We have three special wines releasing this month at LCBO VINTAGES, including a 100 point Brunello di Montalcino from Canalicchio di Sopra. And, just in time for the holiday season, the Champagne Gosset Celebris Extra Brut 2008 will be available. We also are thrilled to have cool-climate, mountain-side Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa’s Restless River in stores for the first time.
Later this month, Haywire Winery’s Secrest Mountain Pinot Noir, from the Okanagan Valley, will be available as well.
Read below for more details about these new wines, along with the links to purchase them.
Canalicchio di Sopra Vigna La Montosoli Brunello di Montalcino 2018
One of a series of single vineyard Brunello that Canalicchio di Sopra releases, this reflects the famed Montosoli vineyards galestro soils. This organic Sangiovese was fermented in stainless, and moved into large format, thick walled, steam bent older foudre where it remained nearly entirely untouched (2 rackings in 3 years) until bottling.
“Canalicchio di Sopra’s 2018 Vigna La Montosoli, its debut single-vineyard bottling from this celebrated hill, is drop-dead gorgeous. Fragrant and all about elegance, it opens with enticing scents of wild rose, botanical herb, new leather and forest berry. Seamlessly fusing finesse and structure, the delicious palate delivers juicy Morello cherry, raspberry sprinkled with cinnamon, rosemary and thyme before a savory saline mineral finish. It boats great energy and impeccable balance, with taut, refined tannins and vibrant acidity. I just love it. Drink: 2025-2038.” 100 points, Kerin O’Keefe
Read more about Canalicchio di Sopra here.
Appellation : DOGC Brunello di Montalcino
Region : Toscana
Country : Italy
Grape(s) : Sangiovese
Price : $247
LCBO : 33637
Champagne Gosset Celebris Extra Brut 2008
This Vintage is only the eighth edition of Gosset Celebris Vintage in the past 34 years. It is a limited edition of 15,000 bottles. A blend of 54% Chardonnay and 46% Pinot Noir, from Ambonnay, Avenay, Avize, Aÿ, Bouzy, Cramant, Cuis, Cumières, Trépail, Vertus, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, this spent 12 years in the cellars prior to release, with 4.8 g/L dosage.
“The 2008 Extra-Brut Celebris offers up hints of apricot, brioche, baked apple tart, white pepper, chamomile and dried flowers. Extended time on the lees yields a Champagne with terrific flavor and textural complexity. This is an especially deep, vinous Champagne from Gosset. I would prefer to drink it at the dinner table, as it is a very serious wine. Drinking window: 2023-2038.” 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Read more about Champagne Gosset here.
Appellation : AOC Champagne
Country : France
Grape(s) : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Price : $245
LCBO : 344952
Restless River Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Restless River have the oldest plantings of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, dating back to 1999, and still one of the only working with Cabernet Sauvignon in this cool region. Main Road and Dignity are two single vineyards, with slopes of gravel and koffeklip soils over decomposed granite clays. This was destemmed and native fermented in small open top oak vats, with a lengthy maceration followed by basket pressing. This then went into French barriques (25% new) where it rested undisturbed for 23 months. It was then racked from barrel to stainless for a short tightening stint prior to bottling, and 2 more years’ rest prior to release.
“Made from 23 year old vines, yielding 2 -2.5 tons per hectare. The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon had a very long hang time which gave it super smooth, ripe, dry fine grained tannins on the palate. Harvested from 10th March to 7th May, an almost unheard of length of picking spread for two small 1.59 hectare and 0.71 hectare vineyards, which are vinified separately by parcel within each vineyard, with each parcel matched to a different cooperage. Aged for 23 months in barrel and then almost another 24 months in bottle, the wine certainly hits the ground running in a most spectacular fashion. Such pristine purity and precision with beautiful purple and black berry fruits, creme de cassis, blue berry and an essence of watermelon making for a deliciously exotic, hedonistic wine. So incredibly lithe and fresh in the glass with tangy acids, a sleek but supremely intense concentration of blue and black berry fruits and a pronounced maritime salinity on the finish. But it’s undoubtedly the ‘wagyu-styled’ fine tannins that are massaged to perfection with an imperceptible mineral grip and a sleek velvety texture thanks to the longer hang times. So incredibly delicious. Wow! [Drink until 2032.]” 97 points, Greg Sherwood, MW
Read more about Restless River here.
Appellation : WO Hemel-en-Aarde
Region : Western Cape
Country : South Africa
Grape(s) : Cabernet Sauvignon
Price : $84
LCBO : 32658
Haywire Winery Secrest Mountain Pinot Noir 2020
“This comes off their organically farmed Secrest Mountain Vineyard, a higher altitude site with calcium-carbonate laced alluvial and gravelled soils. This was native fermented, 50% whole cluster, with 4 weeks skin contact in concrete and stainless before basket pressing into concrete for 10 months. Wild plum, cherry, perfumed raspberry flood this lifted pinot, seasoned with scrubby desert shrubs and pink peppercorn, and hugged with finely grippy tannins through a textured, lingering finish. Beauty.” 91 points, Gismondi On Wine
Read more about Haywire Winery here.
Appellation : BC VQA Okanagan Valley
Region : British Columbia
Country : Canada
Grape(s) : Pinot Noir
Price : $32.95
LCBO : 32282 *releasing November 18
Most of our producers are small, independently owned and operated businesses, like ours. You can view our complete portfolio here. Thank you for letting us share these producers and wines with you.
Cheers,
Le Sommelier
416.603.7026
bernard@lesommelier.com
Le Sommelier is a Good Food Fighter.
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