LCBO VINTAGES OCTOBER 3 2020 RELEASE - TOP PICKS
Hi Everyone! It’s that time again when another LCBO Vintages release is available for your drinking and shopping pleasure. This is always an exciting time for me, as I dive into the selection and dream of all the wines I want to try and/or share with you! But before I do that, let’s go over some basics, for any newcomers to this blog. If you’d rather get right into the wines, scroll past the next section to see my top picks this week!
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE 101:
With over 660 retail locations, the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) is THE place to buy alcohol in Ontario. It also happens to be ubiquitous - every Ontario resident has undoubtedly seen the green LCBO sign at some point. Even if you buy your liquor at the grocery store, chances are it’s coming from the LCBO’s wholesale division.
The LCBO also happens to be one of the world’s largest buyers and retailers of alcohol, offering more than 28,000 products from over 80 countries to its customers. Yes, you read that right - I said 28,000!
As a consumer, and wine lover, this is a real gift. You can get really great wines, at all price points, from the LCBO. And the stock keeps rotating constantly, so there’s always something new to explore and try!
Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the LCBO Vintages section. Vintages is the section of the LCBO where you can find incredible wines from all around the world, often at very reasonable price points. In fact, Vintages does a new release every two weeks - so there is never a shortage of new wine for wine lovers to try here in Ontario! :)
To see what new stock is on offer, all you need is the Vintages magazine, which you can get at any LCBO store, have mailed to your house or check out online (click HERE). It’s literally one of my favourite reads - I get pretty excited when it turns up in the mail (yes, I’m a wine geek and also a dinosaur who still uses snail mail, lol!). The Vintages magazine is always chock-full of great articles, features on types of wine or wine regions, and detailed product write-ups...a true wine nerd’s dream come true!
Now, having said this, I recognize that this whole thing can be overwhelming. New wines every two weeks, wines from all around the world, a magazine full of wine talk, varietals you’ve never heard of….and perhaps many people have already tuned out, or have decided to reach for some good old California Cab that they already know (not that there’s anything wrong with that, by the way!).
If you can identify, let me help you! I aim to write these posts often to try to share some of my favourite picks in the hopes of helping others also find great wines to enjoy and fall in love with.
WINEITUPANOTCH TOP PICKS
The focus of this LCBO Vintages release is food pairings, Thanksgiving and Washington/Oregon wines. There are lots of really great options, as always, and below are some of the wines I personally think are interesting and I think you should check out too! I’ve tried to provide some insight into why I think you might like these, including points awarded by wine critics where applicable. I’ve also provided product numbers and direct links to the LCBO site. I hope you find this information useful!
NOTE - I haven’t tried all of these wines because I can only consume so much...though I do hope to try them all one day! :) I also don’t get paid to recommend any of these wines and do so only because I personally find them compelling.
ANOTHER NOTE - Product availability will vary across LCBO locations, and not all products last very long. Be sure to use the product numbers noted to check availability of products you like, before you decide what you’re going to purchase! Also remember to check out online vs. in store shopping as product availability varies across the LCBO’s different sales channels.
All images below are courtesy of LCBO.com. Click HERE to visit the site directly.
Geoffroy Rose de Saignee Blanc de Rose Extra Brut 1er Cru Champagne $134.95 Product #16172
I love rose champagne. I also love extra brut (extra dry) Champagne. And I'm always interested in finding less known Champagne houses to try. For these reasons, I find this to be an intriguing option in this Vintages release. Made in a different way than most champagnes, through the use of maceration to draw out the rose colour (as opposed to blending), this 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir promises to be full bodied, ripe, juicy and full of red berry fruit and peonies. I think this would be amazing for a special occasion that is celebrated with someone who loves out of the box Champagne!
94 pts - Robert Parker.com
Click here to check availability near you.
Labrusca Lini 910 Reggiano Lambrusco Rosso Secco $19.95 Product #632208
Do you like Lambrusco? I find most people either haven’t heard of it, or have misconceptions about it. This one won’t fail you. Complex and vibrant, this is the perfect sipper with pizza, pasta or cured sausage and great quality parmesan cheese!
Absolutely perfect for the winter months in my view. I’ve bought this before and I’ll definitely be buying it again!
90 points - decanter.com
Click here to check availability near you.
Cloudline Pinot Noir 2018 $26.95 Product #159970
Hailing from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, this wine is made by the famous Drouhin family from Burgundy. I’ve really gotten into Pinot Noir from Oregon of late and I think you should too! Conditions are ideal in the Willamette Valley and here, we have a very popular wine by a very well known French wine making family, all for a great price!
