Buyer’s Guide to Vintages November 16th Release

Privatization’s Next Milestone – Price Competition

By David Lawrason, with notes from Sara d’Amato, Megha Jandhyala and Elsa Macdonald MW

“Did you know that Costco is now selling wine [in Ontario]?”

The question came from an LCBO cashier I have come to know as I shop every two weeks for samples of the Vintages releases — including the intriguing selection of excellent wines that we recommend below. Jump right to our picks if you are fatigued by the privatization story

“Yes, I do know Costco is selling wine,” I replied, “and the prices are lower than for the same wines at the LCBO.” I told her that Veuve Clicquot Champagne is six dollars cheaper at Costco.

I have spent my entire career calling for wine retail privatization and competition in Ontario, so this is an historic moment. Since Oct. 31, all licensed grocers, supermarkets and big box stores are allowed to sell wine, beer and ready-to-drink mixed spirits. Convenience stores were given the green light on Sept. 5, now the rest of the much bigger market can weigh in. About 4,000 retailers including the LCBO and Ontario winery outlets exist now. This is expected to double in the years ahead.

Château L'Hospitalet Grand Vin La Clape Rouge 2021

The LCBO remains the wholesaler, selling wines to private retailers for 10% less than the wine would sell for at the LCBO. Private retailers are then free to set their selling price. Most convenience stores likely match or perhaps even exceed the LCBO price, as you are paying for convenience.

Costco on the other hand has wasted no time implementing its volume based discounting model. Be aware however, that the shelf prices listed at Costco and other private retailers do not include HST, or the 20-cent bottle deposit. Veuve Clicquot is listed on shelf at Costco for $69.99. At the check-out it is $79. At the LCBO it is $86. A notable difference. On less expensive wines the savings are marginal, but savings, nonetheless.

So, in Ontario we now finally have location and price competition. But the third and final barrier around choice is still in place because all these new private retailers must purchase from an LCBO catalogue that mirrors the LCBO general list, which is hardly inspirational for wine lovers. This practice must end, but I will save this argument for another article.

True, there are a growing number of bottle shops selling non-LCBO selected wines, but they are concentrated for now in downtown Toronto neighbourhoods and tend to be more expensive because their margins are also very thin. But they are the embryo of private fine wine retailing beyond the LCBO, and must be allowed to prosper, and be patronized by wine lovers.

And now to the Vintages Nov. 16 release, which has a few more new wines than we usually see, at generally higher, seasonal prices than Vintages norm. With John and Michael away last week we called upon Master of Wine Elsa Macdonald to join in. The wines are presented in ascending price order.

Buyer’s Guide November 16: White, Sparkling and Sweet Wines

Maria Papoila Loureiro/Alvarinho 2023, Vinho Verde, Portugal
$17.95, The Vine Agency
Megha Jandhyala – This Vinho Verde is fresh, lively, and delicious! Positively brimming with supple orchard and stone fruit, its fleshy palate is enlivened by citrusy acidity and a lingering, refreshingly bitter finish.

Papagiannakos Assyrtiko 2022, Central Greece
$26.95, Majestic Wine Cellars
Sara d’Amato – This expressive assyrtiko immediately captivates with its flinty, mineral-driven profile. With vibrant acidity and notable intensity, it presents a delightful medley of stone fruit, lemon zest, and a subtle note of creamy custard. Sourced from just north of the Peloponnese, this is a rounder, more approachable style compared to the nervy and more austere versions from Santorini.
Elsa Macdonald – As Assyrtiko from Santorini has become popular the prices are creeping up. Last year, I rediscovered this grape from more northern regions during a trip to Greece and fell in love all over again. The first nosing of this wine presents a refreshing saline sensation that follows through to the extended finish. Great value and possibly a new discovery for some.

Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Marlborough, New Zealand
$27.95, The Vine Agency
David Lawrason – Loveblock is the small project by Kim and Erica Crawford in the hills above the Awatere Valley, a cooler sub-region of Marlborough. The wine presents a lovely dichotomy of freshness and detailed complexity with intriguing aromas of guava, kiwi, zucchini, ginger and verbena. It is medium weight, and well balanced with brisk acidity, a wisp of sweetness and a drier herbal finish.
Elsa Macdonald – Once you’ve tasted Marlborough sauvignon blanc you might think you know what it is, but this is an exceptional example of the level of quality and unique character that can be achieved. It would be an excellent match for a turkey dinner, refreshing the palate with every sip. Yes, it’s slightly higher priced than many from the region but your investment will be rewarded.

