April 26, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Warm-Weather Wines

Here are my top wine picks from the April 26, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (flipbook here). Normally, this would've been the release where the focus was on wines from California, but with the current tariff situation, we get a release titled "Warm-Weather Wines" instead, while the mini-theme has a miniscule three wines from Victoria, Australia. Having said that, it is a very good release with 95 wines offered, Ontario wines shining brightly, and also includes nearly two dozen Online & Flagship Exclusive (OFE) wines. Many wines are already available at LCBO outlets across Ontario, and all should be available by Saturday.

We'll begin with the feature story of "Warm-Weather Wines", which includes fourteen wines, nearly half from Ontario, and has a fine mix of white, (lighter) red, rosé, and sparkling wines. Seven wines from the feature story are among my top recommended buys, including all six wines from Ontario. First up are a pair of lovely vintage sparkling wines, with the Blanc de Blancs crafted with 100% Chardonnay, while the rosé sparkling is made with 100% Pinot Noir. Among the white wines from Ontario, the Fumé Blanc is a lovely barrel fermented and aged Sauvignon Blanc, while the Leaning Post Chardonnay was fermented and aged in concrete. The Marsanne includes a splash of (2.4%) Viognier and (2.4%) Pinot Gris. The last white wine from Ontario is a mildly sweet Riesling from Niagara. The lone red comes from Beaujolais, and it is crafted with Gamay.

Red wine blends from the main release begin with the Wine of the Month - a fabulous Bordeaux red that is composed of 55% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Staying in France, there are a trio of wines from the Southern Rhône Valley - the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is 70% Grenache and the rest mainly Syrah, the Cairanne is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Carignan, and the Luberon is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. For Pinot Noir wine lovers, look to the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits from Burgundy, or the fine local Pinot from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara. And lastly, from Italy, the Brunello di Montalcino is crafted with 100% Sangiovese Grosso, while the Riserva Chianti Classico is a blend of 90/10 Sangiovese and Merlot.

From my top white wine recommendations, the Bachelder Chardonnay grown in the Twenty Mile Bench has to be among the best from Niagara. There's also an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, as well as a blend of Rabigato, Viosinho, and Códega do Larinho from Portugal. Other blends include the white from Roussillon that is 80/20 Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, and the white wine from Crete in Greece is a blend of 60% Muscat of Spina and 40% Vidiano.

Among my rosé wine picks, the dry rosé from Provence is crafted with 60% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, and 5% Mourvèdre, while the rosé from Niagara is a co-fermented blend of 94% Cabernet Franc and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon that has a hint of sweetness.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• M. CHAPOUTIER LA CIBOISE LUBERON 2022 - AP, Rhône, France (#43441) (XD) - $14.95  88+ pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU DE DURETTE LES BRUYÈRES RÉGNIÉ 2023 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#42731) (XD) - $19.95
• ARBOLEDA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - Sustainable, DO Valle del Aconcagua, Chile (#606764) (XD) $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• BROTTE GROSSET CRÉATION CAIRANNE 2021 - AC, Rhône, France (#33852) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU TANESSE 2020 - Sustainable, AC Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux, France (#666628) (XD) - $19.95  90+ pts  wine review
• MAZZEI SER LAPO RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2021 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#288530) (XD) - $24.95  91 pts  wine review
• H.J. FABRE GGG GRAN GRANDE GUALTALLARY MALBEC 2021 - Sustainable, Vegan, Gualtallary, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#35429) (XD) - $27.95
• PROSPER MAUFOUX DOMAINE VIGNE AU ROY BOURGOGNE HAUTES-CÔTES DE NUITS 2023 - AP, Burgundy, France (#43436) (XD) - $31.95  91+ pts  wine review
• BACHELDER BEAM CITY PINOT NOIR 2021 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#39621) (XD) - $39.95  OFE
• LA TORRE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#17626) (XD) - $69.95  OFE
• SAINTES PIERRES DE NALYS CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2021 - AC, Rhône, France (#29517) (XD) - $71.95  OFE

White Wine:

• SAINT-ROCH CORBAROL CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON 2024 - AP, France (#175232) (XD) - $14.95
• KLADOS THE GREAT HAWK MUSCAT OF SPINA/VIDIANO 2023 - Isle of Crete, Greece (#40459) (XD) - $17.95
• DOMAINE HATZIMICHALIS ALEPOTRYPA VINEYARD ASSYRTIKO 2023 - PGI Atalanti Valley, Greece (#27182) (XD) - $18.95
• SPY VALLEY PINOT GRIS 2022 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#41807) (M) - $19.95  review coming soon...
• KEW MARSANNE 2020 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#485334) (XD) - $19.95  91+ pts  wine review
• TAWSE LIMESTONE RIDGE-NORTH RIESLING 2021 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#431593) (M) - $21.95
• QUADRUS WHITE 2023 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#667162) (XD) - $22.95  89 pts  wine review
• LEANING POST THE FIFTY CHARDONNAY 2022 - Vegan, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#578864) (XD) - $25.95
• HIDDEN BENCH ROSOMEL VINEYARD FUMÉ BLANC 2022 - Sustainable, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#68825) (XD) - $29.95
• PASCAL JOLIVET SANCERRE 2023 - AC, Loire, France (#264945) (XD) - $49.95  92 pts  wine review
• BACHELDER PARCELLE NORD WISMER-FOXCROFT SINGLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2022 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#547299) (XD) - $54.95  OFE

Rosé Wine:

• BLACK BANK HILL RUNWAY ROSÉ 2023 - VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#43599) (D) - $24.95  89 pts  wine review
• OTT BY.OTT ROSÉ 2023 - AC Côtes de Provence, France (#490896) (XD) - $34.95

Sparkling Wine:

• KEW ROSALIE ROSÉ SPARKLING 2019 - Traditional Method, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#43594) (XD) - $32.95  90+ pts  wine review
• HENRY OF PELHAM CUVÉE CATHARINE CARTE BLANCHE ESTATE BLANC DE BLANCS 2017 - Sustainable, Traditional Method, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#315200) (XD) - $49.95  92 pts  wine review

Dessert Wine:

• LAKEVIEW GEWÜRZTRAMINER ICEWINE 2019 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#547703, 200 mL) (S) - $34.95  92+ pts  wine review