John Szabo’s Buyer’s Guide to Vintages August 30th Release

If It’s in the Buyer’s Guide, It’s Worth Buying, and Navigating “Scoreflation”

By John Szabo MS, with notes from David Lawrason, Michael Godel, Megha Jandhyala and Sara d’Amato

Navigating the Scoreflation

First, just a brief word on the admittedly tired subject of wine scores. We know that you know this already, but considering the theme of the August 30 release and the fact that it gets recycled so frequently, I thought it perhaps worth reminding readers that it’s hardly taxing for a retailer to come by big scores for their marketing material these days. Search widely enough and you’ll find somebody, somewhere in the world who has given a wine 90+ points. In fact, a quick perusal of the Vintages catalogue reveals that are only two wines in the entire release of 87 products that have a published score below 90, with the lowest being 88 points (thank you Michal Godel!).

This invites the inevitable conclusion that the LCBO is not only one of the largest buyers of alcohol in the world, but also one of the most discerning and astute, tightly curating an assortment of only the world’s best, the top 10% as it were. Or you might just as likely conclude that scores in this case have become almost meaningless. I’m aligned with the latter conclusion.

You should know that “scoreflation” is real. From the consumer’s viewpoint, the 100-point scale has been squeezed to essentially a 10-point scale, from 90-100. This not only leaves little room for nuanced distinction but also saps the sway out of a big score, which are now as common as dandelions. And the dandelions are even more prevalent when ratings are cherry-picked from multiple sources, reputable and otherwise, and only the biggest are exploited.

Putting all one’s stock into randomly generated scores is not a terribly reliable buying strategy. One reviewer’s 95 is another’s 87 (there are plenty of examples from this release). If you were a retailer, which score would you choose to publish? The wine is the same, maybe even the reviewer’s appreciation for the wine is also similar. It’s just that the scale is different. There’s simply no way to index and line up the scales of multiple publications and multiple reviewers and adjust for inflation to make sense of it.

You can only compare one apple to another on the same apple scale. The consistency behind the numbers is what truly counts. If a reviewer does their job well, their scoring is consistent within their own set of standards, their own context. “Wine appreciation is subjective, but as with anything, a glowing recommendation from a trusted source goes a long way,” states the Vintages catalogue. The key word here is trusted — not all equal numbers are the same.

We’d like to think that our scores are generally more closely tethered to reality — how many sub-$20 wines are really 98% of the way to perfection? None of us thought so in this release. But that would be delusional. There is no universal reality to a number given to a subjective impression, outside of the beholder. This fact is the foundational premise of WineAlign — multiple critics reviewing the same wines and providing independent assessments and scores. We don’t always agree, which should be reassuring. But we strive to be as consistent and true to our own internal scales as possible. And when we do align, the impressions reenforce one another.

To be fair, the Vintage catalogue does share “the scoop on some of the sources we cite most often.” The list of seven publications includes WineAlign, surprisingly, since our scores are almost always lower than the average, along with well-established names like Decanter and the Wine Spectator. But even their scores have become increasingly inflated over the years, tracking closely to, well, inflation, like pretty much every wine-scoring publication, and their scoring methodology and scales are different.

What’s a consumer to do?

Identify a consistent and trusted source and align with them and filter out the rest of the dandelions. And if multiple voices align, so much the better.

John’s Chianti Classico Collection Report 2025 & Top Buys

Earlier this year I attended the Anteprime di Toscana, the annual release of new vintages from all the major Tuscan appellations (with the exception of Brunello di Montalcino, which hosts a separate preview tasting in November). It’s always a brilliant opportunity to catch up with producers, taste soon-to-be-released wines, and get a comprehensive sense of how the latest vintage measures up to the historic mean.

I’ve already published reports on some fine Chianti Rùfina Riserva Terraelectae 2021 wines, as well as a somewhat mixed bunch of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2022, Riserva 2021, and the First Release of New Top Tier “Pieve” Wines from the 2021 Vintage.

Next and last up is Chianti Classico, an appellation that has been moving from strength to strength over the last dozen years or more. I’ve been tasting the anteprime every year for almost 20 years now, and I can say with confidence that average quality has never been better, and the highs are at their highest level since Grand Duke Cosimo dei’ Medici III delimited the Chianti area in 1716. Click for the full report and Buyer’s Guide.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages August 30: White & Sparkling

Rustenberg Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Stellenbosch, South Africa
$18.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits
David Lawrason – From a classic Stellenbosch estate comes a fine herbed and quite mineral sauvignon blanc spiced up by wild fermentation then ageing in barrel. Sauvignon herbal nuances are in-filled with spice and guava-like tropical fruit. As always with South Africa – so much for so little.
Sara d’Amato – A gently oak fermented, oak-aged sauvignon blanc crafted with ambient yeast—a thoughtful departure from the archetypal NZ style, this leans more toward Bordeaux in sensibility, though carrying a riper edge, yet stopping short of Napa’s exuberance, resulting in one that is wholly expressive of Stellenbosch. It hits a compelling middle ground: poised and balanced, with an ease of drinking that never veers into simplicity in this classy expression with genuine character and the structure to reward a few years in bottle.

