LCBO VINTAGES Wine Picks & Reviews : Index

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

December 17, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Festive Sparklers

LCBO Wine Picks: December 17, 2022 VINTAGES Release

The final release of the year is the December 17, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release and it's theme is focused on sparkling wines for festive celebrations. Also included in this release are selection of Flagship and Online Exclusive wines. All of these wines should be available in stores or online by this Saturday.

We start with the theme on Festive Sparkling Wines, with a dozen wines featured, but just one included among my top sparkling wine picks - a non-vintage Prosecco crafted with 100% Glera. Fear not, there are many other delightful bubblies throughout the release, including an excellent local offering from Niagara that is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. There is also a higher-end vintage Prosecco which is made with 100% Glera, while both wines from Champagne are blends of consisting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with all three sparkling wines only available online or at Flagship locations.

Belcanto di Bellussi Special Cuvée Extra Dry Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore (89 pts)

Among my top red wine picks, the Wine of the Month is from Roussillon and it is a blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache. Other blends include a Chilean red that consists of 95% Syrah and 5% Roussanne, while the Rioja is a blend of 76% Tempranillo, 22% Garnacha, and 2% Viura. The last of the blends is the Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley which is actually consists of 94.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, while the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is crafted with mainly Sangiovese, plus small quantities of complementary varieties. Single varietals wines from Italy include the Brunello di Montalcino that is made with Sangiovese, the Barolo made with Nebbiolo, and the wine from Umbria that is made with Sagrantino, while the wine from Beaujolais in France is crafted with Gamay.

Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (93 pts)

Col d'Orcia Brunello di Montalcino 2017 (92+ pts)

The aren't any blends among my white wine recommendations, but it is a Chardonnay wine lover's delight with five wines in total coming from Burgundy and California, as well as a pair of lovely Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand. From Italy, the white wine from Sicily is made with the indigenous Carricante, and from Piedmont there is a nice Arneis. For those that prefer wines with some sweetness, you'll want to pick up the medium-sweet Riesling from Niagara.

Closerie des Alisiers Trilogie de Terroirs Pouilly-Fuissé 2020 (92+ pts)

Jean-Marc Brocard Sainte Claire Chablis 2020 (91 pts)

Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (90 pts)

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from release and have a safe and happy holiday!

Red Wine:

HOLLICK THE BARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#18525) (XD) - $17.95
EL ESTECO BLEND DE EXTREMOS MALBEC 2021 - Valles Calchaquíes, Argentina (#24863) (XD) - $18.95 89 pts wine review
EMILIANA SALVAJE SYRAH/ROUSSANNE 2021 - Vegan, Valle Casablanca, Chile (#19246) (XD) - $19.95
VENTISQUERO GREY GLACIER SINGLE BLOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Trinidad Vineyard, Valle del Maipo, Chile (#485474) (XD) - $19.95 91+ pts wine review
CHÂTEAU ROMBEAU L'ÉLEVÉ CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON-VILLAGES 2018 - AP, Languedoc, France (#28411) (XD) - $21.95
DOMAINE ANITA TRES VIEILLES VIGNES LES CAVES MOULIN-À-VENT 2020 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#28706) (XD) - $21.95 FE

LUNGAROTTI ILBIO ROSSO 2020 - IGT Umbria, Italy (#16573) (XD) - $26.95 88+ pts wine review
DEI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#285510) (XD) - $34.95
COL D'ORCIA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2017 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#306852) (XD) - $54.95 92+ pts wine review
ROCCHE COSTAMAGNA ROCCHE DELL'ANNUNZIATA BAROLO 2017 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#413484) (XD) - $54.95
HERMANOS HERNÁIZ FINCA LA EMPERATRIZ VIÑEDO SINGULAR TINTO 2017 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#16594) (XD) - $58.95 FE
SILVER OAK ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#943472) (XD) - $143.95 93 pts wine review

Ventisquero Grey Glacier Single Block Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (91+ pts)

El Esteco Blend de Extremos Malbec 2021 (89 pts)

White Wine:

