Nov. 23 LCBO Wine Picks: The Best for the Holidays

"Our finest wines and spirits for the holidays" is the theme of the next LCBO Vintages release, which will be on shelves across Ontario on Saturday, November 23rd. It looks as though the LCBO went the extra mile with this release as the Vintages logo on the cover received the special gold foil treatment, while inside the magazine there are many, many very nice (and pricey) wines.

In the main feature of the release, there are 30 fine wines and spirits to choose from and 4 made my list of good value buys. Somewhat surprisingly, 3 are from Ontario - the Stratus Red (42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot, 15% Cabernet Franc), the Stratus White (32% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Viognier, 13% Chardonnay), and the Creekside Syrah! The 4th pick from this section is a Masi Amarone.

If you're inclined, there are many other fine wines in this release from some of the biggest names in the biz, including Beaucastel, Pahlmeyer, Silver Oak, Dunn Vineyards, Paul Hobbs, Catena, Antinori, Ornellaia, Dom Perignon, and Krug. Hidden at the back of the magazine (pages 68-71) are more stellar finds that will only be available at Vintages flagship stores.

There is no secondary feature in this release, but there could have been one on Malbecs as there a 10 Argentinean samples at various price points.

From the rest of the release, the Xavier Côtes du Rhône is a blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre, and 15% Syrah, while the the Châteauneuf-du-Pape is composed similarly using 70% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. The Aglianico from Molise is an organic wine, and strangely enough, the only organic wine in the whole release. The Crognolo is mostly Sangiovese, with small amounts of Merlot and Cab Sauv added. And last but not least, the Ardanza from Spain is a blend of 80% Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha (Grenache).

This is the second last release of the year. So, if you haven't already started stocking up for the holidays, I would highly recommend you begin now.

Enjoy my wine picks for this week! Cheers!


Red Wine:

• XAVIER CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2010 - AP, Rhône, France (#297317) (XD) - $16.95
• TERREDORA AGLIANICO 2010 - IGT Campania, Italy (#602284) (XD) - $16.95
• SALENTEIN RESERVE MALBEC 2011 - Mendoza, Argentina (#640854) (XD) - $17.95
• DI MAJO NORANTE CONTADO RISERVA AGLIANICO DEL MOLISE 2010 - DOC, Molise, Italy (#967208) (XD) - $17.95
• MENDEL MALBEC 2010 - Mendoza, Argentina (#108225) (XD) - $24.95
• TENUTA SETTE PONTI CROGNOLO 2010 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#727636) (XD) - $31.95
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2011 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#274753) (XD) - $32.95
• LA RIOJA ALTA VIÑA ARDANZA RESERVA ESPECIAL 2004 - DOCa Rioja, Spain (#315531) (XD) - $38.95
• CREEKSIDE BROKEN PRESS RESERVE SYRAH 2010 - VQA Queenston Road Vineyard, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#202127) (XD) - $39.95
• STRATUS RED 2010 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#131037) (XD) - $44.20
• BACHELDER LOWREY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2011 - VQA St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#361816) (XD) - $44.95  reviewed here
• DOMAINE LA ROQUÈTE CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE 2010 - AC, Rhône, France (#070862) (XD) - $49.95
• MASI MAZZANO AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2006 - DOC, Veneto, Italy (#215764) (D) - $99.95

White Wine:

• SANTA CAROLINA GRAN RESERVA CHARDONNAY 2010 - Casablanca Valley, Chile (#928580) (XD) - $14.95
• MICHELE CHIARLO LE MARNE GAVI 2012 - DOCG, Piedmont, Italy (#228528) (XD) - $15.95
• FEATHERSTONE BLACK SHEEP RIESLING 2012 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#080234) (M) - $16.95
• CHÂTEAU ROQUEFORT SAUVIGNON/SÉMILLON 2011 - AC Bordeaux, France (#313346) (XD) - $16.95
• PIERRE LUNEAU-PAPIN CLOS DES ALLÉES MUSCADET SÈVRE ET MAINE 2012 - Sur Lie, AP, Loire, France (#357327) (XD) - $18.95
• HAULLER MUENCHBERG RIESLING 2011 - AC Alsace Grand Cru, France (#360370) (D) - $19.95
• TALBOTT LOGAN SLEEPY HOLLOW VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 2011 - Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County, California, USA (#716290) (XD) - $27.95
• STRATUS WHITE 2010 - VQA Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (#660704) (XD) - $44.20

Fortified:

• OFFLEY 10 YEAR OLD TAWNY PORT - Btld. 2013, DOC Douro, Portugal (#297788) (S) - $25.95

The rest of the wines from this release can be found here.