September 27, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Mature Wines

Here's my top wine picks from the September 27, 2025 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here), where the feature story of the release focuses on Mature Wines, while the mini-spotlight looks at Kosher Wines. This is a good-sized release with nearly 100 products offered, and all the wines should be readily available for purchase across Ontario.

We'll begin with the feature story about Mature Wines, and of the thirteen wines included as part of the thematic, three are included among my top wine recommendations. Since a few of the bottles in this thematic are back vintage wines, some have surely shown up in VINTAGES in prior years, so, you may even have a bottle or two on-hand and could compare with a "fresh" bottle off the shelf that was aged at the winery. From the thematic, there are a couple of finely aged white wines from Niagara — a 2016 Riesling, and the 2007 Stratus White, which is composed of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling. My lone red wine pick from the theme is a 2016 Super Tuscan that is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 30% Petit Verdot.

Red wine picks from the main release begin in Spain with a 2013 Rioja that is a blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacho, and the rest is Graciano and Mazuelo, followed by a 2020 Cariñena that is composed of Garnacha, Tempranillo, Cariñena, and Cabernet Sauvignon. There are also three wines from Tuscany, all blends — the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet, the 2020 Super Tuscan is primarily Sangiovese with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot, and the Chianti Classico is a crafted with 95% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot. For blends of Bordeaux varieties, there is the wine from South Africa that is composed of 44% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot, as well as the Meritage from Niagara that is a blend of 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Other blends include a GSM from Australia that is crafted with 48% Grenache, 31% Shiraz, and 21% Mataro, while the red from Portugal that is a blend of 50% Castelão, 20% Camarate, and 15% Tinta Miuda.

There are two white wine blends of note. The first is the Rhône white that is composed of 30% Grenache Blanc, 25% Roussanne, 18% Viognier, 17% Marsanne, 5% Bourboulenc, and 5% Clairette, while the white from Hungary is a 60/40 blend of Királyleányka and Pinot Gris. The other white wines are mono-varietals, including a top-notch Vernaccia from Tuscany, and a medium-sweet Riesling from Niagara.

My lone rosé wine pick in this release is a dry rosé from Bordeaux that is a blend of traditional local varieties, with Merlot supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Among the bubbly's, the Champagne is a blend of 55% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 15% Meunier, while the Crémant de Loire is composed of 70% Chenin, 15% Chardonnay, and 15% Cabernet Franc.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• QUINTA DAS SETENCOSTAS ALENQUER RED 2020 - DOC, Portugal (#50930) (XD) - $13.95  89 pts  wine review
• MONASTERIO DE LAS VIÑAS RESERVA GARNACHA / TEMPRANILLO / CARIÑENA / CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020 - DO Cariñena, Spain (#166579) (XD) - $16.95  review coming soon...
• ARBOLEDA CARMENÈRE 2022 - DO Valle del Aconcagua, Chile (#46284) (XD) - $18.95  88 pts  wine review
• SHANAHANS THE BARKING DOG GSM 2023 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#20880) (XD) - $19.95
• KEN FORRESTER PAT'S GARDEN RESERVE 2020 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#45169) (XD) - $19.95  review coming soon...
• CASAS DEL BOSQUE BOTANIC SERIES LAS DICHAS SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2023 - Valle de Casablanca, Chile (#44595) (XD) - $21.95

• CASTELLI DEL GREVEPESA CASTELGREVE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2021 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#573485) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• WAKEFIELD JARAMAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - South Australia (#142398) (XD) - $24.95  review coming soon...
• JACKSON-TRIGGS GRAND RESERVE MERITAGE 2022 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#594002) (XD) - $29.95  91 pts  wine review
• CANNETO VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#12126) (XD) - $34.95
• TERRABIANCA CAMPACCIO 2020 - Sustainable, IGT Toscana, Italy (#905265) (XD) - $39.95  91+ pts  wine review
• TERRENO MOMENTO MASSIMO 2016 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#44854) (XD) - $49.95
• R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA TONDONIA RESERVA 2013 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#356337) (XD) - $77.95

White Wine:

• ALVI'S DRIFT PRIVATE CELLAR VIOGNIER 2024 - WO Western Cape, South Africa (#18687) (XD) - $14.95
• ETYEKI KÚRIA WHITE 2024 - PGI Transdanubian, Hungary (#45358) (XD) - $17.95
• TE PA MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#43360) (XD) - $18.95
• MEGALOMANIAC NARCISSIST RIESLING 2024 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#67587) (M) - $19.95
• SUTHERLAND CHARDONNAY 2021 - WO Elgin, South Africa (#146423) (XD) - $19.95
• GABRIEL MEFFRE LAURUS CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2023 - AOP, France (#376574) (XD) - $20.95  89 pts  wine review
• VILLA MARIA CLIFFORD BAY RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Sustainable, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12631) (XD) - $23.95
• PANIZZI VERNACCIA DI SAN GIMIGNANO 2023 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#36446) (XD) - $24.95  91+ pts  wine review
• FLAT ROCK NADJA'S VINEYARD RIESLING 2016 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#578625) (M) - $45.00  92 pts  wine review
• STRATUS WHITE 2007 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#47592) (D) - $59.20

Rosé Wine:

• RAYMOND LES HAUTS DE LAGARDE BORDEAUX ROSÉ 2024 - Vegan, AOC, France (#43531) (XD) - $18.95

Sparkling Wine:

• ACKERMAN BULLE ROYALE CRÉMANT DE LOIRE BRUT SPARKLING - Traditional Method, AOP, Loire, France (#42057) (D) - $20.95  review coming soon...
• AYALA MAJEUR BRUT CHAMPAGNE - AOC, France (#4143) (XD) - $84.95