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Thanksgiving is a great time to get together with family and friends, but it can be a difficult meal to pair wines with due to the wide variety of foods and flavors served. We think it’s always a good idea to start off with bubbles, so why not start off with a delectable and well-made Champagne? Many appetizers are an excellent match for white wine and for the main course we like to place a few bottles of reds and whites in the middle of the table and let people choose what they like and what works the best for their palate. This year we’ll be drinking whites from France and California and reds from Spain, Italy, and California. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all the other traditional dishes pair well with whites and reds, so why not mix it up this year, but make sure to save room for pumpkin pie and apple pie paired with a delicious vintage Port from Portugal. Here is the best wine for Thanksgiving this year.
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Rare 2014 Millésime Rosé Champagne France
This delightful rosé Champagne is a blend of 60 percent Chardonnay and 40 percent Pinot Noir sourced from nine different Crus, of which five are Grand Crus and two are Premier Crus. After the primary fermentation and malolactic fermentation, it undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle with a dosage of only 9 grams per liter, so it feels very dry on the palate. It is very vibrant in the glass with persistent perlage and aromas of blood orange, strawberry, and apricot that give way to flavors of candied orange, guava, and star anise. Drink now through 2035.
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M. Chapoutier 2019 De L’Orée Blanc Marsanne Hermitage AOP Rhone Valley France
This delicious white Hermitage is made from 100 percent Marsanne that is pressed and cold settled for 24 hours. About half of the juice is vinified in 600-liter wooden barrels and the other half is fermented in large vats. The wine is aged on the lees for six months with regular batonage and then aged again in bottle. It is golden yellow in the glass with aromas of lemon zest, orange blossom, and a whiff of caramel. Full bodied in the mouth, it has flavors of lemon curd, ripe peach, and a touch of freshly ground white pepper in the finish.
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Pahlmeyer 2021 Napa Valley Chardonnay Napa Valley California
Winemaker Katie Vogt sourced grapes from Pahlmeyer Estate vineyards as well as Stagecoach, Hudson, Hyde, and Antica vineyards to make this ethereal Napa Chardonnay. Harvest lasted for 25 days, and the grapes were pressed in stainless steel tanks then transferred to French oak barrels where they completed alcoholic fermentation and subsequent malolactic fermentation, creating an elegant wine with creamy mouthfeel. The aromas of lemon blossoms, lemon curd, and baked apples lead to voluptuous heft on the palate with flavors of buttery pie crust, toasted hazelnuts, acacia honey, and lemon meringue pie. Drink now or hold for a few years, you won’t be disappointed either way.
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Aubert 2021 Larry Hyde & Sons Chardonnay Los Carneros California
Winemaker Mark Aubert was raised in St. Helena and founded Aubert wines with his wife Teresa in the late 1990s. He is known for making elegant Carneros Chardonnays and his 2021 is no exception. It is fermented and aged in French oak barrels, so it represents a more elegant version of California Chardonnay. Medium straw colored in the glass, this wine offers aromas of fresh picked apricot, Bartlett pear, and lemon blossoms. It has rounded mouthfeel with flavors of white peach, Granny Smith apple, and guava with touches of acacia honey and vanilla in the finish.
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Buoncristiani Family Winery 2019 Stagecoach Vineyard Malbec Atlas Peak Napa Valley
Winemaker Jay Buoncristiani and his team reported a “fantastic vintage in 2019 with very steady and moderate growing conditions.” Grapes were picked in October and underwent cold soaking, fermentation, and extended extraction before the wine was transferred to French oak barrels for 22 months of barrel ageing. This enticing wine is brilliant black cherry colored in the glass with aromas of Chambord, black currant, candied violet, and milk chocolate. It is medium bodied with flavors of raspberry and pomegranate and has silky soft tannins. There are juicy black fruit notes in the finish with lifted touches of dried Mediterranean herbs. Drink now through 2029.
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Il Borro 2019 Toscana Tuscany Italy
Ferruccio Ferragamo acquired the Il Borro estate in 1993 and today the estate is managed by his son Salvatore and daughter Vittoria. Their flagship wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah. It is garnet red with a violet rim and has aromas of black plum, red raspberry, bramble, new shoe leather, and tobacco leaf. Soft on entry, it features rounded tannins and flavors of ripe red and black fruits, cigar box, and a touch of powdered cocoa in the finish.
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Carlos Serres 1970 Carlomagno Gran Reserva Rioja Spain
This amazing Gran Reserva is currently 53 years old and is still drinking like a youthful wine. It is a blend of 65 percent Tempranillo, 25 percent Graciano, and 10 percent Mazuelo that was aged for 55 months in American oak barrels then aged in the bottle for 49 years before release. It is garnet colored with a rust-colored rim and has aromas of black raspberry, black plum, forest floor, and white truffle. It is soft on entry with balanced acidity, silky tannins, and flavors of ripe red and black fruits, freshly picked Shitake mushrooms, cedar, and tobacco leaf. Drink now with your Thanksgiving turkey, you’ll be very happy you did.
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R. López de Heredia 2001 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rioja Spain
Bodegas López de Heredia was founded in 1877 and currently the estate holdings include 420 acres that produce 25,000 cases of wine per year. Visitors to the winery can taste wine in the beautiful and modern tasting room designed by architect Zaha Hadid. The bodega is known for its amazing wines that are aged longer than many other Rioja wineries. The 2001 Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva is currently 22 years old and still drinks like a younger wine. It is garnet in the glass with touches of rust color at the rim. It has aromas of black berry and dried red raspberry with top notes of rich vanilla bean. It has silky tannins with generous mouthfeel and flavors of ripe black and red fruits with a touch of tobacco leaf and worn saddle leather in the finish.
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Quinta do Vallado 2019 Vintage Port Douro DOC Portugal
Winemakers Francisco Olazabal and Francisco Ferreira crafted this delightful Port wine from a field blend of grapes grown by Quinta do Vallado in the Rio Torto River Valley using 70 percent whole bunch grapes. The crushed grapes were fermented for five days in lagares after being crushed by foot treading. The resulting Port was aged in stainless steel tanks for 22 months and then bottled in August 2021. It is deep, dark, crimson red colored with aromas of raisins, stewed prunes, and fruit compote. Refreshingly sweet in the mid palate, it has flavors of fruit preserves, caramelized flan, dulce de leche alongside well moderated acidity. Drink now or lay down for two or three decades.
