January 18, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Sustainable California

Here are my top wine picks from the January 18, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, where the theme of the release focuses on Sustainable wines from California, while the mini-feature includes a few wines for Lunar New Year Celebrations. In all, there are just over 75 wines in this release, including a half-dozen Online & Flagship Exclusives. The release is definitely red heavy, and all the wines should be available for purchase by this Saturday, if not earlier.

Of the twelve wines included in the feature story on Sustainable California, only two wines are among my top wine recommendations, both white. First up is a Sauvignon Blanc from the Central Coast, while the second wine is a Chardonnay broadly labelled as from California, with the majority likely coming from the Sonoma Coast.

The selection of wines for Lunar New Year Celebrations is much more exciting, with three of the four wines on my recommended list. At the top of the list is an excellent and lusciously sweet Vidal Icewine from Niagara, while the off-dry Riesling from Niagara will also delight if you enjoy your wines a little sweet. Lastly, there is a Super Tuscan featuring a dragon on the label that is crafted with 60% Sangiovese and equal parts Merlot and Sagrantino.

Among my top red picks, we'll begin in Bordeaux with the Wine of the Month, which is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Merlot completing the cuvée, along with the Arrive in Style Rhône red that is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre, and 10% Cinsault & Syrah. Staying in France, there is also the Saint-Chinian that is a blend of Grenache and Syrah, while the red from Roussillon is mainly Syrah with Grenache in support. From the U.S.A., the Petite Sirah actually includes small amounts of Grenache, Syrah, and other Rhône varietals, while the red wine from Washington State is straight Merlot. Mono-varietal wines include the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico that is crafted with pure Sangiovese, as well as the Malbec from Argentina, and the Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. On the local front, there is a lovely Gamay Noir, as well as the Thirty Bench red, which is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, and 22% Merlot.

There are only two other white wine picks in this release - a perennial favourite Marsanne from Australia, as well as a Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CAMPET SAINT MARIE VIEILLES VIGNES SAINT-CHINIAN 2022 - AP, Languedoc, France (#38858) (XD) - $15.95
• PIATTELLI LUJÁN DE CUYO RESERVE MALBEC 2022 - Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina (#452029) (XD) - $16.95
• SAINT-ROCH CORBAROL 2022 - Old vines, AP Côtes du Roussillon, France (#195107) (XD) - $16.95
• ESCUDO ROJO GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - Sustainable, Valle del Maipo, Chile (#13434) (XD) - $17.95
• YALUMBA GALWAY VINTAGE SHIRAZ 2021 - Vegan, Barossa, South Australia (#41311) (XD) - $19.95
• RUE NAUJAC 33 MERLOT 2019 - Columbia Valley, Washington, USA (#39143) (XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review

• XAVIER VIEILLES VIGNES CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2020 - AC, France (#12987) (XD) - $21.95
• STONEY RIDGE SMALL LOT BUCKNALL VINEYARD GAMAY NOIR 2022 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#42483) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• THIRTY BENCH WINEMAKER'S BLEND RED 2020 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#320986) (XD) - $24.95
• CHÂTEAU FONTIS 2019 - AC Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#41081) (XD) - $25.95
• IL DRAGO E LE 8 COLOMBE 2019 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#19875) (XD) - $36.95
  
• CECCHI VALORE DI FAMIGLIA GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#32313) (XD) - $39.95  91 pts  wine review
• STAGS' LEAP PETITE SIRAH 2020 - Napa Valley, California, USA (#590356) (XD) - $59.95

White Wine:

• MOUNT RILEY LIMITED RELEASE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Vegan, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#447425) (XD) - $19.95
• TAHBILK MARSANNE 2023 - Sustainable, Nagambie Lakes, Central Victoria, Australia (#117945) (XD) - $19.95
• WENTE LOUIS MEL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, Central Coast, California, USA (#368563) (XD) - $20.95
• BENZIGER CHARDONNAY 2022 - Sustainable, California, USA (#34777) (XD) - $22.95
• JADE RIESLING 2023 - Sustainable, Vegan, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#42484) (M) - $24.95

Dessert Wine:

• INNISKILLIN VIDAL ICEWINE 2022 - With Gift Box, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#388306, 375 mL) (S) - $54.95  92+ pts  wine review