November 18, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Gifts for All

Here are my top wine picks from the November 18, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection which, like the last release, is unimaginatively also titled "Gifts for All". It is a good-sized release with 121 products on offer and mostly a red wine-focused release. All of these wines should be available for purchase by this Saturday, if not a couple of days earlier.

We begin with the "Gifts for All" thematic, which consists of 23 wines, 21 of which are red, and the balance made up of a single white wine and a Champagne. The theme features quite a few nice (premium) wines, with pricing starting at just under $40. Eight wines from the theme are included among my top wine picks, starting with the 2020 Super Tuscan that's featured on the cover and is a blend of 55% Sangiovese and 45% Merlot. Also from Italy is the Second Wine of Ornellaia, which consists of 50% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 11% Petit Verdot, while the other old world wine is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is made with 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah. Blends from the new world include the always iconic Purple Angel, which is a blend of 92% Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, while the Hidden Bench red wine consists of 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 16% Malbec. There are also a pair of outstanding Pinot Noirs - one from Niagara and the other from Sonoma Coast. The last recommended wine from the theme is the Champagne that is made with 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay.

Red wines from the main release include the Wine of the Month, which is from Ventoux in Rhône and consists of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache. Also from France, the Roussillon red is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah. Other blends include the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that is composed of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Canaiolo, while the blend from Drama in Greece consists of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Agiorgitiko.

Among my white wine picks, the Rhône white is a blend of 60% Viognier, 15% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, 8% Clairette, 5% Bourboulenc, and 2% Grenache Blanc, while the Spanish wine is a 50/50 blend of Viura and Tempranillo Blanco that was aged in French oak barrels. The mono-varietal white wines are all from the Southern Hemisphere - a Semillon from Hunter Valley, a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, and a Chardonnay from South Australia.

Other recommendations in this release include a pair of fine wines from Niagara. The first is a traditional method vintage sparkling wine that is crafted with 100% Chardonnay, while the other is a lovely Icewine made with Cabernet Sauvignon.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release!

Red Wine:

• VIA CARITATIS VOX ANGELORUM 2020 - AP Ventoux, Rhône, France (#35622) (XD) - $17.95
• GÉRARD BERTRAND HERITAGE AN 1886 LES ASPRES GRENACHE/MOURVÈDRE/SYRAH 2019 - AP Côtes du Roussillon-Villages, France (#413245) (XD) - $18.95
• SALENTEIN RESERVE MALBEC 2021 - Estate-owned vineyards, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#640854) (XD) - $19.95
• PLANETA PLUMBAGO NERO D'AVOLA 2019 - Sustainable, DOC Sicilia, Italy (#19491) (XD) - $24.95
• WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE THE SIDING CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#333229) (XD) - $24.95  91+ pts  wine review
• KATOGI AVEROFF INIMA XINOMAVRO 2018 - PDO Naoussa, Greece (#30680) (XD) - $27.95  91 pts  wine review

 

• WINE ART TECHNI ALIPIAS RED BLEND 2019 - IGP Drama, Greece (#26944) (XD) - $29.95  90 pts  wine review
• TORBRECK WOODCUTTER'S SHIRAZ 2021 - Barossa Valley, South Australia (#927533) (XD) - $29.95
• CARPINETO RISERVA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2018 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#368910) (XD) - $32.95  91+ pts  wine review
• HIDDEN BENCH TERROIR CACHÉ 2019 - Unfiltered, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#505610) (XD) - $44.95  92 pts  wine review
• LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS PINOT NOIR 2020 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#184564) (XD) - $49.95  93+ pts  wine review

 

• XAVIER VIGNON CUVÉE ANONYME CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2019 - AP, Rhône, France (#393421) (XD) - $65.95
• FLOWERS PINOT NOIR 2021 - Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County, California, USA (#215202) (XD) - $69.95
• LE SERRE NUOVE DELL'ORNELLAIA 2021 - Second wine of Ornellaia, DOC Bolgheri Rosso, Tuscany, Italy (#606194) (XD) - $75.95  93 pts  wine review
• MONTES PURPLE ANGEL 2020 - DO Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#62364) (XD) - $95.95  94 pts  wine review
• LUCE 2020 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#685263) (XD) - $125.95  94 pts  wine review

White Wine:

• D'ARENBERG THE OLIVE GROVE CHARDONNAY 2021 - McLaren Vale/Adelaide Hills, South Australia (#702845) (XD) - $18.95
• VILLA MARIA CELLAR SELECTION SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#974527) (XD) - $19.95
• E. GUIGAL CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2022 - AC, France (#290296) (XD) - $22.95
• MARQUES DEL ATRIO 2 CEPAS BLANCO DE GUARDA VIURA / TEMPRANILLO BLANCO 2019 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#32215) (XD) - $26.95
• TYRRELL'S HUNTER VALLEY SEMILLON 2022 - Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia (#632034) (XD) - $27.95

Sparkling Wine:

• HENRY OF PELHAM CUVÉE CATHARINE CARTE BLANCHE ESTATE BLANC DE BLANCS 2017 - Traditional method, VQA Short Hills Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#315200) (XD) - $49.95  92 pts  wine review
• VILMART ET CIE GRANDE RÉSERVE 1ER CRU CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#12619) (XD) - $80.95  92 pts  wine review

Dessert Wine:

• LAKEVIEW CELLARS CABERNET SAUVIGNON ICEWINE 2017 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#471813) (S) (200 mL) - $50.00  92 pts  wine review