April Cellar Feature
| Product Name | LCBO# | Region | Score | mL | $/btl. | Qty. Avail. | Qty |
| Argentina |
Buscado Vivo o Muerto La Verdad San Pablo Chardonnay 2021
Buscado Vivo o Muerto La Verdad San Pablo Chardonnay 2021San Pablo, Valle de Uco, Mendoza 0037215 (XD) 13% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $50.00 TASTING NOTE : The impressive 2021 Chardonnay La Verdad San Pablo was produced with grapes from 40-year-old vines in San Pablo, one of the coldest places in the Valle de Uco, with deeper soils and a base of limestone. The full clusters were pressed and the juice let to settle in an oxidative way and then fermented in concrete egg and matured in egg with lees for 10 months. It has 12.5% alcohol with a sharp mouthfeel and remarkable acidity and freshness. It has fruit and the saline part of the limestone, fresh and tasty. It's precise and has great purity; it's lemony and citrusy, with balance and harmony. This ferments at a lower temperature than if it were fermented in barrel. Drink date: 2022-2028. Score - 95. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, Nov. 30, 2022)
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0037215
| Mendoza | 95 (RP) | 750 | $50.00 | 206 |
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Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Malbec 2018
Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Malbec 2018Valle de Uco, Mendoza 0368514 (D) 16% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $91.00 TASTING NOTE : Walnuts, chocolate, mulberries, spiced plums and wet tobacco on the nose. It's full-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Velvety. Rich and layered with delicious spice and ripe dark fruit. Long, too. 100% malbec. Drink or hold. [Decant this evening or wait another 2-3 years and follow into the late 2030s.] Score - 95. (jamessuckling.com, March 27, 2023)
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0368514
| Mendoza | 95 (JS) | 750 | $91.00 | 107 |
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Pascual Toso Pedregal Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2020
Pascual Toso Pedregal Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2020Mendoza 0037148 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $64.00 TASTING NOTE : A terrific red with pure blackcurrant and blackberry character, as well as stone and dusty-earth undertones. The tannins are wonderfully polished and fine. Extremely long finish. 70% cabernet sauvignon and 30% malbec. Drinkable now, but better after 2024. Score - 94. (jamessuckling.com, Nov. 30, 2022)
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0037148
| Mendoza | 94 (JS) | 750 | $64.00 | 55 |
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Rutini Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2019
Rutini Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2019Gualtallary, Tupungato, Valle de Uco, Mendoza 0016507 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $67.00 TASTING NOTE : The 2019 Cabernet Franc Single Vineyard Gualtallary was aged for 12 months in 50% new French barrels. Garnet red in the glass. The enticingly perfumed nose offers aromas from the aging process and green bell pepper accompanied by intense notes of ash, ripe blackcurrant, sour cherry and a whiff of mint. It's juicy, fluid and a little grippy in the mouth with energy provided by the freshness. The nuanced flavors linger at length at the back of the throat where the vigor is renewed to ensure a truly languorous finish. This is a supremely balanced, high-altitude Franc. Drinking window: 2024-2039. Score - 96. (Joaquín Hidalgo, vinous.com, Nov. 3, 2022)
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0016507
| Mendoza | 96 (VIN) | 750 | $67.00 | 60 |
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| Australia |
Alkoomi Heritage Series Hail Riesling 2015
Alkoomi Heritage Series Hail Riesling 2015Frankland River, Western Australia 0033697 (M) 10% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $35.00 TASTING NOTE : With yields down 90% following hail, this tiny-production, aged-release riesling is sitting fresh and complex with toasty, bottle-aged aromas, lime marmalade and crushed stones. The off-dry palate has blazing acidity that carries such intense lime flavor. Mouthwatering. Many years to come. Drink or hold. Score - 96. (jamessuckling.com, April 4, 2022)
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0033697
| Western Australia | 96 (JS) | 750 | $35.00 | 136 |
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Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2019
Jim Barry The McRae Wood Shiraz 2019Clare Valley, South Australia 0737817 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $57.00 TASTING NOTE : Matured for 12 months in French oak (20% new). Savoury, spicy and intense shiraz here, with emphasis on the savoury. This has layers of shaved hung deli meat, Amaro herbs, a hint of bacon fat, mulberries, blood plums, salted licorice and tapenade, too. The tannins are firm, promising a long life in front of it, although everything is already so nicely integrated, you could drink it tonight. You could, but you shouldn't - it'll evolve so nicely over the years to come. Drink by: 2039. Special Value. Score - 96. (Erin Larkin, winecompanion.com.au, Aug. 16, 2022)
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0737817
| South Australia | 96 (AWC) | 750 | $57.00 | 184 |