TENUTA FRATELLI POVERO TERRE DEL CONTE ROERO ARNEIS 2021 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#436915) (XD) - $17.95
ROCKWAY VINEYARDS RIESLING 2020 - Small lot, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#30739) (M) - $20
ESK VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12638) (XD) - $21.95 90 pts wine review
AUNTSFIELD SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 - Sustainable, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#663286) (XD) - $21.95
TORNATORE ETNA BIANCO 2021 - DOC, Sicily, Italy (#577676) (XD) - $24.95
JEAN-MARC BROCARD SAINTE CLAIRE CHABLIS 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#356634) (XD) - $28.95 91 pts wine review
CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS TRILOGIE DE TERROIRS POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#26440) (XD) - $37.95 92+ pts wine review
HARTFORD COURT RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2020 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#404277) (XD) - $44.95
DOMAINE JEAN-MARC BROCARD CÔTE DE LÉCHET CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#181305) (XD) - $48.95 FE
CALERA MT. HARLAN CHARDONNAY 2019 - Mt. Harlan, Central Coast, California, USA (#16406) (XD) - $70.95 FE

Sparkling Wine:

BELCANTO DI BELLUSSI SPECIAL CUVÉE EXTRA DRY PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE SUPERIORE - DOCG, Italy (#53215) (D) - $21.95 89 pts wine review
13TH STREET PREMIER CUVÉE SPARKLING 2015 - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#142679) (XD) - $39.95
PRIMO FRANCO GRAVE DI STECCA BRUT PROSECCO 2016 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#422758) (D) - $48.95 FE
FRESNE DUCRET LA GRANDE HERMINE 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE 2008 - AC, France (#14636) (XD) - $79.95 FE
MARC HEBRART MES FAVORITES VIEILLES VIGNES BRUT CHAMPAGNE 1ER CRU - Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, AC, France (#26655) (XD) - $79.95 FE

Dessert Wine:

LAKEVIEW CELLARS CABERNET SAUVIGNON ICEWINE 2017 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#471813) (S) (200 mL) - $39.95 92 pts wine review

Lakeview Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Icewine 2017 (92 pts)

Fortified Wine:

CALEM 20-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#10902) (S) - $56.95

Creekside Iconoclast Syrah 2020 (Niagara) - Wine Review

For tonight's red wine review, I am sipping local with this lovely Niagara Syrah that arrived at the LCBO a couple of months ago as part of the October 8th LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Founded in 1997 by Laura McCain in Jordan, Ontario, and acquired by Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits Inc. last August, Creekside Estate Winery has been a leader in producing premium wines of distinctive, eclectic blends, and introducing grape varieties to Niagara that have expanded the horizons of the region. The winery is run by a passionate, and some say fanatical, group of industry veterans, including winemaker Rob Power, who have decades of experience in their respective fields. The team of self-described cork dorks love what they do, and have fun doing it. Early on, Creekside was outside of the mainstream fold as their signature wines were Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah - neither very common in Niagara back then.

Creekside first began extensively planting Syrah in the late 1990's. With each passing vintage, they witnessed first-hand the grape's huge potential and now, more than two decades later, Syrah is what Creekside is best known for. With the grape's popularity surging and having garnered many awards over the years, Creekside has developed a reputation as a pioneer in Canadian Syrah.

This particular bottling is from Creekside's Iconoclast range of wines. Iconoclasts in history are those that ignore conventional practice and lead the charge for change, and the Iconoclast bottlings reflect that pioneering spirit.

Personally, I'm a big fan of Syrah in general, and have been a Niagara Syrah wine lover for many years now. I've enjoyed quite a few previous vintages of this wine over the years, last writing about the 2012 Creekside Iconoclast Niagara Syrah a few years ago, and am ecstatic to see what this latest vintage tastes like. This wine always includes a dollop of Viognier, and for the 2020 vintage it is a co-fermented blend of 99.4% Syrah and 0.6% Viognier. All of the fruit for this wine was selected from their Queenston Road Vineyard's three nuanced blocks in the VQA St. David’s Bench sub-appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake, an area that is typically warmer than where the winery is located and offers a slightly longer growing season that is ideal for Syrah. The Queenston Road Vineyard is known as the birthplace of the Syrah-volution in Niagara. The grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks and individual fruit bins. It was aged for 19 months in mostly older, neutral oak, and mostly French with a little bit of Hungarian and American.

From the highly-acclaimed 2020 vintage that has been described as one of the best ever with wines showing elegance and balance, let's see how this 2020 Niagara Syrah is tasting tonight...