Klados White Diva Vidiano 2024, Crete, Greece
$19.95, Creticos
Sara d’Amato – A wine that manages to be both cerebral and simply irresistible — this ethereal take on Cretan vidiano from the Rethymno PGI is dotted with peach, sage and grapefruit, carried on a mineral backbone with a hint of sea breeze salinity. There’s refinement in its composure, yet enough charm to feel disarmingly approachable.

Pierre Sparr Sol Calcaire Pinot Gris 2020, Alsace, France
$20.95, Profile Wine Group (Du Chasse)
John Szabo – It’s surely not the most popular style currently, but spare a drop for this classic, old-school Alsatian Pinot Gris from the historic house of Sparr. It pours a lovely rose gold colour, and offers late harvest, honeyed orchard fruit flavours and a medium-sweet palate, rich and unctuous. Try with ripe, runny cheeses or rich lobster-scallop dishes, perhaps even mild green curries.
Michael Godel – Textural, exotic and built upon the boozy-ish flavours of South Asian fruits like longan. Nicely balanced, lengthy and ideal for Thai or Laotian cuisine.

Boutari The Authentic Assyrtiko 2023, Macedonia, Greece
$21.95, Kolonaki Group Inc
John Szabo – Boutari pioneered the revival and modernization of assyrtiko — Greece’s greatest white grape — on the island of Santorini in the late 1980s. They’ve since sold their interests there, but the company’s legacy with assyrtiko lives on closer to home base in mountainous northern Greece. This beauty is aged exclusively in steel, even if smoky notes might give the impression of oak contact, and offers considerable textural interest thanks to lees stirring, low yields and genuine concentration. Well worth a look, drink or hold 2–4 years.

Domaine L’idylle Sylvain Tiollier Vin De Savoie Jacquère 2023, Savoie, France
$23.95, Importations BMT
David Lawrason – From the local jacquere grape, this a lovely alpine-meadow white with generous and pretty aromas of peach/yellow plum, lemon blossom and fresh hay. It is medium bodied, spry and well balanced. Some wines just feel complete, and this is one.

The Roost Frontenac 2024, Ontario, Canada
$24.95, The Roost Wine Company
John Szabo – The Roost is a winery near the Blue Mountains on the shores of Georgian Bay, a cool region to be sure where winter-hardy Frontenac is a logical grape to plant. I find it charming, with appealing peach-apricot-yellow plum and lime flavours, ready to enjoy and worth discovering beyond its drink-local appeal, even if sipping it lakeside would be the ideal.

Papagiannakos Assyrtiko 2023, Greece
$26.95, Majestic Wine Cellars
David Lawrason – This pours bright, fairly deep lemon-gold. Distinctive, exotic aromas include fennel, sage, beeswax amid almost tropical kiwi and starfruit and peach fruit. It is medium-full bodied, quite elegant with rounding fruit sweetness and warmth.

Yannick Prevoteau La Perle Des Treilles Brut Champagne, Champagne, France
$75.95, Marchands des Ameriques
Michael Godel – Gorgeous, noble and toasty Champagne expressive of a wide breadth of flavours and with really strong persistence. A cuvée with more pinot noir and yet the chardonnay really stands out.

Buyer’s Guide Vintages August 30th: Red Wines

San Alejandro Evodia 2022, Catalonia, Spain
$16.95, Glencairn Wine Merchants
John Szabo – A high elevation (800 metre), old-vine (c. 40 years) garnacha that over-delivers by a good margin. It’s a delight to sip, and remarkable for its depth and complexity at the price. Would be worth buying multiple bottles to serve over the next 2–3 years and surprise and delight a few guests.
Michael Godel – Calatayud and other Aragón denominations sell for a song and it’s a shame, although it’s always a gift for us when wine this honest costs so little.
Megha Jandhyala – Supple, juicy and delicious, brimming with red berries and woody herbs, this garnacha is sure to please widely. That it is so inexpensive only adds to its appeal, rendering it approachable in every sense of the word!