Studert Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2023, Mosel, Germany
$31.95, Vinexx
David Lawrason – From one of the great sites in the Mosel Valley, this is a clinic in balance. Expect perfectly set late-harvest yellow pear/pineapple, with linden/honeysuckle florals, fresh mint and spice. The same sense of liveliness and poise on the palate with fine acidity, medium sweetness and low alcohol of only 8.5%.
Megha Jandhyala – This is textbook Mosel riesling! Sweetness on the palate is balanced by pitch-perfect acidity and concentrated fruit flavours. Pair this with rich, creamy, sweet curries, perhaps khao soi or paneer butter masala.

Palliser Estate Chardonnay 2022, Martinborough, New Zealand
$34.95, Family Wine Merchants
David Lawrason – Lots going on this Burgundy-modelled chardonnay. It has a flinty reductive, slightly oniony nose, with classic hazelnut, barrel toast, lemon and pear fruit. It is medium-full bodied, intense and brisk with excellent flavour depth and length.
Sara d’Amato – Stylish and salty, this lemony, caramel-flecked chardonnay of mixed clonal heritage is both refreshing and comforting. Finely crafted with great attention to detail, the palate is marked by notes of lime leaf, thyme, laurel, stone fruit, and passion fruit, with toasted macadamia adding richness. Strikes a mouth-watering balance with notable length.
Elsa Macdonald – Cool-climate chardonnay is a passion of mine so discovering this little gem was a great pleasure. One more often thinks of sauvignon blanc from New Zealand but the growing conditions can bring out the best in chardonnay too.

Henry Of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Estate Blanc De Blancs 2017, Ontario, Canada
$49.95, Henry Of Pelham Family Estate Winery
David Lawrason – All kinds of intensity, verve and flavour here. The aromas are lifted and very complex. It is light to medium bodied, firm and almost riveting. Hard to imagine so much flavour can be packed onto to such a light frame.

Stratus Riesling Icewine 2023, Ontario, Canada
$44.95, Stratus Vineyards
Sara d’Amato – The 200 ml format is the “goldilocks” size when it comes to icewine — perfect for two pours from a bottle that won’t be left lingering in your fridge. This is especially significant when it comes to one of this province’s top examples of riesling icewine that exhibits tension, purity and balance while remaining impressively decadent.
Megha Jandhyala – Stratus’ riesling-based icewine exemplifies how enchanting, balanced, and memorable ice wine can be. Lush and full on the palate, it is undoubtedly sweet, yet bright acids and a refreshingly bitter, pithy finish complement this richness. I look forward to serving this at holiday gatherings alongside creamy cheeses like goat brie or camembert.

Buyer’s Guide November 16: Red Wines

Château Jeremie 2021, Languedoc, France
$18.95, ROY + CO. SELECTIONS INC.
Sara d’Amato – A successful, engaging, and well-priced Corbières blend of grenache, carignan, syrah and mourvèdre in festive packaging. Pours a deep purple ruby colour and offers delicately peppery aromas along with bramble, thyme, plum, cherry and blueberry. Poised enough to balance the 14.5% abv on the palate remarkably well. Easy drinking with voluminous, non-aggressive tannins and very good length.
David Lawrason – Such a great buy in a southern France red with character and structure. The latter is coming from the portion of mourvedre in the blend with syrah. It shows lifted black/blueberry fruits, fresh almost conifer-like herbs and background spice. It is fairly firm, mineral/iodine and gritty tannin. In some ways more northern Rhône than southern.
Megha Jandhyala – This warm yet fresh, comforting, and well-priced red blend from the south of France is another great addition to your holiday bar. I really enjoy the juicy red fruit here and the notes of black pepper, anise, and garrigue.

Bastide Miraflors Syrah/Vieilles Vignes Grenache 2021, Roussillon, France
$19.95, Glencairn Wine Merchants
Megha Jandhyala – A blend of syrah and old vine grenache, this is a lovely wine, with cheerful notes of supple red and dark fruit, sweet resinous herbs, pepper, and violets. At under $20, I would buy a few bottles of this to serve as a “house wine” during the holiday season.

Casale Del Giglio Cesanese 2021, Lazio, Italy
$19.95, Profile Wine Group (Du Chasse)
Sara d’Amato – Cesanese is almost exclusively grown in the Lazio region outside of Rome and is making a comeback. This is a textbook example of the late-ripening, floral, and peppery grape with a notable intensity of cherry fruit. I am especially enamoured by the fine tannins, delicate freshness, and abundance of tangy red fruit and botanicals that linger memorably on the finish.

