January 22, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: California

The main theme of the mono-thematic January 22, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release focuses on wines from California. All of the wines from release, including those featured in the California thematic, should be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday. Also mentioned in this release is the introduction of the Monthly Online-Only Collection - a curated selection of wines that can only be purchased exclusively online on lcbo.com.

We begin with the theme on California wines that features fifteen wines, of which two are included among my top wine picks. The Red Blend from California is composed of 43% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Alicante Bouschet, 12% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah, and 7% Syrah. The only other California wine recommendation is a Pinot Noir from the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, at the northern end of California's prime winegrowing area.

From my top red wine picks, Rhone reds include the Costières de Nîmes that consists of 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Mourvèdre, while the Côtes du Rhône-Villages is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Carignan. With the Chianti Classico wines from Italy, the San Felice is a blend of 80% Sangiovese, 10% Colorino, and 10% Pugnitello, while the Ama is composed of 96% Sangiovese and 4% Merlot. From Spain, the Calatayud is a blend of primarily old-vine Garnacha (between 70 and 100 years old), Syrah, Tempranillo, and Mazuelo, while the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon includes 5% Syrah. Single varietal wines include an Aglianico from Campania, a Carignan from Roussillon, a Carménère from Chile, and a Graciano from Spain.

Among my white wine recommendations, the only blend is the Rhône White that is composed of 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% Roussanne. Among the single varietal white wines, there are Sauvignon Blanc wines from Chile and New Zealand, a Pinot Grigio from northern Italy, and a dry Pinot Gris from British Columbia. There is also a Chardonnay from Burgundy, while the partially matured in oak barrels Chenin Blanc is from South Africa. For sweet wine lovers, the white wine from Pfalz is a late harvest made with Siegerrebe and should be on your shopping list.

For readers seeking sparkling wines, there is a Prosecco made with Glera, the vintage bubbly from South Africa is crafted with 100% Chardonnay, and lastly, the Champagne is made with 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• EL ESCOCÉS VOLANTE MANGA DEL BRUJO 2018 - DO Calatayud, Spain (#15073) (XD) - $16.95
• CAMILLE CAYRAN LE CHÊNE NOIR CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2019 - AP, Rhône, France (#10006) (XD) - $16.95
• BUTINAGES RED 2019 - AP Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#20637) (XD) - $16.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• IL POGGIO SANNIO AGLIANICO 2017 - DOP, Campania, Italy (#575225) (XD) - $17.95  90 pts  wine review
• SAN FELICE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#282996) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• LAFAGE CAYROL VIEILLES VIGNES CARIGNAN 2019 - Sustainable, IGP Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon, France (#494039) (XD) - $19.95

• CLOS DE LUZ MASSAL 1945 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Almahue, DO Valle del Rapel, Chile (#12675) (XD) - $21.95  91 pts  wine review
• TORRES CORDILLERA DE LOS ANDES RESERVA ESPECIAL CARMENÈRE 2018 - Parcela La Ladera, DO Peumo, Valle del Cachapoal, Chile (#389692) (XD) - $22.95
• FINCAS DE LANDALUCE GRACIANO 2017 - Rioja Alavesa, DOCa Rioja, Spain (#23413) (XD) - $25.95
• FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA DIAMOND COLLECTION RED BLEND 2018 - California, USA (#22593) (XD) - $28.95  89 pts  wine review
• CASTELLO DI AMA AMA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#515759) (XD) - $35.95
• LONG MEADOW RANCH PINOT NOIR 2016 - Estate grown, Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, California, USA (#22598) (XD) - $59.95

White Wine:

• BUTINAGES WHITE 2020 - AP Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#20906) (XD) - $16.95  89 pts  wine review
  
