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, six 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 the Chablis Premier Cru that is, of course, crafted with 100% Chardonnay. The 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.


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

• LA VITE LUCENTE 2021 - IGT Toscana, Italy (#747030) (XD) - $32.95  review coming soon...
• EVANS & TATE REDBROOK ESTATE CABERNET/MERLOT 2019 - Margaret River, Western Australia (#16530) (XD) - $34.95
• KECHRIS XINOMAVRO 2020 - PGI Slopes of Paiko, Greece (#33262) (XD) - $36.95  review coming soon...
• 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  review coming soon...

• 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  review coming soon...
• DOMAINE PANSIOT CÔTE DE NUITS-VILLAGES 2021 - Sustainable, AC, Burgundy, France (#34252) (XD) - $48.95  FE  review coming soon...
• 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, Wairau Valley, 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
• GREYWACKE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#164228) (XD) - $26.95  review coming soon...
• 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  review coming soon...

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