December 11, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Holiday Wines

The upcoming December 11, 2021 LCBO VINTAGES Release is the final release of the year. It is a mono-thematic release that focuses on Elegant Wines for Holiday Entertaining, with many other elegant wines also available throughout the rest of release as well. All of the wines should be in stores across Ontario by this Saturday.

We begin with the theme on Elegant Wines for Holiday Entertaining, and of the thirty wines included as part of this thematic, only four wines are included among my top wine picks. First up is a lovely Lirac from Rhône that consists of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah and is also the Wine of the Month. Also part of this theme is the 2017 Amarone that is a blend of 40% Corvina, 40% Corvinone, and 20% Rondinella. Single varietal wines include a Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina, and the lone white which is a sophisticated 2020 Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

From my top red wine recommendations, there are many lovely wines worth your attention, starting with an excellent 2012 Amarone that is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara that returned to Ontario. Staying in Italy, the Valpolicella Superiore is a blend of 35% Corvina, 35% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, and 10% Rossignola / Oseleta / Negrara / Dindarella, while the red from Umbria is mainly Sangiovese with Colorino completing the blend. From Spain, the Rioja consists of 78% Tempranillo and 22% Garnacha. Some of the single varietal wines include the Barolo which is made with Nebbiolo, and the Chianti Classico that is made with Sangiovese.

Among my white wine picks, the only blend is the Soave that consists of 85% Garganega and 15% Trebbiano di Soave. Among the single varietal white wines, both Lugana wines are made with 100% Trebbiano di Lugana, while the Sauvignon Blanc from Waipara (New Zealand) was fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in old French oak barrels, and the white Burgundy is made with Chardonnay. If you prefer some sweetness, take a look at the off-dry Riesling from Niagara, or go even more sweeter with Riesling from Mosel.

Although there are many sparkling wines for celebrations in this release, just one made my list of wine picks - a Rosé Prosecco that is made with 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Nero. Other fine sparkling wine recommendations can be found in the previous release.

Enjoy my wine picks from this release! Happy entertaining and stay safe!

Red Wine:

• TEDESCHI CAPITEL NICALÒ VALPOLICELLA SUPERIORE 2019 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#984997) (XD) - $17.95  89 pts  wine review
• FABRE MONTMAYOU RESERVA MALBEC 2019 - Mendoza, Argentina (#261867) (XD) - $18.95
• LUNGAROTTI RUBESCO SANGIOVESE/COLORINO 2018 - DOC Rosso di Torgiano, Umbria, Italy (#368548) (XD) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• SAN PEDRO 1865 SELECTED VINEYARDS CARMENÈRE 2019 - DO Valle de Maule, Chile (#249201) (XD) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• SIDEWOOD SHIRAZ 2018 - Adelaide Hills, South Australia (#446146) (XD) - $19.95
• XAVIER VIGNON LIRAC 2019 - AP, Rhône, France (#636183) (XD) - $23.95  91 pts  wine review
• BODEGA PIEDRA NEGRA GRAN LURTON SINGLE VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Los Chacayes, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#980334) (XD) - $24.95  90 pts  wine review

 

• INVIVO CENTRAL OTAGO PINOT NOIR 2019 - Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand (#466029) (XD) - $24.95
• VOLPAIA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#953828) (XD) - $30.95  FE
• AURELIO SETTIMO BAROLO 2016 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#291559) (XD) - $51.95
• LA RIOJA ALTA VIÑA ARDANZA RESERVA 2012 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#315531) (XD) - $54.95
• FUMANELLI AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2017 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#475053) (XD) - $59.95
• BAROSSA VALLEY ESTATE E&E BLACK PEPPER SHIRAZ 2016 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#731620) (XD) - $99.95  93 pts  wine review
• MASI MAZZANO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2012 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#597476) (XD) - $134.95  94 pts  wine review
  

White Wine:

• RIOLITE MALVASI LUGANA GRANDE 2018 - DOC, Lombardy, Italy (#17741) (XD) - $15.95
• KEN FORRESTER OLD VINE RESERVE CHENIN BLANC 2020 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#231282) (XD) - $17.95
• ZENATO SAN BENEDETTO LUGANA 2020 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#707158) (D) - $19.95
• 13TH STREET JUNE'S VINEYARD RIESLING 2019 - VQA Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#147512) (D) - $19.95  90 pts  wine review
• PIEROPAN SOAVE CLASSICO 2019 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#946848) (XD) - $19.95
• RAPAURA SPRINGS ROHE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - Sustainable, Blind River, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12647) (XD) - $24.95
• DR. PAULY-BERGWEILER WEHLENER SONNENUHR RIESLING KABINETT 2019 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#557652) (M) - $27.95  FE
• MUDDY WATER GROWERS' SERIES SAUVIGNON BLANC 2019 - Waipara, South Island, New Zealand (#19766) (XD) - $29.95
• AUNTSFIELD SINGLE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2019 - Sustainable, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12623) (XD) - $29.95
• MARCHAND-TAWSE VIRÉ-CLESSÉ 2018 - AC, Burgundy, France (#648576) (XD) - $30.95
  

Sparkling Wine:

• MASI MODELLO MILLESIMATO BRUT ROSÉ PROSECCO 2020 - DOC, Italy (#21049) (D) - $19.95

Fortified:

• ALVEAR PEDRO XIMENEZ DE AÑADA 2017 - DOP Montilla-Moriles, Spain (#499152) (S) (375 mL) - $24.95