December 17, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Festive Sparklers

The final release of the year is the December 17, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release and it's theme is focused on sparkling wines for festive celebrations. Also included in this release are selection of Flagship and Online Exclusive wines. All of these wines should be available in stores or online by this Saturday.

We start with the theme on Festive Sparkling Wines, with a dozen wines featured, but just one included among my top sparkling wine picks - a non-vintage Prosecco crafted with 100% Glera. Fear not, there are many other delightful bubblies throughout the release, including an excellent local offering from Niagara that is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. There is also a higher-end vintage Prosecco which is made with 100% Glera, while both wines from Champagne are blends of consisting of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with all three sparkling wines only available online or at Flagship locations.

Among my top red wine picks, the Wine of the Month is from Roussillon and it is a blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache. Other blends include a Chilean red that consists of 95% Syrah and 5% Roussanne, while the Rioja is a blend of 76% Tempranillo, 22% Garnacha, and 2% Viura. The last of the blends is the Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley which is actually consists of 94.8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4.2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, while the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is crafted with mainly Sangiovese, plus small quantities of complementary varieties. Single varietals wines from Italy include the Brunello di Montalcino that is made with Sangiovese, the Barolo made with Nebbiolo, and the wine from Umbria that is made with Sagrantino, while the wine from Beaujolais in France is crafted with Gamay.

The aren't any blends among my white wine recommendations, but it is a Chardonnay wine lover's delight with five wines in total coming from Burgundy and California, as well as a pair of lovely Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand. From Italy, the white wine from Sicily is made with the indigenous Carricante, and from Piedmont there is a nice Arneis. For those that prefer wines with some sweetness, you'll want to pick up the medium-sweet Riesling from Niagara.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from release and have a safe and happy holiday!

Red Wine:

• HOLLICK THE BARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#18525) (XD) - $17.95
• EL ESTECO BLEND DE EXTREMOS MALBEC 2021 - Valles Calchaquíes, Argentina (#24863) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• EMILIANA SALVAJE SYRAH/ROUSSANNE 2021 - Vegan, Valle Casablanca, Chile (#19246) (XD) - $19.95
• VENTISQUERO GREY GLACIER SINGLE BLOCK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Trinidad Vineyard, Valle del Maipo, Chile (#485474) (XD) - $19.95  91+ pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU ROMBEAU L'ÉLEVÉ CÔTES DU ROUSSILLON-VILLAGES 2018 - AP, Languedoc, France (#28411) (XD) - $21.95
• DOMAINE ANITA TRES VIEILLES VIGNES LES CAVES MOULIN-À-VENT 2020 - AC, Beaujolais, France (#28706) (XD) - $21.95  FE

• LUNGAROTTI ILBIO ROSSO 2020 - IGT Umbria, Italy (#16573) (XD) - $26.95  88+ pts  wine review
• DEI VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#285510) (XD) - $34.95
• COL D'ORCIA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2017 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#306852) (XD) - $54.95  92+ pts  wine review
• ROCCHE COSTAMAGNA ROCCHE DELL'ANNUNZIATA BAROLO 2017 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#413484) (XD) - $54.95
• HERMANOS HERNÁIZ FINCA LA EMPERATRIZ VIÑEDO SINGULAR TINTO 2017 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#16594) (XD) - $58.95  FE
• SILVER OAK ALEXANDER VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#943472) (XD) - $143.95  93 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• TENUTA FRATELLI POVERO TERRE DEL CONTE ROERO ARNEIS 2021 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#436915) (XD) - $17.95
• ROCKWAY VINEYARDS RIESLING 2020 - Small lot, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#30739) (M) - $20
• ESK VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#12638) (XD) - $21.95  90 pts  wine review
• AUNTSFIELD SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 - Sustainable, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#663286) (XD) - $21.95
• TORNATORE ETNA BIANCO 2021 - DOC, Sicily, Italy (#577676) (XD) - $24.95
• JEAN-MARC BROCARD SAINTE CLAIRE CHABLIS 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#356634) (XD) - $28.95  91 pts  wine review
• CLOSERIE DES ALISIERS TRILOGIE DE TERROIRS POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#26440) (XD) - $37.95  92+ pts  wine review
• HARTFORD COURT RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2020 - Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA (#404277) (XD) - $44.95
• DOMAINE JEAN-MARC BROCARD CÔTE DE LÉCHET CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#181305) (XD) - $48.95  FE
• CALERA MT. HARLAN CHARDONNAY 2019 - Mt. Harlan, Central Coast, California, USA (#16406) (XD) - $70.95  FE

Sparkling Wine:

• BELCANTO DI BELLUSSI SPECIAL CUVÉE EXTRA DRY PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE SUPERIORE - DOCG, Italy (#53215) (D) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
• 13TH STREET PREMIER CUVÉE SPARKLING 2015 - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#142679) (XD) - $39.95
• PRIMO FRANCO GRAVE DI STECCA BRUT PROSECCO 2016 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#422758) (D) - $48.95  FE
  
• FRESNE DUCRET LA GRANDE HERMINE 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE 2008 - AC, France (#14636) (XD) - $79.95  FE
• MARC HEBRART MES FAVORITES VIEILLES VIGNES BRUT CHAMPAGNE 1ER CRU - Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, AC, France (#26655) (XD) - $79.95  FE

Dessert Wine:

• LAKEVIEW CELLARS CABERNET SAUVIGNON ICEWINE 2017 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#471813) (S) (200 mL) - $39.95  92 pts  wine review

Fortified Wine:

• CALEM 20-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#10902) (S) - $56.95