You can expect this wine to have lots of red fruit and mineral notes. It’ll be a great match for bean burgers or mushroom risotto in my opinion..…or duck or salmon according to the LCBO ;-)
Click here to check availability near you.
Loveblock Orange Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $27.95 Product #14568
Vegan, sustainably produced and made by the original owners of Kim Crawford wines, Loveblock wines are complex and compelling examples of what wine (in this case, Sauvignon Blanc) from Marlborough New Zealand can be when treated seriously.
I think this would be an excellent pairing with seafood. It’s worth noting that, according to the winemaker’s notes, the wine has a slight pink hue which definitely adds to its cool factor in my books! If you buy this wine, drink it soon.
Click here to check availability near you.
Joseph Drouhin Les Clos Macon-Bussieres 2018 $24.95 Product #470401
Chardonnay from Burgundy for a very reasonable price - this, in a nutshell, is what we have here. Hailing from the Maconnais, an area in Burgundy that is known for more affordable Chardonnay, this wine is aged for 6-8 months in a combination of large format oak barrels and stainless steel vats and should display clean fruit alongside nice minerality. I think this would be a nice match for Thanksgiving turkey dinner at a very fair price. The bottle label is fancy enough for a fancy feast, too! :)
16/20 points - jancisrobinson.com
Click here to check availability near you.
Mouton Cadet Heritage 2017 $25.95 Product #14447
This is an exciting new addition to the LCBO lineup. Launched in 1930 by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, the owner of the oh-so-famous (and high end!) Chateau Mouton Rothschild, this line of wines was created to bring the prestige of Bordeaux wine to the average consumer. Made with carefully grown and selected fruit from across Bordeaux broadly, this merlot-dominant Bordeaux blend is rich and immediately consumable. And what’s wrong with accessing a bit of high end winemaking know-how along the way?
Pair this with rich meat dishes throughout the winter months…or age it for a few years and see how it transforms!
88 points - Wine Enthusiast
Click here to check availability near you
Hilario Corbieres 2018 $15.95 Product #15170
I’m going to be honest here and say I’m not sure if this wine will be amazing…but I do think it’ll be a good value-for-money choice. Made from a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend, this wine is from the Languedoc and more specifically from Corbieres, which is the largest appellation herein. I’ve recently been learning more about Corbieres and am understanding that there is some really interesting wine being made here and for what it is, it is pretty undervalued. This wine makes my list for this reason. And at $16, how can you go horribly wrong?
Pair with BBQ ribs or brisket slathered in BBQ sauce. Yum!
Click here to check availability near you.
Stefania Barbot Ion 2016 $30.95 Product #16137
This is an Aglianico from Southern Italy. Not a common grape varietal in our market, Aglianico is actually a very important varietal in Italy. It generally produces rich, full bodied, rustic wines that age well. I love that the description for this one notes that it displays notes of black fruit, spice, tar, licorice and campfire ash. With this much going on, this is a great wine for the wine geek in your life!
93+ points - robertparker.com
Click here to check availability near you.
Godelia Mencia Red 2015 $24.95 Product #368043
Mencia is a Spanish grape variety that produces nice fruity wines with dominant red fruit flavours. They tend to be beautiful sippers and food friendly. This particular example was ranked #34 in the 2019 Wine Spectator Top 100 list!
I personally would have this with lamb vindaloo, or with grilled spicy chorizo sausages. Yum!
93 points - winespectator.com
Click here to check availability near you.
The Potts Family Bleasdale Vineyards Sparkling Shiraz $13.95 Product #15694
Sparkling Shiraz??? Need I say more? Sign me up! :))
This isn’t something we see a lot of and I think it’s going to be super interesting. The best part is that you don’t have to make a big commitment or investment because this is a half bottle.
I’ll be buying this for sure if I can find some (quantities seem to be limited).
This is a sweet wine so it’ll be good with dessert and mildly spicy food.
Click here to check availability.
Cave Spring Indian Summer Select Late Harvest Riesling 2017 $24.95 Product #415901
If you're looking for a nice dessert wine for Thanksgiving, I think this would be a lovely option. And you can support local winemaking in the process! You should know that this wine contains sugar content of almost 100g/L……..so be ready! However, the reviews suggest that the wine is not cloying which is perfect. Pair this with blue cheese, or cheese with dried fruit, and nuts. The Vintages magazine suggests this wine would be great with apple pie and ice cream, or even spicy dishes! Options galore!
93 points - Wine Enthusiast
Click here to check availability.
And there you have it, folks - a rundown of my top picks from this LCBO Vintages release! I hope something in this list caught your eye and you decide to give it a try. If you do, be sure to send me a note and let me know what you think!
Cheers and good health to you and yours!