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MITOLO Marsican Shiraz 2019
MITOLO Marsican Shiraz 2019McLaren Vale, South Australia 0036032 (XD) 15% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $225.00 TASTING NOTE : The 2019 Marsican Shiraz is concentrated and intense. Brilliant fruit depth reveals a wide splay of raspberry freshness on the mid-palate through finish, while the tannins wrap around the mouth and induce chew and smack. This is a really pleasurable, brilliant wine. It is ripe and will appeal hugely to those who are attracted to plush tannins and sweet fruit. It is hefty without being overweight. Cool. 14.8% alcohol, sealed under natural cork and wax. Drink date: 2023-2049. Score - 96. (Erin Larkin, robertparker.com, Aug. 24, 2023)
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0036032
| South Australia | 96 (RP) | 750 | $225.00 | 54 |
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Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Chardonnay 2022
Moss Wood Ribbon Vale Chardonnay 2022Margaret River, Western Australia 0033706 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $55.00 TASTING NOTE : Taut, high-energy chardonnay with lemon curd, toasty French oak, sizzled butter, white peach and grapefruit marmalade supported by fresh acidity and fine peppery tannins. Aerate to get the best out of this closed and youthful wine. Drink date: 2023-2030. Score - 95. (Bob Campbell, MW, therealreview.com, May 4, 2023)
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0033706
| Western Australia | 95 (TRR) | 750 | $55.00 | 222 |
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Moss Wood Semillon 2022
Moss Wood Semillon 2022Wilyabrup, Margaret River, Western Australia 0015047 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $40.00 TASTING NOTE : The depth and flesh on this wine at such a young age makes it immediately accessible, but it will last quite some distance too. Today it's refreshing with upfront fruit, all lemon and white nectarines, lemongrass, some orange peel and grapefruit pith. Powerful yet equally compelling. Drink by 2035. Special Value. Score - 95. (Jane Faulkner, winecompanion.com.au, Aug. 2, 2023)
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0015047
| Western Australia | 95 (AWC) | 750 | $40.00 | 127 |
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Torbreck The Steading 2020
Torbreck The Steading 2020Barossa Valley, South Australia 0097220 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $58.00 TASTING NOTE : Very deep, youthful purple colour, with a broken rock, graphite and slightly tarry aroma, while the palate is very intense and fresh, bright, with lively firmness in the tannins, good intensity and depth of flavour and persistence. There's impressive depth and drive, which powers a very long-lasting aftertaste. A ripping wine. Drinking date: 2022-2037. Score - 95. (Huon Hooke, therealreview.com, Feb. 9, 2022)
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0097220
| South Australia | 95 (TRR) | 750 | $58.00 | 64 |
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Wakefield St. Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Wakefield St. Andrews Cabernet Sauvignon 2019Clare Valley 0058198 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $55.00 TASTING NOTE : 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The bright, vivid, aromatic ripe fruit on the nose is fresh and pure. The palate is sweet and rich, polished and ripe, with clusters of blue and dark red berries, hints of apricot and a hit of delicate cedar wood, mocha and vanilla. A wine which will age well. Score - 95. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2022)
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0058198
| South Australia | 95 (DWWA) | 750 | $55.00 | 145 |
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| Canada |
Bachelder Grimsby Hillside Frontier Block Chardonnay 2021
Bachelder Grimsby Hillside Frontier Block Chardonnay 2021VQA Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula 0032365 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $55.00 TASTING NOTE : This is a gorgeous, supple, silken and very flavourful chardonnay from a single block within the Grimsby Hillside site on the western side of Grimsby. The nose is a custardy puree of yellow pear, hazelnut, nutmeg and vanilla stick with vague cedar and toast. It is medium weight, creamy yet delicate with great length and extension. It captured Best of Show at the Toronto edition of Canada's Great Kitchen Party and will go on to compete for Wine of the Year and the Canadian Culinary Championship in Feb 2024. Last tasted Dec 2023. Score - 96. (David Lawrason, winealign.com)
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0032365
| Ontario | 96 (WAL) | 750 | $55.00 | 0 |
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Black Hills Estate Roussanne 2021
Black Hills Estate Roussanne 2021Black Sage Bench, BC VQA Okanagan Valley 0017728 (XD) 13% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $36.00 TASTING NOTE : The 2021 vintage saw smaller than average crop sizes due to a difficult start to the season, but perfect conditions from July onward allowed the vines to recover and produce exceptional fruit. Fermented with wild yeasts, this wine is taut, supple, silky and complex, with outstanding concentration and intensity alongside notes of lemon, pear, tropical fruit, herbs and spice. It will drink well for 3+ years.