Creekside Iconoclast Syrah 2020 (91 pts)

Tasting Note:

CREEKSIDE ICONOCLAST SYRAH 2020 - VQA St. David's Bench, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#471797) (XD) - $25.00
A co-fermented blend of 99.4% Syrah and 0.6% Viognier enclosed by screw cap. Ripe, fragrant, and wonderfully perfumed aromas of great intensity rise out of the glass with dark berry, black pepper, spices, meaty, and dark plum notes with hints of purple fruit and florals. It's medium-full bodied, ripe and quite chewy on the palate with lovely, balanced aroma replays supported by fresh acidity and ripe, firm, and grainy tannins. Finishes long, juicy, and minerally with subtle smoky notes. Enjoyable now, but will reward ageing and drink well over the next 5 years or so. Highly recommended buy! Score: 91 pts

Other lovely wines by Creekside are available at the LCBO and direct through the winery in Niagara.

Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre 2020 (Loire) - Wine Review

A perennial favourite, tonight's white wine review is this excellent Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre that came to the LCBO last weekend as part of the December 3 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Jean-Max Roger, a winemaking family that descends from a long line of winegrowers dating back to at least the 17th century in the village of Bué, in Sancerre of the Loire Valley. Up until the 1960s, the Roger practised mixed farming and animal rearing, but when Jean-Max Roger took over in the 1970s from what his parents left him, he (along with his wife Nicole) focused on the 4 hectares of vineyards they had and developed the estate to become one of the top producers in the Loire. They passed on their love for wine and terroir to their sons, and in 2004 Thibault and Etienne, two of their three sons, joined their father at the estate.

Today, Thibault and Etienne continue to define the estate's identity, which is comprised of 34 hectares of land, of which 28 hectares are in the Sancerre appellation. There are more than forty plots of land which offer exceptional diversity of exposure, slope and soil profiles, and are dispersed among the region's three most renowned terroirs - Caillottes (stony calcareous clay soil), Kimmeridgian Marl or Terres Blanches (clayey calcareous clay soil), and Flint (siliceous clay soil). As a complementary team, Thibault and Etienne perpetuate the family know-how and techniques that they are perfecting vintage after vintage. Along with their winemaking expertise, the various terroirs allows each of their wines to express all of the uniqueness of their terroirs through their structure, elegance and finesse.

This Sancerre is crafted with 100% Sauvignon Blanc that was grown in various vineyards within the villages of Bué & Amigny, with soils consisting of Kimmeridgian Marls called "Marnes" and Limestone called "Caillottes", hence the name of the wine. The vines are between 5 and 40 years of age and grown to reveal its terroir, while also using organic techniques and respecting soil life. In the winery, the grapes go through a pneumatic press and a long, temperature-controlled fermentation using natural yeasts. The wine is aged on heavy lees to develop minerality, and fined and filtered prior to bottling at the estate using their own facilities.

I enjoyed the 2019 Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre in August of last year and am excited to try the latest vintage. The winter leading up to the 2020 growing season was the warmest ever recorded the Loire Valley, but also featured periods of intense rains that fully replenished the soils. March and April were alternately warm and cool, while late-April and May were very warm. July began cool, but then turned very warm, while August was hot. Harvest began after some welcome rains at the end of August, leading into fine weather for the month of September. The 2020 vintage was another excellent vintage in the Loire Valley with wines showing excellent concentration, freshness, and poise.

This white wine is quite possibly my favourite wine in the Jean-Max Roger portfolio. Let's see how this 2020 Sancerre is tasting tonight...

Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Marnes et Caillottes Sancerre 2020 (92 pts)

Tasting Note:

JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE MARNES ET CAILLOTTES SANCERRE 2020 - AC, Loire, France (#196667) (XD) - $33.95
Lovely, intense, and ripe aromas of lemon citrus, melon, and grapefruit with touches of tropical fruit, all underpinned by fine, stony minerality. It has very good fruit concentration on the medium-full bodied palate with ripe, slightly honeyed and gently spicy flavours of lemon citrus, melon, grapefruit, apple, peach, and tropical fruits framed by fresh and elegant acidity. Nicely balanced throughout with fine, leesy mineral notes lingering on the long, crisp finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 92 pts

Both the Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Les Caillottes Sancerre 2019 and Cuvée Genèse Sancerre 2020 that I enjoyed recently are available at the LCBO, while other wines from Jean-Max Roger can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

Feudo Maccari Saia Nero d'Avola 2018 (Sicily) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Nero d'Avola from Sicily that arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the LCBO VINTAGES Release on December 3rd.

