LCBO catalogue release summary, March 6, 2021

My bet is to go with the Malbec

Argentina isn’t the only place to grow Malbec – but few others do it so well for such an affordable price. The country’s high elevation typically creates a full-bodied wine with high tannins and juicy red plum and blueberry flavours, making it a reasonably priced addition to any dinner table. Malbec’s versatility pairs well with everything from pasta to steak or is delicious on is own. It’s therefore no wonder that three out of our top value wines this period are Malbec wines.

Originally cultivated in the south-west of France, the thick-skinned, purple Malbec grape lost popularity after 75% of the European crop was lost to frost. Fortunately harvests in Argentina were unaffected and subsequent years of high-quality, but inexpensive, vintages helped revitalize the variety to regain popularity. The country now produces over 75% of the world’s Malbec wines, with most premium labels being produced in the high elevations of Uco Valley.

The March 6 Vintages catalogue focused on Argentina, so it’s not surprising that red wines dominated the LCBO release, both in the value and luxury categories. White and sparkling wines made their presence known (the best value for the release is a Sauvignon Blanc) along an impressive rosé wine (Delas Saint-Esprit Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2019 from France, $17.95).

The predominance of red wines (69.5% of selections, equally represented by blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Tempranillo), made a significant impact to release statistics. The average rating increased 55 basis points and the average retail price increased by $4.27 to $29.66 (16.8%). Thankfully, real inflation does not grow at that same rate! These increases were supported by an inclusion of many older vintages, such as a 2008 Champagne, Spanish Gran Rerservas from 2010, 2012 and 2014 and many Spanish and Italian wines from 2015. In total, the number of wines that passed into our index grew from 55 to 82 this month.

Considering the number of the low-priced wines from Chile, Spain and Argentina, the lowest score of the release went to Cannonball Chardonnay 2018 ($19.95) from California with an average of 86.50. It’s the second time in a row a Cali Chardonnay has ended on the bottom. Our analysis shows that lower-priced wines from emerging regions, such as Zuccardi Q Chardonnay 2019 ($19.95) from Mendoza, Argentina, provide a better value. Argentina wines just keep coming out on top! It was quite a release for the LCBO!

HISPANIC COUNTRIES DOMINATE THE BEST VALUE-FOR-DOLLAR SELECTIONS

Best deal of the release

Montes Limited Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Chile ($14.95)

A fresh lime, pear and gooseberry nose is met with similar flavours on the palate along with herbal tones. This crisp wine features high acidity paired with fruit-forward creaminess that’s ideal as an aperitif or to accompany fresh seafood.

Best value wines

Six wines (instead of the customary five) appear on our value list this time due to a tie. Two wines at $20.95 both scored the same on our value index, so I didn’t have the heart to eliminate another good deal. Four wines from Argentina made the list – a great country for producing top-quality Malbec, but they grow so much more.

v BenMarco Malbec 2018, Argentina ($19.95)

v El Pedrosal Crianza 2016, Spain ($18.95)

v La Chevalière Rasteau 2017, France ($20.95)

v Tonel 78 Barrel Select Malbec/Bonarda
2017, Argentina ($20.95)

v Catena Appellation San Carlos Cabernet
Franc 2018, Argentina ($19.95)

v Doña Paula 1350 2017, Argentina ($24.95)

Smart luxuries

v Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2016, South Africa ($24.95)

v Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling
Spätlese 2017, Germany ($34.95)

v Domäne Wachau Ried Achleiten Smaragd
Grüner Veltliner 2018, Austria ($38.95)

v Emina Reserva 2015, Spain ($47.95)

v Imperial Gran Reserva 2012, Spain ($56.95)

Other notable details from the catalogue analysis:

v Of the 112 wines that went through the algorithm, 30 were eliminated out due to lack of data or poor fit. This recent LCBO release included little known and local wines that did not get reviewed widely.

v Consistency among scores is very important. Some wines, such as Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2018 (Tuscany, Italy) did well with critic scores ranging between 90 and 93) – a true assessment of its 91.88 average. In comparison, Torres Salmos 2015 from Spain and Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shirazy 2019 from South Australia compiled scores with a wider range – from 88 to highs of 94. Although the overall average scores of 90.57 were similar, tasters might get less certainty as to what they should expect due to the wider margin. Tasting is definitely subjective and sometimes scores are not as helpful as we’d otherwise prefer.

Bargain bin deals (great wines, low prices)

Here’s your list of well-rated wines that will help you restock your wine cabinet for under $17.

v Romeo Selección Monastrell 2017, Spain ($16.95)

v Fin del Mundo Patagonia Malbec 2018, Argentina ($15.95)

v Cabriz Colheita Selecionada 2017, Portugal ($14.95)

v Los Haroldos Estate Bonarda 2018, Argentina ($14.95)

v Balbás Barrica 5 Tempranillo 2015, Spain ($15.95)

Good things grow… in Ontario

Let’s continue to support local. Here are three Canadian wines that scored high in both ratings and value.

v Hidden Bench Chardonnay 2018 ($29.95)

v Megalomaniac Sparkling Personality 2019 ($19.95)

v Mission Hill Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2020 ($22.95)

Download the March 6, 2021 LCBO release summary PDF