July 4, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Nothing But Chardonnay

Here are my top wine picks from the July 4, 2026 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection (digital edition here). After the last release focused on wines not named Chardonnay, this release's feature story is titled "Nothing But Chardonnay" and is a Chardonnay wine lover's delight. Overall, this is a very good release with 99 products offered, and everything should be readily available at LCBO outlets across Ontario.

We'll begin with the feature story that focuses on the noble Chardonnay grape varietal. Of the fourteen wines featured as part of the thematic, six wines are included among my top Chardonnay wine picks. These days, Chardonnays tend to be crafted using various methods ranging from fermentation in stainless steel to concrete to various barrel types, and almost always aged in one of these vessels. Looking at my Chardonnay recommendations, the wine by Rustenberg was wild fermented using indigenous yeast and raised entirely in stainless steel tanks, while the Australian Chardonnay was wild fermented and aged in French oak barriques. The Novellum was mostly vinified in tank with a small portion aged in barrel. The complex versions are the wines by Henry of Pelham, Stratus, and Planeta, which were all fermented and aged in barrel.

My top red wine picks from this release begins in Bordeaux with the excellent Pessac-Léognan that is crafted with 65% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, while the Fronsac is made with 100% Merlot. Staying in France, the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages is composed of Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, while the Régnié is from Beaujolais and crafted with Gamay. The rest of my remaining red wine picks are all mono-varietal wines, beginning with a pair of dynamite Pinot Noirs, one each from Prince Edward County in Ontario and Central Otago in New Zealand. From Italy, both Riserva Chianti Classico wines are made with 100% Sangiovese, while the Etna Rosso from Sicily is crafted with Nerello Mascalese.

There are a number of white wine recommendations outside of Chardonnay in this release, with the only blend coming from Costières de Nîmes in Rhône, and it is composed of 50% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc, 10% Marsanne, and 10% Viognier. From Greece, there is a fine Malagousia, as well as an Assyrtiko. There is also a lovely Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, followed by a Verdicchio from Marche. And lastly, there is a Picpoul from Midi, a varietal we don't see too often in our market.

Among my rosé wine picks, the only mono-varietal rosé is a Pinot Noir from New Zealand, while the rest are all blends. The dry rosé from Provence is composed of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault, while the rosé from Abruzzo is a 70/30 blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano. The last rosé is a blend of Castelão and Cabernet Sauvignon from Portugal.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• LUIS GURPEGUI 147 ANIVERSARIO TEMPRANILLO 2021 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#37088) (XD) - $15.95
• GREEK WINE CELLARS FLOWERS XINOMAVRO 2023 - PGI Macedonia, Greece (#49583) (XD) - $17.95
• GÉRARD BERTRAND HERITAGE AN 1886 LES ASPRES GRENACHE/ MOURVÈDRE/ SYRAH 2022 - AOP Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, France (#413245) (XD) - $19.95
• CHÂTEAU MAYNE-VIEIL FRONSAC 2019 - Sustainable, AOC, Bordeaux, France (#14469) (XD) - $19.95
• HOSPICES DE BEAUJEU CUVÉE MARQUISE DE VAUDREUIL RÉGNIÉ 2023 - AOC, Beaujolais, France (#49860) (XD) - $23.95
• FIRRIATO LE SABBIE DELL'ETNA ROSSO 2021 - DOC Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy (#219592) (XD) - $26.95
• LORNANO LE BANDITE RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2020 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#230672) (XD) - $29.95
• LOVEBLOCK PINOT NOIR 2022 - Sustainable, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand (#313924) (XD) - $29.95  92 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU DE ROCHEMORIN PESSAC-LÉOGNAN 2022 - AOC, Bordeaux, France (#48823) (XD) - $39.95  review coming soon...
• FÈLSINA BERARDENGA RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2021 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#32304) (XD) - $49.95  92 pts  wine review
• CLOSSON CHASE CHURCHSIDE PINOT NOIR 2023 - Vegan, Sustainable, Unfiltered, VQA Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada (#265074) (XD) - $55.00

White Wine:

• LE JADE PICPOUL DE PINET 2024 - AOP, Midi, France (#350124) (XD) - $17.95
• ZACHARIAS ASSYRTIKO 2024 - PGI Peloponnese, Greece (#588814) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• RUSTENBERG WILD FERMENT UNWOODED CHARDONNAY 2024 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#48202) (XD) - $18.95
• NOVELLUM CHARDONNAY 2024 - France (#390781) (XD) - $19.95
• FILODIVINO SERRA 46 VERDICCHIO DEI CASTELLI DI JESI CLASSICO 2023 - DOC, Marche, Italy (#49371) (XD) - $19.95
• MAS DES BRESSADES TRADITION BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, AOP Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#701094) (XD) - $20.95  88 pts  wine review
• VILLA MARIA WAIRAU VALLEY RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Wairau Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#536201) (XD) - $24.95
• SMALL WONDER LANDSCAPE CHARDONNAY 2024 - Tamar Valley, Tasmania, Australia (#50127) (XD) - $28.95
• DOMAINE COSTA LAZARIDI SINGLE VINEYARD MALAGOUSIA 2024 - Vegan, PGI Drama, Greece (#30609) (XD) - $32.95  91+ pts  wine review
• HENRY OF PELHAM SPECK FAMILY RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2024 - Sustainable, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#616466) (XD) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review
• STRATUS CHARDONNAY 2025 - Vegan, Sustainable, VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#267856) (XD) - $35.20
• PLANETA CHARDONNAY 2024 - DOC Sicilia Menfi, Italy (#485102) (XD) - $56.95

Rosé Wine:

• CASA SANTOS LIMA COLOSSAL RESERVA ROSÉ 2025 - Vinho Regional Lisboa, Portugal (#50311) (XD) - $13.95  88+ pts  wine review
• S DE LA SABLETTE COTEAUX VAROIS-EN-PROVENCE ROSÉ 2025 - AOP, France (#23757) (XD) - $17.95
• ERADUS SADIE ROSÉ 2025 - Awatere Valley, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#43353) (XD) - $19.95
• TORRE ZAMBRA INCASTRO ROSA 2025 - Vegan, Sustainable, IGT Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo, Italy (#50316) (XD) - $19.95  88+ pts  wine review