Feudo Maccari was founded in the late 1990's when Antonio Moretti Cuseri of Tenuta Sette Ponti in Tuscany visited Sicily for a brief time and was enchanted by region's famous Baroque style and the warm waters of the sea. He thought he would only stay a while, but ended up planting roots and beginning a new adventure by acquiring land by units of "tumulo", an ancient Sicilian unit of measurement equal to 1,744 square metres, and acquiring more than fifty properties.

Today, Feudo Maccari has more than 250 hectares of property with about 60 hectares of land under vine, all of which exclusively rely on the head-trained system. This system was brought over by the first Greek colonists and is very costly to manage, but it is well-suited to the warm climate of southeastern Sicily. With the head-trained system, the bunches of grapes are protected by the leaves, while also limiting the oxidation of polyphenolic and aromatic substances. At the same time, the leaves are exposed to the sun's rays, allowing for excellent photosynthesis. Antonio chose this system because of the way it allows for perfect ventilation, how it offers the maximum amount of sunlight during daytime hours, and the fact that the bunches stay closer to the ground, which allows for ideal heat exchange so the fruit ripens.

Antonio immediately focused on native grape varieties like Nero d'Avola, Grillo, and Moscato di Noto, as well as some international varieties, to bring a fruity elegance and rich minerality to the wines. Because of Feudo Maccari's proximity to the sea and the limestone-rich soils, the area is perfect for quality winemaking and Nero d’Avola, in particular, came to life in this area between Avola and Pachino, in the province of Siracusa. Nero d'Avola is one of the great grape varieties of southern Italy, helping usher in a new era in the 1980s. Produced as a single variety, Nero d'Avola has shown itself to be an elegant, harmonious, well-balanced, and structured red able to stand up to long ageing in bottle.

The Saia gets its name from the irrigation canals created by the Arabs to collect rainwater centuries ago. It is crafted with Maccari's best selection of Nero d'Avola grapes, which were handpicked from 20-30 year old vines that were planted to south-facing vineyards situated 80 metres above sea level on volcanic soils with white sand and chalk deposits. The skins were gently broken and then it was fermented in stainless steel tanks and lined vats. The wine's first blend occurs when it is placed in barrique, and blended a second time at the first racking. It was aged for 12 to 14 months in French oak and then bottled with minimum intervention.

The 2018 vintage was characterized by a rainy spring which helped to refill the ground water, followed by a very sunny summer with temperatures sometimes higher than usual, along with sporadic rains which allowed the vines to work. September had perfect weather conditions with sunny, but not too hot days, and fresh nights, allowing the grapes to ripen perfectly. The balanced and regular weather trend helped guarantee the best territorial expression of the grapes and obtain wines of great elegance, beautiful acidity, and longevity. Let's see how this 2018 Nero d'Avola from Sicily is tasting tonight...

Feudo Maccari Saia Nero d'Avola 2018 (90 pts)

Tasting Note:

FEUDO MACCARI SAIA NERO D'AVOLA 2018 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#128967) (XD) - $29.95
The nose is richly intense and spicy, followed by aromas of plum, red cherry, mineral, sandalwood, and raspberry. It's full-bodied and quite dense on the palate with a plummy core accented with cherry, sweet spices, and oak, plus savoury undertones. Acids are juicy and well-balanced, while the smooth and well-integrated with a slightly chalky mouthfeel on the back palate. Savoury, minerally, and tangy with sweet spices linger on the long, crisp, and very satisfying finish. Highly recommended buy. Score: 90 pts

A very select number of wines from Feudo Maccari, while other wines from their portfolio can be ordered through their Agent - Noble Estates Wines & Spirits.

