November 30, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Enjoyful Gifts

Happy Holidays! Here are my top wine picks from the November 30, 2024 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, which is yet again titled "Enjoyful Gifts". As one of the final releases of the year, this release has just over 125 products offered, and includes many, many fine options for gift-giving, your cellar, or immediate pleasure. All the wines should be available for purchase across Ontario by this Saturday, if not earlier.

We'll begin with the theme, which features 32 "Enjoyful Gifts" for holiday gift-giving, of which a dozen wines are included among my top wine picks. A couple of these enjoyful wines came through VINTAGES earlier this year, but are worth pursuing if you missed it last time - namely the Chardonnays from Niagara and Argentina. The only other white is the latest vintage of a perennially excellent Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. In the bubbles category, the Vintage Champagne is composed of 48% Chardonnay, 34% Pinot Noir, and 18% Meunier. Premium, high-quality red wines are aplenty in the theme, with Bordeaux blends a focal point. The wine by Niagara's Hidden Bench is a blend of 47% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 23% Malbec (+ other varieties), while the 2016 Haut-Médoc is made with 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. From Tuscany, the Guidalberto is composed of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Lucente is a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese. The last red blend within the theme is the Amarone, which is a blend of 35% Corvina, 40% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, and 5% Oseleta. Single-varietal wines are the Pinot Noir from Chile, the Crozes-Hermitage Syrah from the northern Rhône, and the Brunello di Montalcino, which is made of Sangiovese.

My top red wine recommendations from the main release begin in Chile with a pair of wines by Montes - the Purple Angel is a blend of 92% Carmenère and 8% Petit Verdot, while their Cabernet Sauvignon includes 10% Merlot. From Tuscany, the Oreno Super Tuscan is composed of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Petit Verdot, while the Chianti Classico is mainly Sangiovese with a small percentage of Merlot. From Rhône, the Costières de Nîmes is made with 85% Syrah, 10% Grenache, and 5% Carignan, while the Côtes du Rhône is a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. From Greece, the Neméa red is crafted with 100% Agiorgitiko, while the Achaia red is an off-dry (i.e. slightly sweet) blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Mavrodaphne, and 20% Agiorgitiko. The last red wine that needs mentioning (because it is crafted using a relatively unknown varietal) is a red from Alto Adige-Trentino in northeastern Italy that is crafted using the indigenous Teroldego grape variety.

The blends among my top white wine picks are the Côtes du Rhône Blanc, which is a blend of 60% Viognier, 15% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, 8% Clairette, 5% Bourboulenc, and 2% Grenache Blanc, and the South African white, which is a co-fermented blend of 69% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Chenin Blanc, and 5% Semillon. If you enjoy white wines with a touch of sweetness, the off-dry Riesling from Germany is your best bet.

Among my sparkling wine recommendations, the Cava from Spain is composed of 75% Macabeo and 25% Chardonnay, while the Non-Vintage Champagne is crafted with 100% Pinot Noir.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• DAUVERGNE ET RANVIER DE NATURA RERUM CÔTES DU RHÔNE 2022 - AC, France (#38881) (XD) - $17.95  90 pts  wine review
• PATERNOSTER SYNTHESI AGLIANICO DEL VULTURE 2019 - DOC, Basilicata, Italy (#51672) (XD) - $19.95
• MEZZACORONA PREMIUM COLLECTION RISERVA TEROLDEGO ROTALIANO SUPERIORE 2019 - DOC, Alto Adige-Trentino, Italy (#732222) (D) - $19.95  89 pts  wine review
• MEGA SPILEO CUVÉE III RED 2022 - PGI Achaia, Greece (#25708) (D) - $21.95  89 pts  wine review
• MONTES ALPHA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2022 - Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#322586) (XD) - $22.95  90 pts  wine review
• CLOS DE LUZ MASSAL 1945 CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Almahue, DO Valle del Rapel, Chile (#12675) (XD) - $22.95