La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Western Cape, South Africa
$24.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
John Szabo – A well-priced, stylish, characterful cabernet sauvignon with appealing grit and savoury character mingling with typical cassis fruit. Wood is quite seamlessly integrated at this stage and overall pleasure, and interest are high in the category. Sharp value; drink now to 2030.
Megha Jandhyala – La Motte’s 2022 cabernet sauvignon represents good value and bears all the hallmarks of the variety. I like its elegant but firm structure and resonant notes of dark fruit, pencil shavings, sweet tobacco and barrel spice.

Montes Alpha Special Cuvée Carmenère 2022, Colchagua Valley, Chile
$24.95, Profile Wine Group (Vin Vino)
John Szabo – One of the best Special Cuvée carmeneres I can recall tasting from this estate, and a definite step up from the white label bottling. It’s like talking a walk in Montes’ Apalta vineyards in the height of summer, crushing wild scrub brush underfoot. Tannins are soft and powdery in the varietal style. Drink or hold a half-dozen years.
David Lawrason A lot going on in this big yet graceful carmenere. It is medium-full bodied, almost satiny, with well-contained alcohol, acid and tannin. Penetrating, pure aromas include cassis, sappy/gummy evergreen, florals and chocolate. The focus and length are excellent.

Nuiton Beaunoy Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023, Burgundy, France
$24.95, Vinexx
Sara d’Amato – A refined red Bourgogne at a very fair entry-level price — elegant but not without substance. Lifted and airy on the palate, yet its red-fruited core — cherry and plum — come through with clarity and precision. Alcohol is moderate, balance assured, and the finish lingers with a grace that outperforms expectations. A wine that proves understatement can be memorable.

Palacios Remondo La Montesa 2021, Rioja, Spain
$26.95, Woodman Wines & Spirits
John Szabo – A silky, well-balanced, garnacha-dominated Rioja, specifically from the Rioja Oriental (eastern, formerly “lower” Rioja), in the impressive Alvaro Palacios family of wines. I love the succulence and the sensation of salinity that makes one salivate, a refined and sophisticated expression all in all. Drink or hold a half dozen years without concern, though it’s delicious now.
Sara d’Amato – A jubilant wine to celebrate the kids going back to school — this organic Rioja from highly respected Álvaro Palacios turns the classic formula on its head: 92% garnacha, with only a splash of tempranillo. The result is a wine brimming with inherent juiciness and supple, approachable tannins — no patience required. A Rioja that trades austerity for exuberance and does so with conviction.
Megha Jandhyala – This ravishing red blend evokes the landscape of Rioja Oriental — sunny and vibrant, with tender warmth and lucent notes of perfectly ripe red fruit and resinous herbs like juniper and rosemary. At under $30, I would buy a case of this wine if not two!

Astrolabe Voyage Pinot Noir 2022, Marlborough, New Zealand
$29.95, Rogers & Company
David Lawrason – This pours pale, below its weight, but aromatically punches way higher. Great lift and complexity here with a flavour explosion of sour cherry/raspberry, tomato jam, fresh herbs, bacon and spicy barrel notes. It is light to medium bodied, smooth and juicy.

Shale Ridge Sr Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Ontario, Canada
$29.95, Shale Ridge Estate Winery & Cidery
John Szabo – Shale Ridge is a relatively new project established in 2019 in Thedford, Ontario, south of Grand Bend near the shores of Lake Huron, far from the madding Niagara crowd. This is a lighter, more red fruit-inflected version of cabernet sauvignon, oak-free, more cranberry than cassis, tart red cherry than blackberry — and all the zestier and drinkable for it. The beauty is in the up-front vibrancy and crunchy fruit, so drink over the near term.
Michael Godel – You will be shocked by the depth and character of this red wine, though you will also recognize its cool-climate bones. The future may very well be this emerging region, which will one day surely host its own Ontario appellation.
Sara d’Amato – A unique find, this unoaked cabernet sauvignon from Shale Ridge on the Lake Huron shore in southwestern Ontario shows admirable restraint, crafted with minimal interference to let the fruit speak. It’s stylish and thoughtfully made with a mid-weight frame that feels balanced rather than boastful.

Tenuta Perano Rialzi Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 2020, Tuscany, Italy
$49.95, Philippe Dandurand Wines Ltd.
Michael Godel – Olive trees, cypress, pine, other evergreens, rosemary, sage and brushy greens on your left give away to the single Rialzi Vineyard on your right. All that verdancy transmits into these 25-year-old vines for a very specific Sangiovese. Lamberto Frescobaldi always insists “the vineyard matters most,” and in this case that is true.

That’s all for this report, see you ’round the next bottle.

John Szabo, MS

Use these quick links for access to all of our August 30th Top Picks in the New Release. Non-premium members can select from all release dates 30 days prior.

John’s Top Picks – August 30th
Lawrason’s Take – August 30th
Megha’s Picks – August 30th
Michael’s Mix – August 30th
Sara’s Selections – August 30th

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