Le Fils des Gras Moutons Sur Lie Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine 2021 (Loire) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely, organic white wine from the Loire Velley in France that arrived at the LCBO over the weekend as part of the December 3 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Claude Branger at Domaine Haute Févrie in the heart of the Muscadet Sèvre et Maine appellation in the Loire Valley. The Domaine was founded 18 km southeast of Nantes during the First World War by Claude's grandfather. For many years, Claude worked alongside his father for many years, and in 2007 he was joined by his son Sébastien to become the fourth generation of the family to carefully tend the estate's vines which are situated on hills overlooking the Sèvre River, ‎between the communes of Saint-Fiacre and Monnières. As conscientious winegrowers, the Branger family harvests all of their grapes by hand, and starting in 2016, Sébastien embarked on a vision to convert all of their vineyards to organic farming. By 2019, all of the domain's parcels were fully certified organic.

I've enjoyed this consistently delicious wine many times over the years, including most recently the 2019 Le Fils des Gras Moutons Sur Lie Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine last year in July. Certified organic, this white wine is crafted with the Melon de Bourgogne varietal from 10 hectares of vines averaging 40+ years old that were grown in the earlier maturing plots of the Les Gras Moutons vineyard. The vines are planted on soils that sit on a granite bedrock that is metamorphic gneiss full of mica and quartz. The grapes were hand-picked and after fermentation rested on its lees for 6-7 months prior to bottling.

2021 was a tricky growing season in the Loire with difficult weather and yields down significantly. However, the resulting wines were surprisingly good with the cool growing season naturally favouring aromatic varietals which preserved their elegant structures and clean, crisp acidity. Let's see how this 2021 Muscadet is tasting tonight...

Le Fils des Gras Moutons Sur Lie Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine 2021 (90 pts)

Tasting Note:

LE FILS DES GRAS MOUTONS SUR LIE MUSCADET SÈVRE-ET-MAINE 2021 - AC, Loire, France (#363150) (XD) - $17.95
This lovely organic wine crafted with 100% Melon de Bourgogne has a crisp, elegant, and focused medium-high intensity nose with appealing aromas of lemon-lime citrus, orchard fruit, apple, and mineral with hints of melon and peach adding further complexity. There's good weight on the dry, medium+ bodied palate that is slightly honeyed with ripe apple, lemon-lime peel citrus, saline mineral, and subtle spice flavours, plus orange and melon notes. There's a subtle chalky mouthfeel on the mid-palate, along with clean, crisp, and juicy acidity. Minerally with citrus and apple notes lingering on the long, juicy, and dry finish. Ideal with oysters. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90 pts

You can find other lovely wines by Domaine Haute Févrie through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

Château Coufran 2009 (Bordeaux) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is an excellent, maturing red wine from Bordeaux that is featured on the cover of today's December 3 LCBO VINTAGES Release. This wine is also part of the theme of the release which is titled "Gifts to Celebrate: Festive, Food-Friendly Wines" and would make a fine gift for the holidays.

The story of Château Coufran begins with 18th century archives that referred to it as the noble house of "Cousran", as well as the dovecote that dates back even further to the Ancien Régime. The Château has changed families many times over the years. One of the notable exchanges occurred after the revolution, when Jean-Valère Cabarrus, a ship-owner and wine merchant who already owned other prestigious wine estates, acquired Château Couffran. At the end of the 19th century, the Château changed families again when the Célérier family, wine merchants in Bordeaux, took advantage of the success of Bordeaux wines and invested in the Médoc wine region and purchased Couffran.

In 1924, Louis Miailhe acquired the Château and decided on the current spelling of "Coufran". Louis undertook major redevelopment work in the vineyard, including planting mainly Merlot, which was more charming and highly appreciated at the time. The Miailhe family were wine brokers in France dating back to the 19th century and continued to 1970. Winemaking was also in the family with Louis' son, Jean, the winemaker at Coufran for a period of time. Since the 1980's, Jean's two children - Marie Cécile Vicaire and Eric Miailhe - have taken over. The wines of Coufran are atypical for the Médoc region, with a journalist once calling Coufran the "Pomerol of Médoc" due to their Merlot-based wines.

Château Coufran is located in the Haut-Médoc appellation in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, a town just north of neighbouring Saint-Estèphe in the Pauillac area. Although the Château is located on the Left Bank of Bordeaux, where wines are usually blends of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, this red wine is crafted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, with vines averaging 45-years-old. Château Coufran is a single 76-hectare block that stretches across a hillside, with its highest point at 21 metres elevation, and the soils are primarily made up of gravel and clay.

