LCBO VINTAGES Wine Picks & Reviews : Index

Monday, February 13, 2017

VINTAGES Release February 18: Australia + Ontario + Israel

LCBO Wine Picks from February 18, 2017 VINTAGES Release

The upcoming VINTAGES Release on February 18 will be on LCBO shelves across Ontario this Saturday and features diverse wines from Australia as its main theme, while the mini-theme highlights award-winning wines from Ontario. There's also a third feature - a mini-theme on wines from Israel for upcoming Passover celebrations.

Wines from each of the five major wine regions of Australia are represented in the main thematic, with a total of fourteen wines listed, six of which are included among my wine picks. The island of Tasmania is known for their sparkling wines, and the wine featured in this release is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. On to mainland Australia, from Victoria in South Eastern Australia is the Fowles Stone Dwellers Shiraz, and from Coonawarra is a Penfolds Shiraz. Barossa is one of my favourite Australian wine regions, and both wines listed are blends - Yalumba's The Strapper GSM (Grenache/Shiraz/Mataro) and Oscar's Shiraz/Viognier. And lastly, from Clare Valley on the western side of South Eastern Australia is Jim Barry's Lodge Hill Shiraz. You'll find that most wines from Australia these days use a screw cap enclosure, which certainly makes opening a bottle of wine that much easier.

Only four wines were chosen for the award-winning Ontario wines feature, and two are included among my wine picks. The excellent Tawse Sketches of Niagara Riesling is a returnee to VINTAGES, while the other wine is a Marsanne. Yes, I didn't know Ontario made any Marsanne either.

Red wines from the rest of the release include a Bierzo Crianza that is back in VINTAGES and is made with Mencía, while the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a blend of 90% Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese clone) and 10% Merlot. Also from Tuscany is the Ghizzano that's a blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. And finally, single varietal wines include the Saint-Joseph from Rhône that is 100% Syrah, and the Lungarotti (which is a Flagship Store Exclusive [FSE]) which is 100% Sagrantino.

Lungarotti Sagrantino di Montefalco 2010 (92 pts)

In white wines, the Greek wine is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Assyrtiko, while the Rhône white is a blend of 40% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc, 15% Clairette, 10% Viognier, and 5% Bourboulenc.

Fielding Estate Bottled Riesling 2015 (89 pts)

Domaine Costa Lazaridi Amethystos White 2015 (88 pts)

From my sparkling wine recommendations, the Champagne is a blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 30 Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, while the Limoux is a blend of 90% Mauzac and 10% Chardonnay.

Domaine J. Laurens Le Moulin Brut Blanquette de Limoux (89 pts)

Red Wine:

ABAD DOM BUENO CRIANZA 2006 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#244699) (XD) - $15.95 reviewed here
SANTA CAROLINA SPECIALTIES DRY FARMING CARIGNAN 2012 - Cauquenes Valley, Chile (#213520) (XD) - $17.95
OSCAR’S ESTATE VINEYARD SHIRAZ/VIOGNIER 2013 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#287961) (XD) - $18.95
FOWLES STONE DWELLERS SHIRAZ 2013 - Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria, Australia (#265967) (D) - $19.95
YALUMBA THE STRAPPER GSM 2014 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#295873) (D) - $19.95
TENUTA DI GRACCIANO DELLA SETA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2012 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#487074) (XD) - $21.95
JIM BARRY THE LODGE HILL SHIRAZ 2013 - Clare Valley, South Australia (#998476) (XD) - $24.95
TENUTA DI GHIZZANO VENEROSO 2012 - DOC Terre di Pisa, Tuscany, Italy (#103218) (XD) - $29.95
PENFOLDS BIN 128 SHIRAZ 2014 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#509919) (XD) - $34.95
MAISON NICOLAS PERRIN SAINT-JOSEPH 2013 - AC, Rhône, France (#225052) (XD) - $39.95
LUNGAROTTI SAGRANTINO DI MONTEFALCO 2010 - DOCG, Umbria, Italy (#315499) (D) - $42.95 FSE reviewed here
CIACCI PICCOLOMINI D’ARAGONA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2011 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#001065) (XD) - $71.95

White Wine:

SENTIERI PECORINO 2015 - DOC, Abruzzo, Italy (#477752) (XD) - $15.95
TAWSE SKETCHES OF NIAGARA RIESLING 2014 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#089029) (M) - $18.95
DOMAINE COSTA LAZARIDI AMETHYSTOS WHITE 2015 - PGI Drama, Greece (#984864) (XD) - $19.95 reviewed here
CHÂTEAU DE NAGES VIEILLES VIGNES COSTIÈRES DE NÎMES 2014 - AC, Rhône, France (#479659) (XD) - $19.95
KEW MARSANNE 2014 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#485334) (XD) - $19.95
FIELDING ESTATE BOTTLED RIESLING 2015 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#251439) (M) - $19.95 reviewed here
CRAGGY RANGE TE MUNA ROAD SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2015 - Martinborough, North Island, New Zealand (#466011) (XD) - $25.95
PASCAL BOUCHARD BEAUROY CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2015 - AC, Burgundy, France (#994350) (XD) - $34.95
PLANETA CHARDONNAY 2014 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#485102) (XD) - $45.95 FSE