• BELLINGHAM THE OLD ORCHARDS CHENIN BLANC 2020 - WO Paarl, South Africa (#484055) (XD) - $16.95
• LEYDA GARUMA SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - DO Valle de Leyda, Chile (#99309) (XD) - $17.95
• ANSELMANN EDESHEIMER ROSENGARTEN SIEGERREBE SPÄTLESE 2019 - Prädikatswein, Pfalz, Germany (#910554) (S) - $17.95
• ALOIS LAGEDER TERRA ALPINA PINOT GRIGIO 2020 - IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Alto Adige, Italy (#681429) (XD) - $19.95
• SOHO STELLA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - Vegan, sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#554311) (XD) - $22.95
• MISSION HILL RESERVE PINOT GRIS 2020 - BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#537076) (XD) - $22.95
• CHRISTOPHE PATRICE PETIT CHABLIS 2019 - AC, Burgundy, France (#14871) (XD) - $23.95

Sparkling Wine:

• GIUSTI BRUT ASOLO PROSECCO SUPERIORE - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#16555) (D) - $19.95  88 pts  wine review
• JACQUES BRUÉRE CAP CLASSIQUE BLANC DE BLANCS SPARKLING 2011 - Traditional method, WO Robertson, South Africa (#23971) (XD) - $25.95
• ANDRÉ CHEMIN CUVÉE SÉLECTIONNÉE BRUT 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#20245) (XD) - $52.95
  

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Clos de Luz Massal 1945 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Chile) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is this excellent Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile that arrives at the LCBO this weekend as part of the January 22 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Cloz de Luz is a family run business located in the Almahue Valley, which is part of the D.O. Rapel Valley, and naturally walled in by the Mancuman Hill, that has belonged in the family for five generations. The vineyards were planted in 1945 by their grandmother Luz and are among the oldest in Chile. Today, they have 33 hectares of estate vineyards and the estate is owned by the Edwards Cosmelli branch of the family. The principal focus is on producing elegant and quality wines based on a non-interventionist approach with freshness and subtle use of oak to enhance the natural fruity character of the wines.

With several ranges of wines within their portfolio, this particular wine by Clos de Luz is from their Massal 1945 range, signifying the year in which most of the Clos de Luz vineyard was planted by Grandma Luz. The Massal range also evokes the philosophy of planting 100% Massal selection by replanting vineyards with cuttings from old vineyards to promote natural diversity of the plants. Massal selection tends to be produce an interesting collection of fruit, which in turn produces wines of individuality and uniqueness.

This Cabernet Sauvignon is often a blend with one or two other varietals playing a minor role. The 2018 vintage is composed of old 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from Almahue and 5% Syrah. It was hand-harvested with strict selection criteria, fermented with indigenous yeast and stabilized naturally without any chemicals. 50% of the wine was aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 44% in 7,000 L Taransaud oak tanks, and 6% in 500 L Sylvain French oak barrels.

A few years ago I tasted (and liked) the 2016 vintage of this wine, which hailed from what was considered a poor vintage across Chile. On the other hand, the 2018 edition of this wine comes from an excellent vintage with slightly cooler-than-average temperatures that delivered structure and concentration. Let's see how this Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

CLOS DE LUZ MASSAL 1945 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Almahue, DO Valle del Rapel, Chile (#12675) (XD) - $21.95
This blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Syrah has a lovely bouquet offering an intense and complex medley of evergreen, forest floor, ripe dark cherry, blackberry, currant with hints of peppery spice, all surrounding an earthy core. It's full-bodied, concentrated and ripe with lovely, minty herbs, tangy red and black berry, and subtle oak spice flavours. Slightly warming, but still well-balanced with fine acidity and ripe, structured and fine-grained tannins. The juicy, succulent acids take you through to the long finish with lingering minty herb, dark red and black cherry, earth, and subtle oak notes. Highly recommended buy. Score: 91 pts

The companion Carménère to this wine is coming to VINTAGES in March, while other wines from Clos de Luz can be ordered through their Agent - Touchstone Brands.

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Cave de Roquebrun La Grange des Combes Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun 2015 (Midi) - Wine Review

To cap off my weekend, for tonight's wine review I dive into this lovely, unoaked red wine blend from southern France that I purchased from an LCBO VINTAGES Release in July 2017.

