VINTAGES Release October 1: Tuscany + Rioja + Thanksgiving Wines

New wines from the VINTAGES Release on October 1st on will be on LCBO shelves this coming Saturday and features wines from Tuscany for elegant dining, as well as a mini-feature on Rioja, and wines for Thanksgiving celebrations. As we approach the holiday season, now would be a good time to start collecting those fine wines for holiday gift giving, as there are quite a few very nice wines in this release.

The Tuscany thematic features only 8 wines, but 2 are included among my wine picks and both are top tier wines. The Gran Selezione Chianti Classico is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Malvasia Nera and Merlot, while the Brunello di Montalcino is from the excellent 2010 vintage and made with 100% Sangiovese.

From Rioja, Spain, there are 7 wines listed and 2 made my list of wine recommendations. The Crianza is a light-weighted red blend consisting of 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha Tinta and Mazuelo. The other Rioja is also a blend made mostly with Tempranillo, but offers a more substantial mouthfeel in a refined, elegant package.

Wines for Thanksgiving include a barely off-dry (i.e. just slightly sweet) and ever versatile Riesling from Alsace, and a Pinot Noir from Ontario from the 6 wines that were highlighted in the Thanksgiving wines feature.

From the rest of the release in red wines, there is a Portuguese red blend (Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz) that is dry and firmly structured that should be bought and placed in your cellar for at least a couple of years to allow the tannins to soften. The Malbec comes from vines that are more than 80 years old and located 1,150 metres above sea-level. From Washington, the red blend consists of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, 8% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec, while the lovely Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the usual blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and 5% Cinsault.

In white wines, there is a surprising selection of fine Italian white wines, none of which are named Pinot Grigio. Instead, they are Soave (100% Garganega), Falanghina, and Arneis. There's also an aromatic white from Lebanon that is a blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Muscat d'Alexandrie. And lastly, the Loire white is 100% Chenin Blanc made in a semi-sweet style.

The sparkling wines among my wine picks include a Blanc de Blanc vintage sparkler from South Africa that's 100% Chardonnay, while the vintage Champagne is a blend of 54% Chardonnay and 46% Pinot Noir.

Enjoy my wine recommendations with your Thanksgiving feast. Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CUNE RIOJA CRIANZA 2012 - DO Rioja, Spain (#039925) (XD) - $17.95
• QUINTA DA REDE RESERVA 2012 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#431742) (XD) - $17.95
• CONCHA Y TORO SERIE RIBERAS GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2014 - DO Peumo, Chile (#274043) (XD) - $17.95
• CREEKSIDE ESTATE QUEENSTON ROAD PINOT NOIR 2014 - VQA St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#415877) (D) - $18.95
• ATAMISQUE CATALPA OLD VINES MALBEC 2013 - Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina (#194126) (XD) - $19.95
• WATERKLOOF CIRCUMSTANCE SYRAH 2012 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#455782) (XD) - $22.95
• BARÓN DE LEY GRAN RESERVA 2010 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#642496) (XD) - $29.95

• HEDGES FAMILY ESTATE RED 2012 - Red Mountain, Washington, USA (#001594) (XD) - $39.95  FSE
• CASTELLO DI AMA SAN LORENZO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2011 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#418897) (XD) - $48.95
• RENATO RATTI MARCENASCO BAROLO 2011 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#713479) (XD) - $53.95
• HAMILTON RUSSELL PINOT NOIR 2015 - WO Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Walker Bay, South Africa (#999516) (XD) - $57.95
• FLOWERS PINOT NOIR 2014 - Sonoma Coast, California, USA (#215202) (XD) - $68.95  FSE
• POGGIO SAN POLO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2010 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#650812) (XD) - $74.95
• CHÂTEAU DE BEAUCASTEL CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2014 - AC, Rhone, France (#711317) (XD) - $89.95

White Wine:

• SAN RAFFAELE MONTE TABOR SOAVE 2015 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#277392) (XD) - $14.95
• TEANUM ALTA FALANGHINA 2014 - IGT Puglia, Italy (#161653) (XD) - $15.95
• KUHLMANN-PLATZ RIESLING 2014 - AC Alsace, France (#196741) (D) - $16.95
• HENRY OF PELHAM ESTATE RIESLING 2013 - VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#557165) (D) - $17.95
• DOMAINE DES TOURELLES WHITE 2015 - Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (#447169) (XD) - $19.95
• CORDERO DI MONTEZEMOLO ARNEIS LANGHE 2015 - DOC, Piedmont, Italy (#455162) (XD) - $21.95
• SOUTHBROOK TRIOMPHE CHARDONNAY 2014 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#172338) (XD) - $22.95  reviewed here
• DOMAINE LOEW VÉRITÉ SYLVANER 2013 - AC Alsace, France (#462598) - $25.95  FSE
• DOMAINE DES CHESNAIES CÔTEAUX DU LAYON 2014 - AC, Loire, France (#456129) (MS) - $27.95
• DOMAINE LATOUR-GIRAUD LES NARVAUX MEURSAULT 2013 - AC, Burgundy, France (#012369) (XD) - $74.00  FSE

Sparkling Wine:

• AVONDALE ARMILLA BLANC DE BLANC 2009 - Méthode Cap Classique, WO Paarl, South Africa (#451930) (XD) - $29.95
• DUMANGIN LE VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 2004 - AC, France (#439232) (XD) - $61.95