In the vineyard, vegetation cover is encouraged between rows, and the leaves are thinned after flowering. Grape bunches are also thinned, allowing the fruit to ripen in the best possible conditions. Harvest is carried out selectively, starting with Merlot, and then moving on to Cabernet. The grapes are also sorted based on quality and according to the terroir and vine age. It was vinified using traditional Bordeaux techniques, in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. The wine was matured in French oak barrels for 12 months, with a quarter of the barrels replaced with new barrels each year. After bottling, the wine is stored on-site in an air-conditioned room to optimise the ageing process, allowing them to release the ready-to-drink wines. From the legendary 2009 vintage, let's see how this Bordeaux red wine is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

CHÂTEAU COUFRAN 2009 - AC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#13399) (XD) - $37.95
Blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines averaging 45-years-old. Lovely, complex, elegant, and very attractive nose has medium-high intensity aromatics of crushed and stewed dark berry, black cherry, sweet spices, wet earth, olive, and sandalwood. It's medium-full to full-bodied with complex and maturing flavours of dark berry, black cherry, sweet spices, earth, currant, and cassis on the palate. Acids are still quite juicy and refreshing. Some dried cherry and floral notes on the mid-palate add further interest. Maturing tannins are structured, refined, and somewhat grippy-chalky, with a pleasing mouthfeel. Earthy with black cherry, olive, and sweet spice notes linger on the long, satisfying finish. In a nice place right now and should continue to drink well over the next 5 years, maybe longer. Highly recommended buy! Score: 92+ pts

Other lovely wines by Château Coufran can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.

December 3, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Festive + Food-Friendly Wines

LCBO Wine Picks: December 3, 2022 VINTAGES Release

The December 3, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release is another monster of a release with many fine, high-quality, and premium-priced wines that are ideal for gift-giving or your personal cellar. "Gifts to Celebrate" is the main title of the release once again, with a focus on "Festive and Food-Friendly Wines". There are 123 wines in this release and all should be available at LCBO outlets across Ontario by this Saturday.

From the theme on "Gifts to Celebrate: Festive and Food-Friendly Wines", there are eighteen wines featured and seven are included among my top wine picks. There are a couple of white wines worth recommending from the theme and both are from France - the first is a dry Riesling from Alsace, while the second wine is a Chablis 1er Cru from Burgundy that is made with Chardonnay. There are also a couple of red wines from France and the first wine is a blend from the Haut-Médoc appellation in Bordeaux that consists of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from 45-year-old vines, while the Roussillon red is a blend of mainly Syrah and Grenache, plus Carignan. From Italy, there is a Barolo made with Nebbiolo, and a fine Amarone crafted with 40% Corvina, 40% Corvinone, and 20% Rondinella. The last wine that is part of the theme is a Malbec from Altamira in Argentina.

Fumanelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2017 (93+ pts)

M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem 2018 (92 pts)

Red wine recommendations from the rest of the release begins in Tuscany with a pair of Super Tuscans - the Cepparello is crafted with 100% Sangiovese, while the Tignanello is made primarily with Sangiovese and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Staying in Tuscany, there are a pair of Riserva Chianti Classico wines with the version from Il Molino di Grace made solely with Sangiovese, while the version from Castelgreve is a minimum of 80% Sangiovese plus other red grape varieties. Also from Chianti Classico is a Gran Selezione that is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and the rest native varieties including Abrusco, Pugnitello, Malvasia Nera, Ciliegiolo, and Mazzese. The only other blend among my top red wine recommendations is a wine from Portugal that is made with the traditional Douro grape varieties Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca.

San Felice Il Grigio Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2017 (92+ pts)

Il Molino di Grace Riserva Chianti Classico 2018 (92 pts)

Castelgreve Riserva Chianti Classico 2018 (89 pts)

White wines from the rest of the release include a pair of wines from Loire - the Sancerre is crafted with Sauvignon Blanc, while the Muscadet is made with the Melon de Bourgogne varietal. There's also a pair of Chardonnays - one from Burgundy, while the other is from Victoria in Australia. The last white wine is a sustainable Sauvignon Blanc from Chile.

Other wines in this release include a consistently well-made 10-year-old Tawny Port that is roughly equal parts Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Franca, while the Champagne is a blend of 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay.

Burmester 10-Year-Old Tawny Port (91 pts)

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!