This red wine is from the Saint-Chinian sub-appellation of Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun in southern France. It is a blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Mourvèdre that was grown 30 km north of Beziers on the schistous hillside of Roquebrun that faces south and south-east. It was macerated in whole bunches and fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks.

Being one of my "go-to" wines, I previously enjoyed the 2018 Cave de Roquebrun La Grange des Combes Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun last year, the 2010 Cave de Roquebrun La Grange des Combes Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun a few years ago, and I still have one more vintage in my collection. Although this wine is not available at the LCBO right now, I wouldn't be surprised to see it come to VINTAGES in the spring or summer.

Let's see how this 2015 is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

CAVE DE ROQUEBRUN LA GRANGE DES COMBES SAINT-CHINIAN-ROQUEBRUN 2015 - AC, Midi, France (#155804) (XD) - $18.95
Raised entirely in tank, this lovely blend of 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% Mourvèdre pours a medium-deep garnet colour. The fragrant nose is elegant, mature, and complex with lovely dried dark berry, plum, dried florals, herbs, spices, olive, and mushroom with savoury, meaty, and smoky mineral hints. It's medium-full bodied with flavours of dried dark berry, smoky mineral, purple fruit, and plum in a spicy profile that's supported by juicy, well-balanced acidity. Structured tannins are quite grippy and chalky, while the alcohol is slightly warming, but still balanced. Savoury with smoky minerals linger on the very long, chalky finish. Could be cellared a bit longer, but it is drinking quite well right now. Always a great buy! Score: 91 pts

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Fasoli Gino San Raffaele Pinot Grigio 2020 (delle Venezie) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is the latest incarnation of this delicious, organic, and vegan-friendly Pinot Grigio that arrived at the LCBO as part of the January 8th LCBO VINTAGES Release last weekend.

I last tasted a previous edition of this wine nearly six years ago when the 2015 San Raffaele Monte Tabor Pinot Grigio arrived at the LCBO. However, this wine now bears the DOC delle Venezie designation, a new appellation that began with the 2017 vintage. It is produced by Fasoli Gino, a winemaking family with four generations of experience and deep roots in Verona. The family has been producing wine since 1925 with the goal of crafting unique wines that they are proud of. In 1984, they transitioned to organic wines, and in 2006 they started implementing biodynamic practices.

Today, Fasoli Gino is one of Italy's most long-standing and respected organic producers. They continue to apply knowledge passed down over generations to modern techniques to ensure they consistently produce high-quality wines. Let's see how this tasty Pinot Grigio is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

FASOLI GINO SAN RAFFAELE PINOT GRIGIO 2020 - Vegan, DOC delle Venezie, Italy (#204768) (XD) - $15.95
Organic and vegan-friendly, this 100% Pinot Grigio was hand-harvested and enclosed by screw cap. Clean, fresh, and generous aromas of orchard fruit, pear, lemon citrus, and melon, along with mineral undertones and a whiff of herb. It's medium+ bodied with good concentration on the lightly honeyed, yet dry palate with crisp, refreshing acidity lifting the apple, pear, lemon citrus, and melon flavours. Juicy, slightly spicy on the mid-palate, and nicely balanced with fine leesy mineral notes lingering on the finish, with very good length. Recommended buy. Score: 88 pts

Other delicious wines from Fasoli Gino can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

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LAVAU Gigondas 2018 (Rhône) - Wine Review

After enjoying the lovely 2016 LAVAU Gigondas approximately 18 months ago, tonight's wine review is the latest vintage of this red wine from one of my favourite Rhône producers. It arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the January 8 LCBO VINTAGES Release

It is produced by Maison LAVAU, a winemaking family with a passion for wine and love for terroir and land. The Lavau family's story begins in Saint-Émilion in the 19th century, followed by a move to Tunisia where René Lavau and his son transformed a small estate of vines and orange trees into the country's biggest wine producer. In the 1960s, Jean-Guy Lavau (René's grandson) and his wife Anne-Marie returned to France and settled in Sablet in the heart of the Rhône Valley and took charge of a small winemaking cellar that would eventually become Maison LAVAU in 1965.