• MAYCAS DEL LIMARÍ PINOT NOIR 2021 - Sustainable, Vegan, DO Valle del Limarí, Chile (#511105) (XD) - $27.95  91+ pts  wine review
• ESTATE PAPAIOANNOU AGIORGITIKO 2019 - PDO Neméa, Greece (#27217) (XD) - $28.95  90 pts  wine review
• CHÂTEAU DE NAGES JT 2021 - AC Costières de Nîmes, Rhône, France (#736876) (XD) - $28.95  91+ pts  wine review
• LA VITE LUCENTE 2022 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#747030) (XD) - $32.95  91 pts  wine review
• BROTTE LA ROLLANDE CROZES-HERMITAGE 2022 - AC, Rhône, France (#38864) (XD) - $32.95  92 pts  wine review

• CHÂTEAU LAROSE-TRINTAUDON 2016 - Sustainable, AC Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France (#297945) (XD) - $34.95
• CLOUDSLEY TWENTY MILE BENCH PINOT NOIR 2020 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#11665) (XD) - $36.95  92 pts  wine review
• VOLPAIA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2021 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#953828) (XD) - $37.95  91 pts  wine review
• WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE BLACK LABEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2021 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#84996) (XD) - $44.95  93 pts  wine review
• HIDDEN BENCH TERROIR CACHÉ 2020 - Sustainable, Unfiltered, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#505610) (XD) - $47.95  93+ pts  wine review

• TEDESCHI ANSARI AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2019 - DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#16103) (D) - $56.95
• CORTE PAVONE BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#237263) (XD) - $76.95  93 pts  wine review
• TENUTA SAN GUIDO GUIDALBERTO 2022 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#72439) (XD) - $81.95
• ORENO 2021 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#735597) (XD) - $99.95
• MONTES PURPLE ANGEL 2021 - DO Valle de Colchagua, Chile (#62364) (XD) - $105.95  94+ pts  wine review

White Wine:

• PAUL MAS NICOLE VINEYARD SINGLE VINEYARD COLLECTION RÉSERVE VIOGNIER 2022 - IGP Pays d'Oc, Languedoc, France (#370098) (XD) - $14.95
• BOYA SAUVIGNON BLANC 2024 - Sustainable, Vegan, DO Valle de Leyda, Chile (#389726) (XD) - $15.95  89 pts  wine review
• STUDERT-PRÜM RIESLING TROCKEN 2023 - Qualitätswein, Mosel, Germany (#39765) (D) - $17.95
• WATERKLOOF CIRCLE OF LIFE 2023 - WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#284588) (XD) - $21.95
• PADDY BORTHWICK PINOT GRIS 2023 - Wairarapa, North Island, New Zealand (#555516) (XD) - $21.95
• E. GUIGAL CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2023 - AC, France (#290296) (XD) - $22.95
• EL ENEMIGO CHARDONNAY 2022 - Mendoza, Argentina (#482984) (XD) - $27.95  92 pts  wine review
• GREYWACKE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2023 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#164228) (XD) - $28.95  93 pts  wine review
• LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS CHARDONNAY 2020 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#184549) (XD) - $52.00  93 pts  wine review

Sparkling Wine:

• SEGURA VIUDAS HEREDAD RESERVA BRUT CAVA - Traditional method, DO, Spain (#558825) (D) - $39.95  91+ pts  wine review
• DRAPPIER ZERO DOSAGE BRUT NATURE PINOT NOIR CHAMPAGNE - AC, France (#179275) (XD) - $74.95
• MOËT & CHANDON GRAND VINTAGE EXTRA BRUT CHAMPAGNE 2016 - AC, France (#69773) (XD) - $122.95

Fortified Wine:

• WARRE'S QUINTA DA CAVADINHA VINTAGE PORT 2010 - Sustainable, Douro, Portugal (#39466) (S) - $59.95

Dessert Wine:

• PUKLUS PINCÉSZET TOKAJI ASZÚ 5 PUTTONYOS 2016 - Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary (#47209, 500 mL) (S) - $42.95