June 21, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Summery White Wines

Here are my top wine picks from the June 21, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (flipbook here), where the feature story of the release focuses on Summery White Wines. Also included in this release is a mini-feature of three wines from Campania, as well as a new batch of Online & Flagship Exclusives (OFE). Overall, this release is on the bigger side with 106 offerings, with red and white wines having nearly equal representation. It is also worth mentioning, perhaps due to U.S. wines still off the shelves, that the LCBO seems to have done away with the reduced release schedule during the summer months - where in a given month there was only one in-store release and one small OFE release. We shall see if it returns later this summer, or next year.

We'll begin with the feature story of this release, where the seemingly timely "Summery White Wines" arrive just in time as the summer heat has finally arrived upon us. Of the eighteen wines included as part of the theme, five white wines are included among my top wine recommendations. First up is a lovely white Bordeaux that is crafted with 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sauvignon Gris, 20% Sémillon, and 20% Muscadelle, while the Côtes du Rhône Blanc is composed of 38% Viognier, 33% Grenache Blanc, 12% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne, and 7% Clairette. There's also a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, and a Pinot Grigio from Niagara. The last white wine is definitely going off the beaten path with a white wine from Portugal that is crafted with the indigenous Siria varietal.

Among my top red wine picks in this release, we'll start in Italy with a Bolgheri Rosso that is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. Moving westerly across Europe, the Côtes du Rhône is primarily Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre in support, while the Rioja is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha Tinta / Graciano / Mazuelo. The rest of my red wine recommendations are all mono-varietal wines, including the Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia, the Cabernet Franc from Niagara, the Grenache from Australia, and the Gamay from the Cru of Régnié in Beaujolais.

White wine recommendations from the main release are centred around Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Both Chardonnays are locally crafted, with one from Prince Edward County, and the other from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara. For Sauvignon Blanc, one is from South Africa, while the other Sauv Blanc is a barrel fermented and aged style from New Zealand. Mono-varietal white wines include a fine Pecorino from Prince Edward County, as well as a barely off-dry Riesling from the Twenty Mile Bench sub-appellation of Niagara.

Among my rosé wine picks, both are single varietal wines, with the rose from Niagara crafted with 100% estate-grown Pinot Noir, while the rose from Australia is 100% Grenache.

Enjoy my top wine picks from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2022 - Sustainable, Vegan, DO Valle del Maipo, Chile (#57513) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• XAVIER VIGNON CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2020 - AP, France (#297317) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• IL POGGIO SANNIO AGLIANICO 2020 - DOP, Campania, Italy (#575225) (XD) - $19.95
• AGAMY RÉGNIÉ 2022 - AP, Cru du Beaujolais, France (#42227) (XD) - $22.95
• SEPPELTSFIELD GRENACHE 2023 - Barossa, South Australia (#41439) (XD) - $24.95  review coming soon...
• CUNE RESERVA 2019 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#417659) (XD) - $26.95
• SANTA RITA FLORESTA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - Alto Jahuel, Valle del Maipo, Chile (#41878) (XD) - $29.95  OFE  90 pts  wine review
• FEATHERSTONE RESERVE CABERNET FRANC 2021 - Sustainable, Vegan, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#38301) (XD) - $29.95  91+ pts  wine review
• WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE BLACK LABEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - 67th vintage, Coonawarra, South Australia (#84996) (XD) - $44.95  93 pts  wine review
• LE MACCHIOLE BOLGHERI ROSSO 2022 - DOC, Tuscany, Italy (#483412) (XD) - $46.95  OFE

White Wine:

• QUINTA DO CARDO 2023 - DOC Beira Interior, Portugal (#42071) (XD) - $16.95
• SANTA RITA MEDALLA REAL GRAN RESERVA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Valle de Leyda, Chile (#42097) (XD) - $18.95
• PAUL JABOULET AÎNÉ PARALLÈLE 45 CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2023 - AC, France (#42031) (XD) - $18.95  90 pts  wine review
• 13TH STREET EXPRESSION SERIES PINOT GRIGIO 2023 - Sustainable, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20311) (XD) - $19.95  88+ pts  wine review
• WESTCOTT BUTLERS' GRANT OLD VINES RIESLING 2023 - Sustainable, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#22460) (D) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU DE FONTENILLE BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, AC Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France (#140046) (XD) - $23.95  review coming soon...
• ORGANIZED CRIME LIMESTONE BLOCK CHARDONNAY 2022 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#11951) (XD) - $24.95
• TE PA OKE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#30159) (XD) - $24.95
• SOUTHERN RIGHT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, WO Cape Coast, South Africa (#512277) (XD) - $24.95  OFE  review coming soon...
• CASA-DEA PECORINO 2023 - VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#45183) (XD) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review
• CLOSSON CHASE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2021 - Vegan, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#148866) (XD) - $35.00  91 pts  wine review

Rosé Wine:

• DANDELION FAIRYTALE OF THE BAROSSA ROSÉ 2024 - South Australia (#43354) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• WESTCOTT PINOT NOIR ROSÉ 2024 - Sustainable, VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#38227) (D) - $21.95  90 pts  wine review

Dessert Wine:

• INNISKILLIN NIAGARA ESTATE CABERNET FRANC ICEWINE 2023 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#149963, 200 mL) (S) - $59.95  OFE  92+ pts  wine review
• INNISKILLIN NIAGARA ESTATE GOLD VIDAL ICEWINE 2022 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#19083, 375 mL) (S) - $99.95  OFE