In the 1990s, their two sons, Frédéric and Benoît Lavau, joined the family winery and took over once their parents retired at the turn of the century. In addition to having over 180 hectares of vines across the Rhône Valley, Maison LAVAU has also formed partnerships with growers and other estates. Today, Maison LAVAU is a major producer of Rhône wines and one of the last family-run and independent wine estates in the Rhône Valley.

Like the previous vintage, this Gigondas is crafted with old vines Grenache (50%), Syrah (40%), and Mourvèdre (10%). Originally from Spain, Grenache is the emblematic grape of the Southern Rhône Valley. Grenache is very resistant to drought, produces very sweet juice, and is usually blended to contribute to the power and volume of the wines from the Southern Rhône. Syrah is not very resistant to the Mistral wind, thus it is often trained. Syrah produces a beautiful purplish hue, intense fruit or spice notes, and combines very well with Grenache as it imparts freshness, fruit, and tannin to the blend. Also originally from Spain, Mourvèdre is a late ripening variety that produces intense and powerful wines, yet show great finesse. Mourvèdre is particularly suitable for maturing and ageing in oak.

This Gigondas was grown on fairly poor, calcareous-marl soils, from parcels located on the terraced, north-facing slopes of Gigondas, at the foot of the famous Dentelles de Montmirail. The grapes were de-stemmed, macerated, and fermented in temperature-controlled vats. The wine was aged for 12 months, with 55% aged in vat, while the remainder was aged in 450 L barrels that were used previously for 1 or 2 vintages, and then blended to create the final wine. Although the 2018 vintage in the Southern Rhône was a bit of a hit or miss, Maison LAVAU always produces a solid range of wines, so let's see how this Gigondas is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAVAU GIGONDAS 2018 - AC, Rhône, France (#234955) (XD) - $34.95
This blend of old vines Grenache (50%), Syrah (40%), and Mourvèdre (10%) has a lovely, intense nose of spices, black pepper, and dark berries with meaty, licorice, black cherry, and smoky mineral, plus hints of violets adding further complexity. On the structured, medium-full bodied palate it is very ripe with black and blueberry, smoky mineral, black pepper spice, black raspberry, and licorice flavours supported by ripe, fine-grained tannins and juicy, well-balanced acidity. Slightly chalky on the mid-palate and beautifully balanced throughout with lovely flavour replays lingering on the long, smoky mineral finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 92 pts

Although very few other bottlings from this producer are currently available at the LCBO, wines from Maison LAVAU can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

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Closerie des Alisiers Bourgogne Aligoté 2020 and Petit Chablis 2019 (Burgundy) - Wine Reviews

Tonight's wine reviews are a pair of lovely white wines from Burgundy that arrived at the LCBO this weekend as part of the January 8th LCBO VINTAGES Release.

These are wines are produced by Stéphane Brocard, the son of a Chablisian winegrower Jean-Marc Brocard. Stéphane founded his Trading House after he moved to Marsannay in 2007, and in addition to his own vines in Pommard and in the old winegrowing village of Daix, Stéphane also works with the same winegrowers and plots year after year to offer authentic wines based on purity, fruit, and freshness while also having the greatest respect for terroir and the environment.

In Burgundy, the concept of 'clos' is very old, with the first clos appearing in the 7th century. Initially of religious influence, these stone walls multiplied in the 19th century and made it possible to retain the soil of each estate, giving each Burgundy estate its own personality. A Closerie is a small clos - a small property surrounded by walls or hedges.

Maison Stéphane Brocard established Closerie des Alisiers, and together with partner estates is able to craft wines from all of Burgundy's appellations representing the region's diversity, with an increasingly large range of organic wines. The wines of Closerie des Alisiers represent a range of Burgundy wines almost exclusively from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as few Aligoté wines. Together, they present the complexity and authenticity of Burgundy wines.

