November 28, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Top Holiday Wines

The November 28, 2020 LCBO VINTAGES Release is another large release focusing on Top Holiday Wines for the season with lots of great options for gift-giving. It's the only theme of the release and is the 2nd-to-last release of the year. All of these will be on shelves across Ontario by this Saturday.

This mono-thematic Release features 24 wines as part of the theme on Top Holiday Wines - all with a starting price point of $28.95. Eight of these wines are included among my top wine picks and all will provide pleasure. First up is the iconic Bolgheri that is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a small amount of Petit Verdot. Also from the old world, there is an excellent Gran Selezione Chianti Classico that consists of 92% Sangiovese and 8% Malvasia Nera / Colorino, and a lovely Premier Cru Chablis that is, of course, made with Chardonnay. There's also a lovely Pinot Noir from Central Otago. On the local front, a pair of lovely wines from Niagara's Le Clos Jordanne make the list again - a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There is also the consistently great Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine that is 100% Chardonnay, and the Hidden Bench red that consists of 47% Merlot, 29% Malbec, and 24% Cabernet Franc.

From my red wine recommendations, the red from Bordeaux is 100% Merlot, while the Syrah from Costières de Nîmes actually includes 10% Grenache. The Roussillon red consists of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache, while the Hawke's Bay red is a blend of 67% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec, and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Spanish red consists of 55% Monastrell, 30% Garnacha, and 15% Syrah, and lastly, the Brunello is made with 100% Sangiovese.

Among my white wine picks from the rest of the Release, the only blend is an (organic) wine from British Columbia that is an intriguing blend of three aromatic varietals - 45% Bacchus, 45% Pinot Blanc, and 10% Riesling that is crafted in a slightly sweeter style. The only other wine with any amount of sweetness is a Riesling from Niagara. For single varietal wines, there are a pair of lovely Sauvignon Blanc wines worth a look - a lovely Sancerre, as well as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. There is also a very nice Chardonnay from Oregon, as well as a locally crafted Chardonnay by Cave Spring in Niagara. There is also an intriguing Alvarinho from Portugal.

Enjoy my wine recommendation from this Release and stay safe during the holiday season!

Red Wine:

• LES VINS BONHOMME EL PETIT BONHOMME 2018 - DOP Jumilla, Spain (#16578) (XD) - $16.95  88 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU HAUCHAT 2018 - AC Fronsac, Bordeaux, France (#123489) (XD) - $17.95  88+ pts  wine review
• MICHEL GASSIER FLEUR DE SYRAH 2018 - AC Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#678086) (XD) - $17.95
• GÉRARD BERTRAND GRAND TERROIR LES ASPRES SYRAH / MOURVÈDRE / GRENACHE 2017 - AP Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres, France (#413245) (XD) - $19.95
• EL ENEMIGO LOS PARAISOS BONARDA 2016 - Unfiltered, single vineyard, Mendoza, Argentina (#17286) (XD) - $21.95
• TOURNON SHAYS FLAT VINEYARD SHIRAZ 2013 - Pyrenees, Victoria, Australia (#311480) (XD) - $23.95  91+ pts  wine review
  
  
  

• ELEPHANT HILL MERLOT / CABERNET / MALBEC 2016 - Hawke's Bay, North Island, New Zealand (#630517) (XD) - $28.95  91 pts  wine review
• LOVEBLOCK PINOT NOIR 2018 - Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand (#313924) (XD) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review
• HIDDEN BENCH TERROIR CACHÉ 2017 - Unfiltered, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#505610) (XD) - $44.95
• LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS PINOT NOIR 2018 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#184564) (XD) - $44.95
• CASTELLO FONTERUTOLI GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2016 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#244905) (XD) - $59.95
• DONATELLA CINELLI COLOMBINI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2013 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#113357) (XD) - $68.95  92+ pts  wine review
• GUADO AL TASSO 2017 - DOC Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy (#986380) (XD) - $161.95

White Wine:

• VONDELING PETIT BLANC CHENIN BLANC 2019 - WO Voor-Paardeberg, South Africa (#16011) (XD) - $14.95
• SPERLING MARKET WHITE 2018 - BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada (#551374) (D) - $17.95
• CAVE SPRING ESTATE CHARDONNAY 2018 - Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#256552) (XD) - $19.95
• AVELEDA SOLOS DE GRANITO ALVARINHO 2018 - Vinho Regional Minho, Portugal (#17514) (XD) - $19.95
• VIDAL ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12636) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE GENÈSE SANCERRE 2018 - AC, Loire, France (#189126) (XD) - $33.95  91+ pts  wine review
• CHARLES BAKER PICONE VINEYARD RIESLING 2017 - VQA Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#241182) (D) - $37.20  FE
• DOMAINE HAMELIN BEAUROY CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2018 - AC, Burgundy, France (#391805) (XD) - $39.95  92 pts  wine review
• ROSEROCK CHARDONNAY 2017 - Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#573568) (XD) - $42.95  FE
• LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS CHARDONNAY 2018 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#184549) (XD) - $44.95

Sparkling Wine:

• BELCANTO DI BELLUSSI EXTRA DRY PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE SUPERIORE - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#53215) (XD) - $19.95
• HENRY OF PELHAM CUVÉE CATHARINE CARTE BLANCHE ESTATE BLANC DE BLANC 2015 - Traditional method, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#315200) (XD) - $49.95

Fortified:

• GRAHAM'S 10-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#17506) (S) (200 mL) - $11.95
• MESSIAS 10-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#87205) (S) - $29.95