November 4, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Gifts for All

Here's my top wine picks from the November 4, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection. The release is titled "Gifts for All" and includes 137 products, some of which are only available as Online & Flagship Exclusives (FE). It is a very good release with fine options at many price points, starting at $17. All of these wines should be available by this Saturday.

We'll begin with the Gifts for All thematic, which features twenty-five wines, of which seven are included among my top wine picks. The Veuve Clicquot is a blend of reserve wines from 8 different vintages and composed of 50% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, and 20% Meunier. There are a trio of lovely white wines - the Chardonnay from Le Clos Jordanne, a Pinot Grigio from northern Italy, and the indigenous Godello varietal from Spain. Giftable red wines include a Pinot Noir from Oregon, and a 2011 Rioja from Spain that is a blend of approximately 80% Tempranillo, with the rest consisting of Garnacho, Mazuelo, and Graciano. The final giftable red wine from the thematic is the Amarone, which is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.

From my red wine recommendations, the Gran Selezione Chianti Classico is typically a blend of 90-95% Sangiovese and the balance is Colorino, while the 2016 Rioja is a blend of mainly Tempranillo, plus Graciano. Other red wines include the Etna Rosso that is made with 100% Nerello Mascalese, as well as a pair of Malbec wines from Argentina.

Among my white wine picks, the only blends are the Rhône white, which is a blend of 80% Clairette and 20% Grenache Blanc, and the Greek white, which is composed of 70% Roditis Alepou and 30% Moschofilero. The white wine from Friuli is actually 100% Sauvignon Blanc, while other wines are also mono-varietal, such as the trio of Chardonnay wines from Niagara, Australia, and South Africa, as well as the Assyrtiko from Greece. For those that prefer sweeter wines, the Riesling from Mosel should be on your list, as well as the Gewurztraminer from Alsace.

At the top of my fine sparkling wine picks from the rest of the release is the 2008 vintage Champagne that is composed of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. There is also the Rosé Champagne that is a blend of 62% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, and 14% Meunier, while the 2020 sparkling wine from Niagara is crafted with 100% Chardonnay.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• EL ESTECO MALBEC 2021 - Valle de Cafayate, Salta, Argentina (#113191) (XD) - $18.00
• SAN PEDRO 1865 SELECTED VINEYARDS CARMENÈRE 2021 - DO Valle de Maule, Chile (#249201) (XD) - $18.95
• ZONTE'S FOOTSTEP HILLS ARE ALIVE SHIRAZ 2021 - Vegan, Adelaide Hills, South Australia (#522342) (XD) - $21.95
• BARÓN DE LEY GRAN RESERVA 2016 - Vegan, DOCa Rioja, Spain (#642496) (XD) - $34.95
• ROCCA DELLE MACÌE SINGLE VINEYARD TENUTA FIZZANO GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - Sustainable, DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#699454) (XD) - $35.95  91+ pts  wine review
• TORNATORE PIETRARIZZO ETNA ROSSO 2020 - DOC, Sicily, Italy (#18926) (XD) - $38.95  FE
  
• ZUCCARDI CONCRETO MALBEC 2021 - Paraje Altamira, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#455774) (XD) - $40.95
• R. LÓPEZ DE HEREDIA VIÑA BOSCONIA RESERVA 2011 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#529586) (XD) - $53.95
• RÉSONANCE PINOT NOIR 2019 - Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA (#467696) (XD) - $61.95
• MASI MAZZANO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2015 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#597476) (D) - $148.95

White Wine:

• SKOURAS CUVÉE PRESTIGE WHITE 2022 - PGI Peloponnese, Greece (#32386) (XD) - $16.95  88+ pts  wine review
• BODEGA DEL ABAD CIMA BELLA GODELLO 2021 - DO Bierzo, Spain (#35413) (XD) - $17.95
• MOUNTADAM EDEN VALLEY CHARDONNAY 2019 - Eden Valley, South Australia (#10411) (XD) - $18.95
• PIERRE SPARR GRANDE RÉSERVE GEWURZTRAMINER 2021 - AC Alsace, France (#747600) (D) - $19.95
• FAMILLE ARNAUD QUART DU ROI LAUDUN CÔTES DU RHONE-VILLAGES 2020 - AP, France (#31168) (XD) - $19.95
• PAUL CLUVER VILLAGE CHARDONNAY 2022 - WO Elgin, South Africa (#33298) (XD) - $23.95

• ALOIS LAGEDER PINOT GRIGIO 2022 - DOC Südtirol-Alto Adige, Italy (#35198) (XD) - $24.95  89 pts  wine review
• SKOURAS WILD FERMENT ASSYRTIKO 2022 - PGI Peloponnese, Greece (#32387) (XD) - $25.95  91 pts  wine review
• PETER NICOLAY BERNKASTELER BADSTUBE RIESLING KABINETT 2021 - Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany (#17605) (M) - $26.95
• ATTEMS CICINIS 2021 - DOC Collio, Friuli, Italy (#75432) (XD) - $36.95  91+ pts  wine review
• WILDEBERG SEMILLON 2021 - WO Franschhoek, South Africa (#15623) (XD) - $43.95  FE
  
• LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS CHARDONNAY 2020 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#184549) (XD) - $49.95  93 pts  wine review
• BACHELDER WISMER-WINGFIELD OUEST VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2020 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#520403) (XD) - $54.95  FE

Sparkling Wine:

• FLAT ROCK RIDDLED SPARKLING 2020 - Traditional method, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#383315) (D) - $34.95
• VEUVE CLICQUOT EXTRA BRUT EXTRA OLD CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#507889) (XD) - $114.95
• BOLLINGER BRUT ROSÉ CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#100503) (XD) - $137.95
• PIPER-HEIDSIECK RARE BRUT CHAMPAGNE 2008 - AC, France (#380915) (XD) - $288.95