Sparkling Wine:

DOMAINE J. LAURENS LE MOULIN BRUT BLANQUETTE DE LIMOUX - Traditional method, AC, France (#180323) (XD) - $19.95 reviewed here
JANSZ PREMIUM CUVÉE SPARKLING WHITE - Tasmania, Australia (#566828) (D) - $26.95
LAHERTE FRÈRES ULTRADITION BRUT CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#478644) (XD) - $48.95

Fortified:

TAYLOR FLADGATE VINTAGE PORT 2003 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#951962) (S) - $139.95 FSE

Mas des Bressades Cuvée Tradition Blanc 2015 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine was purchased last year from the May 14 LCBO VINTAGES Release and only a few bottles of this dry white wine are still available at the LCBO. It's a good one, especially at this price point.

Mas des Bressades Cuvée Tradition Blanc 2015 (89 pts)

Tasting Note:

MAS DES BRESSADES CUVÉE TRADITION BLANC 2015 - AP Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#701094) (XD) - $17.95
A blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. Fresh lemon and white floral aromas from the cork. Very good intensity on the nose with earthy/mineral aromas, along with lemon, floral, grapefruit and hints of peach. Full flavoured on the oily, medium-bodied palate with notes of lemon, white peach, and floral. Balanced by fine acidity. Juicy with lovely orange blossom notes that arrive mid-palate and continue through to the finish. Enjoy over the next 2-3 years. Score: 89 pts

Southbrook Connect Organic White 2014 (Ontario) - Wine Review (Bottle 2)

I first tried tonight's organic white wine from Southbrook Vineyards just over a year ago. And tonight, I am opening the second bottle with an expectation that it has matured a little. This wine is bottled under Stelvin screw cap, so I am expecting only subtle changes, if any at all.

If you're interested in purchasing this wine, there may be some 2014s left at the LCBO, but I suspect they have shifted to the next vintage as the 2015 is now available for purchase on the Southbrook Vineyards website. You should also know that the 2014 was a blend of 58% Vidal, 21% Chardonnay, 12% Riesling, and 9% Sauvignon Blanc, while the 2015 is a blend of 56% Vidal, 31% Riesling, 13% Sauvignon Blanc - bigger Riesling component and no Chardonnay.

Southbrook Connect Organic White 2014 (86 pts)

Tasting Note:

SOUTHBROOK CONNECT ORGANIC WHITE 2014 - VQA Ontario, Canada (#249078) (D) - $15.95
Waxy and slightly oxidative, along with subtle aromas of melon, citrus and white peach of medium-intensity. The palate is soft, round and full-ish with sour edged flavours of honey and ripe citrus. Delicate acids. There's a hint of sweetness, but finishes with bitter notes of average length. Drink now. Score: 86 pts

VINTAGES Release February 4: Back Roads of Europe + South Africa + Valentine's

LCBO Wine Picks from February 4, 2017 VINTAGES Release

The upcoming LCBO VINTAGES Release on February 4th focuses on wines from Europe's Back Roads in its main theme, while the mini-themes highlight wines from South Africa and wines for Valentine's Day celebrations. All of these wines will be on shelves across Ontario this coming Saturday.

From the European Back Roads theme - which is meant to showcase lesser-known wines from Portugal, Spain, France and Italy - 4 of the 16 wines are included among my wine picks. From Burgundy, there is a Chardonnay from the tiny village of Chitry-le-Fort. Also from France, from the small appellation of Bourgueil in Loire, there is a nice Cabernet Franc. The other 2 wines are both from Italy, with the Monferrato a blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Syrah, and the white wine from Campania is 100% Greco.

The mini-theme on fine wines from South Africa features 7 wines, 2 of which are included in my wine recommendations. The first wine is an organic and biodynamic white wine made with the help of ducks, and is a blend consisting primarily of South Africa's signature white grape - Chenin Blanc. The other wine from South Africa is the Rustenberg - a red wine blend made with 50% Shiraz, 30% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

In red wines from the rest of the release, the Chateau Saint-Roch is a blend of nearly equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Carignan and saw no oak. From Greece, the Domain Mega Spileo Red is a lovely red blend (60% Mavrodaphne and 40% Mavro Kalavritino) from 2 indigenous Greek varietals. The Beaujolais is 100% Gamay, while the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a blend of 68% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 13% Syrah, and 4% Cinsault. Both Cali Cabs are, in fact, blends, with the Mt. Brave consisting of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 6.5% Malbec, 4.5% Cabernet Franc, while the Mount Veeder Cab consists of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Syrah. And last but not least, the Masi Amarone is a traditional blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta, and Molinara grape varietals.

Masi Costasera Riserva Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2011 (91 pts)

In white wines, the Domaine FL is made with Chenin Blanc. For sweet wine lovers, you'll want to pick up the Riesling Spätlese from Germany.

Enjoy my wine picks from this release. Cheers!