Here are my top picks from the April 14 Vintages Release. You can also get all 73 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. I’ve also already posted my picks for April 14.
You can also add my wine picks to your custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. Stock up for the weekend, then enjoy!
Natalie
2011 Famiglia Bianchi Chardonnay, Mendoza
Lovely especially for the price. Rich and round with green apple aromas and a toasty richness. Drink: 2012-2015. 1461 $14.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value White Wine
2011 Crios Torrontés Domino Del Plata, Argentina
A profusion of white flowers and happiness. Just the right amount of acidity for almost all dishes, except maybe steak. Lively and pretty. Life is beautiful. Drink: 2012-2015. 1834 $12.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value White Wine
2011 Filus Torrontés, Argentina
Pretty and simple with lots of light laughter and pleasure. White flowers and lime lift. Drink: 2012-2014. 273581 $13.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value White Wine
2010 Catena Chardonnay, Argentina
Oh yum! Buttery richness drips around a green apple core of vibrancy. Full-bodied, but not heavy. One of the best chardonnays I have tasted in a while. Drink: 2012-2017. 918805 $19.95 Score: 92/100. Top Rated White Wine
2010 Inniskillin Riesling, Ontario
Petrol and peach: love it! Don’t be put off if you haven’t heard that description before; it’s wonderful, especially for food. Terrific mouth-watering acidity makes it a match for seafood, salads and cream sauces. Wonderful! Drink: 2012-2016. 105387 $17.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value White Wine
2009 Michel Picard Chardonnay, France
This has got to be a typo on the price! Hazelnut richness wraps itself gorgeously around green apple and peach notes. Full-bodied and generous and round and you won’t get another Burgundian chardonnay at this price for a very long tim my friend. Drink: 2012-2016. 264440 $17.95 Score: 91/100. Best Value White Wine
2009 Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris, France
Absolutely fantastic, and a steal at this price! Gorgeous aromas of white peach and melon with just a hint of light spice on the finish. Medium- to full-bodied and delicious. Drink: 2012-2016. 983395 $14.95 Score: 90/100. Best Value White Wine
2011 Dog Point Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
Grassy great and refreshing! It’s a burst of lemon sunshine on a cloudy day. Great food wine. Drink: 2012-2014. 677450 $20.95 Score: 90/100. Top Rated White Wine
2009 St. Francis Chardonnay, California
Full-bodied and rich with toasty oak and green apple notes. Drink: 2012-2016. 317131 $19.95 Score: 90/100. Top Rated White Wine
2008 Grant Burge Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre, Australia
An incredibly rich and concentrated with intense aromas and layers of blackberry liqueur flavour. Demands hearty meat dishes and won’t be satisfied until you are. Bring it on! Drink: 2012-2016. 236257 $33.95 Score: 94/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Wine Men Of Gotham Shiraz Grenache Wineinc, Australia
Rich and warm with a wrap-around-you comfort. Black fleshy ripe fruit with a comforting blanket of smoky oak. Terrific wine, especially for the money. Drink: 2012-2015. 269324 $14.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Red Wine
2009 Tamaya Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Reserva, Chile
Pine forest with a mocha snowfall dusting. Full-bodied, smooth and savoury. Bring on the meat! Drink: 2012-2015. 62497 $15.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value Red Wine
2009 Château Beausejour Vign. Sudrat-Melet, France
A terrific wine for the money! Full-bodied with black fruit and smoke. You won’t find Bordeaux at the price-quality ratio often. Decant for 2 hours Drink: 2012-2015. 264267 $14.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value Red Wine
2009 Château De Mercey, France
A juicy pinot with pleasantly sour cherry and cranberry aromas and flavours. I love this style but its an acquired taste as it’ not fruity or ripely sweet. Drink: 2011-2018. 264531 $22.95 Score: 92/100. Top Rated Red Wine
2010 Monte Del Frá Bardolino, Italy
Love it! Peppery and peppy with ripe blackberry and black plum aromas and flavours. Very delicious! Drink: 2012-2014. 134544 $12.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Red Wine
2010 L’antico Di Burchino Chianti, Italy
This lovely, juicy, full-bodied organic/biodynamic wine has just 6 mg/l of free sulphur. It’s a pleasant treat for the senses, both nose and mouth. Great food wine for pork chops or grilled chicken. Drink: 2012-2014. 160457 $13.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value Red Wine
Spectacularly Taste this once in your lifetime, especially from a great vintages like this one. Liquid velvet that caresses the senses. Dark fleshy fruit, earthy tones and a finish that doesn’t end. Drink: 2014-2022. 987586 $249.95 Score: 98/100. Top Rated Red Wine
2008 Herdade Penedo Gordo Vinho Tinto, Portugal
Love it! Mocha-rich and fleshy dark berries. I want to sink into this wine and come out after I’ve had my fill. As a voluptuary, this is my kind of wine. Rich, full-bodied and velvet smooth. What an amazing price. Pair with: lamb. Drink: 2011-2014. 218339 $13.95 Score: 90/100. Best Value Red Wine
Juicy and ultra-delicious! Wow, it comes on with so many different aromas: mocha, fleshy blackberry and savoury goodness. Drink: 2012-2015. 263632 $19.95 Score: 93/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Love that mature leather and tobacco flavour! Palate is more seductive than the nose. Age and wisdom have their benefits when it comes to wine as well. This is seductively smooth and complex; a contemplative wine. Full-bodied and elegant. Drink: 2012-2016. 114454 $22.95 Score: 91/100. Top Rated Red Wine
2009 Belle Glos Pinot Noir, California
A gorgeous and beautifully concentrated pinot noir that displays the best of what California is capable of with this varietal. Fleshy ripe dark cherries with a lick of spice on the finish. Top me up! Drink: 2012-2017. 212076 $44.95 Score: 94/100. Top Rated Red Wine
2007 Saintsbury Pinot Noir, California
Luscious, elegant and superb. This is Californian pinot noir raised to its highest Platonic ideal. Forget philosophy though, and top up your glass: this is great wine! Drink: 2012-2016. 261594 $39.95 Score: 95/100. Top Rated Red Wine
2011 Faustino Tempranillo Rosado, Spain
A robust and deeply satisfying rose, yet not heavy. Bone-dry and refreshing with gorgeous aromas of dark raspberries. Perfect. Drink: 2012-2014. 700534 $12.95 Score: 91/100. Top Rated Rosé
Delamotte Brut, Champagne, France
Toasty and crisp with terrific complex and refreshment. Very elegant. Drink: 2012-2016. 183434 $48.95 Score: 90/100. Top Rated Sparkling Wine
1998 Cálem Colheita Tawny Port, Portugal
One of my favourite tawny port producers! This lovely toffee-rich, toasted almond wonder is a superb after-dinner drink or pair it with crème brûlée or biscotti. Drink: 2006-2017. 264259 $25.95 Score: 92/100. Top Rated Dessert Wine
Posted with permission of the LCBO.
