December 3, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Festive + Food-Friendly Wines

The December 3, 2022 LCBO VINTAGES Release is another monster of a release with many fine, high-quality, and premium-priced wines that are ideal for gift-giving or your personal cellar. "Gifts to Celebrate" is the main title of the release once again, with a focus on "Festive and Food-Friendly Wines". There are 123 wines in this release and all should be available at LCBO outlets across Ontario by this Saturday.

From the theme on "Gifts to Celebrate: Festive and Food-Friendly Wines", there are eighteen wines featured and seven are included among my top wine picks. There are a couple of white wines worth recommending from the theme and both are from France - the first is a dry Riesling from Alsace, while the second wine is a Chablis 1er Cru from Burgundy that is made with Chardonnay. There are also a couple of red wines from France and the first wine is a blend from the Haut-Médoc appellation in Bordeaux that consists of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from 45-year-old vines, while the Roussillon red is a blend of mainly Syrah and Grenache, plus Carignan. From Italy, there is a Barolo made with Nebbiolo, and a fine Amarone crafted with 40% Corvina, 40% Corvinone, and 20% Rondinella. The last wine that is part of the theme is a Malbec from Altamira in Argentina.

Red wine recommendations from the rest of the release begins in Tuscany with a pair of Super Tuscans - the Cepparello is crafted with 100% Sangiovese, while the Tignanello is made primarily with Sangiovese and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Staying in Tuscany, there are a pair of Riserva Chianti Classico wines with the version from Il Molino di Grace made solely with Sangiovese, while the version from Castelgreve is a minimum of 80% Sangiovese plus other red grape varieties. Also from Chianti Classico is a Gran Selezione that is a blend of 80% Sangiovese and the rest native varieties including Abrusco, Pugnitello, Malvasia Nera, Ciliegiolo, and Mazzese. The only other blend among my top red wine recommendations is a wine from Portugal that is made with the traditional Douro grape varieties Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, and Tinta Barroca.

White wines from the rest of the release include a pair of wines from Loire - the Sancerre is crafted with Sauvignon Blanc, while the Muscadet is made with the Melon de Bourgogne varietal. There's also a pair of Chardonnays - one from Burgundy, while the other is from Victoria in Australia. The last white wine is a sustainable Sauvignon Blanc from Chile.

Other wines in this release include a consistently well-made 10-year-old Tawny Port that is roughly equal parts Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Franca, while the Champagne is a blend of 59% Pinot Noir and 41% Chardonnay.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• KAIKEN INDÓMITO MALBEC 2019 - Altamira, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#24879) (XD) - $18.95
• CRASTO 2019 - DOC Douro, Portugal (#81588) (XD) - $18.95  89 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU HAUCHAT 2019 - AC Fronsac, Bordeaux, France (#123489) (XD) - $18.95  90+ pts  wine review
• MATILDA NIEVES MENCIA 2020 - DO Ribeira Sacra, Spain (#26322) (XD) - $18.95
• CASTELGREVE RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2018 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#344416) (XD) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review

• ERRÁZURIZ SYRAH 2018 - DO Aconcagua Costa, Chile (#387910) (XD) - $21.95  91 pts  wine review
• CASAS DEL BOSQUE GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Valle del Maipo, Chile (#353086) (XD) - $22.95  91 pts  wine review
• M. CHAPOUTIER BILA-HAUT OCCULTUM LAPIDEM 2018 - AP Côtes du Roussillon-Villages Latour-de-France, France (#643239) (XD) - $26.95  92 pts  wine review
• IL MOLINO DI GRACE RISERVA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#382945) (XD) - $28.95  92 pts  wine review
• FEUDO MACCARI SAIA NERO D'AVOLA 2018 - DOC Sicilia, Italy (#128967) (XD) - $29.95  90 pts  wine review
• CLOUDSLEY CELLARS TWENTY MILE BENCH PINOT NOIR 2018 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#11665) (XD) - $34.95  91+ pts  wine review

• CHÂTEAU COUFRAN 2009 - AC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#13399) (XD) - $37.95  92+ pts  wine review
• ROCCA BAROLO 2016 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#395103) (XD) - $41.95
• SAN FELICE IL GRIGIO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2017 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#403477) (XD) - $51.95  92+ pts  wine review
• FUMANELLI AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2017 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#475053) (XD) - $64.95  93+ pts  wine review
• ISOLE E OLENA CEPPARELLO 2018 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#12818) (XD) - $129.95
• TIGNANELLO 2019 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#986786) (XD) - $151.95

White Wine:

• LE FILS DES GRAS MOUTONS SUR LIE MUSCADET SÈVRE-ET-MAINE 2021 - AC, Loire, France (#363150) (XD) - $17.95  90 pts  wine review
• CASAS DEL BOSQUE LA CANTERA BOTANIC SERIES SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 - Sustainable, Valle de Casablanca, Chile (#28583) (XD) - $19.95
• TRIMBACH RIESLING 2019 - AC Alsace, France (#734517) (XD) - $24.95
• OAKRIDGE VINEYARD SERIES HENK CHARDONNAY 2020 - Henk Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia (#688242) (XD) - $29.95
• JEAN-MAX ROGER CUVÉE MARNES ET CAILLOTTES SANCERRE 2020 - AC, Loire, France (#196667) (XD) - $33.95  92 pts  wine review
• CHARTRON ET TRÉBUCHET CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2020 - AP, Burgundy, France (#27784) (XD) - $36.95
• DEUX ROCHES VIEILLES VIGNES POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2020 - AP, Burgundy, France (#488825) (XD) - $41.95

Sparkling Wine:

• DOM PÉRIGNON BRUT ROSÉ VINTAGE CHAMPAGNE 2008 - AC, France (#91777) (XD) - $383.95

Fortified Wine:

• BURMESTER 10-YEAR-OLD TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#223958) (S) - $29.95  91 pts  wine review