, and of the seventeen wines featured, seven are included among my top wine picks from France. Starting with the whites, there is a consistently fine Sancerre made with Sauvignon Blanc, a Macon-Villages from Burgundy crafted with Chardonnay, and the off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet) Gewürztraminer from Alsace. Moving to the south of France, the Rasteau is a blend of Grenache and Syrah, the Corbières is composed of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache, while the Fitou from Midi is a blend of Grenache and Carignan. The lone mono-varietal red is the Beaujolais-Villages that is crafted with Gamay.

Red wine recommendations from the main release begins in California with a fine 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, followed by the Arrive in Style Riserva Chianti Classico from Tuscany that is 100% Sangiovese. Among the blends, the Chilean wine is crafted with 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Syrah, and 19% Carignan. There are also a pair of Côtes du Rhône-Villages wines, both of which are blends and weren't included as part of the feature story - the Plan de Dieu is the Wine of the Month and composed of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, while the Cuvée Sabrine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, and 10% Cinsault. Mono-varietal wines come from down under with a fantastic Pinot Noir from New Zealand, and a Shiraz from Australia.

Among my top white wine picks, all are dry (i.e. not sweet), mono-varietal wines. First up is an excellent Pinot Gris from New Zealand, followed by a Pinot Grigio from northeastern Italy. There are also a pair of fine Chenin Blanc wines from the same producer in South Africa - try both to compare and contrast! Lastly, there is a Falanghina from Basilicata, Italy.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Salud!

Red Wine:

• ROC DES TEMPLIERS PLAN DE DIEU CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2022 - AC, France (#539916) (XD) - $15.95  89 pts  wine review
• EMILIANA NOVAS STELLAR SELECTION CABERNET SAUVIGNON / SYRAH / CARIGNAN 2022 - Vegan, DO Valle del Maule, Chile (#35672) (XD) - $17.95  88+ pts  wine review
• GÉRARD BERTRAND AN 990 FITOU GRENACHE / CARIGNAN 2021 - AP, Midi, France (#403683) (XD) - $17.95
• ANDRÉ BRUNEL CUVÉE SABRINE CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2022 - AC, France (#538496) (XD) - $18.95
• VIA NOSTRUM 2020 - AP Corbières, Languedoc, France (#32040) (XD) - $18.95
• CAVE DU CHÂTEAU DES LOGES LES 3 MADONES BEAUJOLAIS-VILLAGES 2022 - AP, France (#38266) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  updated review soon...
• SIDEWOOD SHIRAZ 2021 - Adelaide Hills, South Australia (#446146) (XD) - $19.95
• CASTELLI DEL GREVEPESA CLEMENTE VII RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#643205) (XD) - $24.95
• LA FERME DU MONT LES MARNES BLEUES RASTEAU 2022 - AP, Rhône, France (#40869) (XD) - $26.95  review coming soon...
• BABICH ORGANIC SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2020 - Sustainable, Vegan, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#37402) (XD) - $28.95
• RODNEY STRONG ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#350454) (XD) - $34.95

White Wine:

• JOSEPH CATTIN GEWURZTRAMINER 2023 - Sustainable, AC Alsace, France (#224626) (D) - $18.95
• KEN FORRESTER OLD VINE RESERVE CHENIN BLANC 2023 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#231282) (XD) - $18.95  91 pts  wine review
• PATERNOSTER VULCANICO FALANGHINA 2022 - IGT Basilicata, Italy (#19691) (XD) - $19.95
• ATTEMS PINOT GRIGIO 2023 - DOC Friuli, Italy (#707950) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• BABICH BLACK LABEL MARLBOROUGH PINOT GRIS 2023 - Sustainable, Estate grown, South Island, New Zealand (#36906) (XD) - $20.95  91 pts  wine review
• KEN FORRESTER SWARTLAND TERRE NOIR CHENIN BLANC 2022 - WO Swartland, South Africa (#15716) (XD) - $22.95  90+ pts  wine review
• DEUX ROCHES TRADITION MACON-VILLAGES 2022 - AP, Burgundy, France (#38077) (XD) - $27.95  review coming soon...
• JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE GENÈSE SANCERRE 2022 - AC, Loire, France (#189126) (XD) - $38.95