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0017728
| British Columbia | | 750 | $36.00 | 18 |
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Mission Hill Compendium 2018
Mission Hill Compendium 2018BC VQA Okanagan Valley 0258228 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $81.00 TASTING NOTE : This complex blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc is sourced from select blocks within Mission Hill's estate vineyards in Osoyoos and was aged in French oak for 19 months. It shows dark fruit, nuts, oak spice and vanilla and has the potential to age into the mid-2030s.[National Wine Awards of Canada did not include a tasting note.] Score - 90. (National Wine Awards of Canada, 2022)
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0258228
| British Columbia | 90 (NWAC) | 750 | $81.00 | 21 |
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Mission Hill Oculus 2019
Mission Hill Oculus 2019BC VQA Okanagan Valley 0009316 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $186.00 TASTING NOTE : A melding of opulence and elegance, the Oculus, a Bordeaux blend grown organically in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, delivers serious New World fruit with sheer elegance. Strawberries and balsamic announce the aromatics of ample complexity and florality. Dried violets, savoury anise and gravelly dust complete the picture. The palate is gorgeously constructed as tannins and freshness interplay. Fresh mint and pine bough frame strawberries, clove and smoke. Well-knit wild mountain berries, pencil lead, and evergreen tips. Freshness, ripeness and structure come together wonderfully. Drinking window: 2023-2038. Score - 95. (Clive Pursehouse, decanter.com, Oct. 31, 2023)
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0009316
| British Columbia | 95 (DEC) | 750 | $186.00 | 98 |
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Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay 2021
Mission Hill Perpetua Chardonnay 2021BC VQA Okanagan Valley 0258210 (XD) 13% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $66.00 TASTING NOTE : Showing lovely restraint and elegance, the 2021 Perpetua hints at popcorn and reductive flinty notes then makes way for fresh white peach and hazelnut. The palate is pure fruited with discreet green apple balancing out bolder yellow plum. It builds in textural complexity from lees and well-integrated oak. Rather than a caricature, this is unforced and sincere yet not without power and length. [Gold Medal winner at the 2023 National Wine Awards of Canada.] Score - 92. (Michaela Morris, winealign.com)
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0258210
| British Columbia | 92 (WAL) | 750 | $66.00 | 178 |
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Mission Hill Quatrain 2018
Mission Hill Quatrain 2018BC VQA Okanagan Valley 0218636 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $81.00 TASTING NOTE : 47% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot. Inviting aromas of eucalyptus and chocolate, then to a palate of plush black fruit and layers of sweet spice. Score - 90. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2023)
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0218636
| British Columbia | 90 (DWWA) | 750 | $81.00 | 115 |
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| Chile |
Garage Wine Co. Truquilemu Vineyard Lot 117 Dry Farmed Old Vines Field Blend Carignan 2020
Garage Wine Co. Truquilemu Vineyard Lot 117 Dry Farmed Old Vines Field Blend Carignan 2020DO Empedrado, Valle del Maule 0023026 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $66.00 TASTING NOTE : The 2020 Truquilemu Vineyard follows the path of the 2018 and 2019 with even lower alcohol (12.9%) and great freshness and acidity, a pH of 3.36 and 6.4 grams of acidity. The modus operandi was the usual: fermented in open-top vats with indigenous yeasts and manual punch-down with a slow malolactic, which took 10 months to finish, and matured in used barrels over two winters. It contains some 4% Syrah. This has the ethereal quality of this vineyard, powerful but weightless. This place makes fresh wines even in warm vintages like 2020, and you feel that especially in the palate where the wine is vibrant and lively. Drink date: 2023-2030. Score - 96+-. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, April 6, 2023)
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0023026
| Maule Valley | 96+- (RP) | 750 | $66.00 | 174 |
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Montes Alpha M 2020
Montes Alpha M 2020Apalta Single Estate, Santa Cruz, Valle de Colchagua 0914580 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $90.00 TASTING NOTE : Classic cabernet nose with olives and red peppers. Sweet tobacco and milk chocolate with a meaty edge. Juicy and full-bodied but quite fit, with bright acidity and some densely packed tannins. Grippy but really well-honed with an extremely long finish. 80% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 5% merlot and 5% petit verdot. Give it two years to let the oak settle in. Score - 97. (Zekun Shuai, jamessuckling.com, April 24, 2023)
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0914580
| Colchagua Valley | 97 (JS) | 750 | $90.00 | 396 |
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Polkura Secano Dry Farmed Syrah 2021
Polkura Secano Dry Farmed Syrah 2021Marchigüe, Valle de Colchagua 0012661 (XD) 14% Alc./Vol. 750 mL $69.00 TASTING NOTE : A very pure and scented syrah with a hint of white fruit to the red cherries and flowers. Some cantaloupe and white pepper. More of a medium-bodied syrah but this is really nuanced with a subtle but persistent finish. Fresh, elegant and somewhat ethereal. Drink or hold [through early 2030s]. Score - 96. (jamessuckling.com, Jan. 8, 2024)
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0012661
| Colchagua Valley | 96 (JS) | 750 | $69.00 | 331 |
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