Domaine De La Creuze Noire Belle Vue Saint Amour 2022, Beaujolais, France
$24.95, PV W&S
Megha Jandhyala – This cru Beaujolais is delightful and represents good value. I love the interplay of peppery, savoury, floral and fruity flavours here and the supple palate, with silky tannins and fresh acids.
David Lawrason – Such a soft, elegant and genteel gamay, which is kind of what one would expect from a wine called Saint-Amour. This is very pretty with lilac, strawberry/cherry fruit, fine herbs and pepper. It is light to medium bodied, fresh and smooth.

Hewitson Madame M Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Barossa Valley, South Australia
$24.95, Wilson Wine & Spirits
Elsa Macdonald – Barossa has such a distinct character that when I experience a typical example I am immediately transported. It brings back memories of a sunset drive through the vineyards when the wildlife was gathering around the water reservoir for what I called happy hour. This wine is charming and packs in a lot of flavour and pleasure for $25.

Rapaura Springs Reserve Pinot Noir 2020, Central Otago, New Zealand
$27.95, Vinexx
Sara d’Amato – A characterful, voluminous pinot noir with significant freshness and pleasant dried herbals aromas. Slightly reductive yet offers compelling notes of black pepper, tomato leaf, lavender and bergamot. Generous with slick tannins and juicy acidity.

Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz 2022, South Australia
$29.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
David Lawrason – This packs great character and depth for $30. The nose lifts off with creamy mulberry/cassis jam fruit, fresh herbs, pepper, some graphite. It is full bodied, dense and luxurious. Sweet edged, yes, and warm, but balance is maintained. Excellent length.

Centre Of Effort Effort Edna Valley Pinot Noir 2020, California, Usa
$41.95, Vinexx
David Lawrason – The cooler Edna Valley on California’s Central Coast is one of my favourite pinot pockets. This is very fragrant with lifted raspberry/cherry fruit, red rose, gentle coniferous greenness and barrel spice. It is medium weight, quite elegant and juicy with a hint of sweetness.

Tinto Pesquera Reserva 2019, Ribera Del Duero, Spain
$49.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Megha Jandhyala – Alejandro Fernádez’s Tinto Pesquera reserva is a concentrated yet poised tempranillo — its flavours unveiled not immediately, but layer by captivating layer. Paired with some salty protein, this reserva can be enjoyed now, but ideally, give it another 2–3 years to let it resolve and come into its own.

Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir 2021, Oregon, Usa
$49.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Sara d’Amato – Deceptively complex despite its engaging and easy-drinking nature. This supple, mid-weight pinot noir is a product of pioneering growers in the Dundee Hills sub-appellation of Willamette Valley. Well-meshed oak spice is a result of 16 months of slow development in French oak barriques. Unpretentious, revealing and ready to drink.

Alvaro Palacios Les Terrasses 2021, Priorat, Spain
$58.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits
David Lawrason – This is one of the most genteel and sophisticated Priorats I have tasted — so poised, detailed and yet fulsome. Expect a very lifted floral peony strawberry/cherry jam, white pepper and shrubby dried herbs. It is full bodied yet silky with super-fine tannin. The length is outstanding.
Sara d’Amato – Alvaro Palacios’s Les Terrasses is an impressive blend of 70% garnacha and 30% cariñena from older vines planted on slate slopes. With well-balanced alcohol, notable purity, and what feels like low-intervention winemaking, this refined red is a delight to drink even at this tender age.
Elsa Macdonald – Alvaro Palacios is well known for his projects reviving abandoned vineyards including many in Spain’s Priorat region. The llicorella soils flicker in the sunshine in these hard to access, steep and hot terraces. Some of the world’s best old-vine grenache and carignan vineyards are here. The wine is robust yet full of character and nuance.

Luce Toscana 2021, Tuscany, Italy
$129.95, Mark Anthony Brands
Elsa Macdonald – Tasting this wine brought around the same feeling I get when I slip on a pair of high-end Italian leather shoes. They are supple and supportive yet forgiving and comfortable. They look smart and feel sexy. The Luce 2021 would make a very special gift or personal indulgence.

And that’s a wrap for this edition. John returns in two-week’s time with a review of the November 30th release. – David

Use these quick links for access to all of our November 16th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.
Lawrason’s Take – November 16th
Megha’s Picks – November 16th
Sara’s Selections – November 16th

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