I've had the pleasure of tasting previous vintages of both of these wines - the 2017 Closerie des Alisiers Bourgogne Aligoté and 2016 Closerie des Alisiers Petit Chablis - and expect wines of similar quality, if not better this time around. Let's see how these Burgundy white wines are tasting tonight...

Tasting Notes:

CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2020 - AC, France (#557728) (XD) - $17.95
Crafted with Burgundy's second white grape - Aligoté - this unoaked white wine has a medium-high intensity nose that is very pretty with lovely white floral, ripe apple, and zesty lime citrus aromas with mineral accents. The medium+ bodied palate has good weight and concentration with slightly honeyed notes of ripe apple, white flowers, lime citrus, and oyster shell mineral with a hint of orange in a dry flavour profile. Acids are fresh, succulent, and juicy. Slightly chalky textured with oyster shell minerality and lime citrus notes lingering on the long, juicy finish. Keeps you coming back for another sip. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90 pts

CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS PETIT CHABLIS 2019 - AC, Burgundy, France (#557769) (XD) - $22.95
100% Chardonnay grown at altitude on Kimmeridgian soils of limestone, rich in marine fossils, and in particular small comma-shaped oysters. Raised entirely in stainless steel vats, the nose seems somewhat quiet, offering delicate aromas of lemon/lime citrus, oyster shell and limestone minerals, and a whiff of white flowers. The creamy, slightly chalky textured, mid-weighted palate is lightly honeyed and dry with ripe stone fruits, apple, lemon, pear, mealy, and nutty flavours flecked with minerality. Bright acids are fresh and juicy, while oyster shell minerals, ripe stone fruits, and light spice notes linger on the long, succulent finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines from Closerie des Alisiers can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

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Montresor Capitel della Crosara Valpolicella Ripasso 2018 (Veneto) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is this lovely Valpolicella from Veneto that comes to the LCBO this weekend as part of the January 8 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Vini Montresor, a family with a long history that boasts illustrious ancestors such as the Count Claude de Montresor, a trusted advisor to the Duke of Orleans in France in the 17th century. A branch of the Montresor family moved to the Veneto region in Italy at the beginning of the 19th and settled near Lake Garda in an area renowned for its moraine soils. It was here that the family continued to grow one of its main passions - wine making - and in 1892 Giacomo Montresor started up Cantine Giacomo Montresor. With French blood and an Italian spirit, the Montresor family has been part of the wine industry for more than 200 years and would like to this privilege with wine drinkers across the globe.

This particular red wine is from their Capitel della Crosara collection that was created in 1991. The "Capitello" is a very old stone at the intersection in a small village of Valpolicella and on it is painted a figure of the Madonna which in past times was used by the peasantry as a votive icon. Impressed by the charm of this area, the Montresor family established relationships with almost all of the peasant families of the Borgo in the 1950s and bought their grapes. The relationship between the growers and Cantine Giacomo Montresor was so deep that it was said that Montresor had a monopoly on the grapes from this area.

A traditional blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes from the Valpolicella area were used to craft this red wine in the Ripasso method. The grapes were harvested in September and October and followed traditional vinification methods with destemming and maceration of the skins, and a very slow fermentation. After re-fermentation on Amarone pomace, the wine is aged in wood for about 1 year. I've been tasting quite a few Valpolicella wines lately, let's see how this one is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

MONTRESOR CAPITEL DELLA CROSARA VALPOLICELLA RIPASSO 2018 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#379172) (XD) - $19.95
Crafted with Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara, the medium-high intensity nose is quite elegant with a pleasing mix of candied black cherry, dried spices, and wood spice with savoury, earthy undertones, and a slight herbal touch. On the medium-full bodied palate it comes off as dry on the flavour profile with delicious aroma replays. It's very well balanced with fresh, juicy acidity and refined, slightly grippy tannins. Savoury, earthy, cocoa, and woody with herbal notes linger on the long, succulent finish, with excellent length. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines from Montresor are available at the LCBO, as well as through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.

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