December 2, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Fine Wines for Festive Entertaining

Here's my top wine picks from the second last release of the year - the December 2, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection that features Fine Wines for Festive Entertaining. It is a very big release with 155 products on offer, including a rather large collection of nearly 50 wines that are available as Online and Flagship Exclusives (FE). The price creep also continues with not many wines under $20. All of the wines will be available for purchase by this Saturday.

We begin with the theme on Fine Wines for Festive Entertaining, and of the twenty-one wines featured in the theme, eight are included among my top wine picks. Starting at the top is a very fine vintage bubbly from sparkling wine specialist 13th Street Winery in Niagara that is crafted with 54% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir. White wines from the theme are the Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and a pair of 100% Chardonnay wines - one from Argentina, and the other is a Chablis Premier Cru from Burgundy. Most of my recommended red wines from the theme are all blend variations of Cabernet and Merlot: the 2010 Bordeaux is composed of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, the Lucente Super Tuscan is a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese, while the blend from Western Australia is crafted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The lone mono-varietal red is a lovely Pinot Noir from the Côte de Beaune village of Saint-Romain, in Burgundy.

My top red wine picks from the main release begins with the latest vintage of the iconic Ornellaia that is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. There are two other blends and both are from Montes - the Wings Carmenère is actually a blend of 85% Carmenère and 15% Cabernet Franc, while the Alpha Special Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 5% Carmenère. The rest of the red wines are mono-varietal, including the Pinot Noir from Burgundy.

The six wines among my top white wine recommendations from the main release are made up of a pair of Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand, and a pair of Chardonnay wines - one each from Niagara and Chile. There are also a pair of Riesling wines - the Australian version is crafted in a dry style, while the German Riesling is deliciously very sweet. Additionally, the traditional method vintage sparkling wine from Jackson-Triggs is crafted with 70% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir, and 3% Pinot Meunier.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• MONTES LIMITED SELECTION PINOT NOIR 2022 - DO Aconcagua Costa, Chile (#37937) (XD) - $15.95  88+ pts  wine review
• TARAPACÁ GRAN RESERVA CARMENÈRE 2021 - DO Valle del Maipo, Chile (#57513) (XD) - $16.95  89 pts  wine review
• MONTES ALPHA SPECIAL CUVÉE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020 - DO Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#649160) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• CATENA APPELLATION AGRELO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020 - Agrelo, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#484303) (XD) - $22.95
• NEIL ELLIS SYRAH 2021 - WO Groenekloof, South Africa (#33289) (XD) - $24.95
• SANTA RITA FLORESTA CARMENÈRE 2021 - DO Apalta, Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#34733) (XD) - $27.95  91 pts  wine review

• KECHRIS XINOMAVRO 2020 - PGI Slopes of Paiko, Greece (#33262) (XD) - $29.95  91 pts  wine review
• LA VITE LUCENTE 2021 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#747030) (XD) - $32.95  91 pts  wine review
• EVANS & TATE REDBROOK ESTATE CABERNET/MERLOT 2019 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#16530) (XD) - $34.95
• BICHOT SAINT-ROMAIN PINOT NOIR 2018 - AC, Burgundy, France (#33708) (XD) - $41.95  91+ pts  wine review
• GREYSTONE PINOT NOIR 2019 - Waipara Valley, North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand (#30151) (XD) - $43.95
• CHÂTEAU COUFRAN 2010 - AC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#325555) (XD) - $43.95  93 pts  wine review

• CASAS DEL BOSQUE PEQUEÑAS SYRAH 2021 - Vegan, sustainable, small parcels, DO Valle de Casablanca, Chile (#34737) (XD) - $44.95  FE  92+ pts  wine review
• WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE BLACK LABEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#84996) (XD) - $47.95  93 pts  wine review
• DOMAINE PANSIOT CÔTE DE NUITS-VILLAGES 2021 - Sustainable, AC, Burgundy, France (#34252) (XD) - $48.95  FE  93 pts  wine review
• MONTES WINGS CARMENÈRE 2019 - DO Apalta, Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#33354) (XD) - $67.95  FE  93 pts  wine review
• ORNELLAIA 2020 - DOC Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy (#722470) (XD) - $276.95  95 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• SONS OF EDEN FREYA RIESLING 2022 - Eden Valley, South Australia (#12652) (XD) - $19.95
• VILLA MARIA WAIRAU VALLEY RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#536201) (XD) - $20.95
• STAETE LANDT ANNABEL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#648691) (XD) - $25.95
• EL ENEMIGO CHARDONNAY 2022 - Mendoza, Argentina (#482984) (XD) - $25.95  92 pts  wine review
  
• GREYWACKE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#164228) (XD) - $26.95  92 pts  wine review
• SANTA RITA FLORESTA CHARDONNAY 2021 - DO Punitaqui, Valle del Limarí, Chile (#34732) (XD) - $27.95  FE  91 pts  wine review
• STUDERT-PRÜM WEHLENER SONNENUHR RIESLING SPÄTLESE 2020 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#114777) (S) - $27.95  FE
• ON SEVEN THE PURSUIT CHARDONNAY 2019 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#25856) (XD) - $48.00  FE
• VINCENT DE LA REMONDIÈRE LES FOURCHAUME CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2020 - AC, Burgundy, France (#32956) (XD) - $51.95  93 pts  wine review

Sparkling Wine:

• JACKSON-TRIGGS ENTOURAGE GRAND RESERVE BRUT SPARKLING 2017 - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#234161) (D) - $34.95  91 pts  wine review
• 13TH STREET PREMIER CUVÉE SPARKLING 2017 - Traditional method, VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#142679) (XD) - $39.95  93+ pts  wine review

Fortified Wine:

• CROFT RESERVE TAWNY PORT - DOP, Portugal (#538983) (S) - $18.95