Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations

As we approach the holidays, all this Pinot Noir has primed my palate for turkey and all the fixings. Pinot Noir is a natural choice for red wine at the Thanksgiving table, and in particular I would recommend these wines that I tried recently in wine class at SF Wine Center:

• Labyrinth Yarra Valley Viggers Vineyard Pinot Noir 2004 – Australia ($20)
• Seresin Marlborough Pinot Noir “Leah” 2009 – New Zealand ($40)
• JK Carriere Shea Vineyard 2005 – Willamette Valley, Oregon ($60)

As for white wines, ever since I worked at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard in the Finger Lakes region of New York, I've given Riesling and Gewurztraminer prominent seats at the table. I am not alone; recently both Food & Wine and Bon Appetit magazines featured Hermann J. Wiemer in their Thanksgiving issues. The bright fruit flavors and wonderful acidity of these wines compliment traditional Thanksgiving dishes as well as vegetarian fare.  So naturally I highly recommend drinking American this holiday with one of Wiemer's many Rieslings or other white wines, including the newly released Gruner Veltliner, which I haven't tried yet but I fondly remember installing the posts in the vineyard that produced that wine. All of these wines are around $20 or under and available in many states around the country:

• Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling 2013
• Hermann J. Wiemer Gruner Veltliner 2013
• Hermann J. Wiemer Gewurztraminer 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

Burgundy: Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges

Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges are two of the most famous and well-regarded communes in Burgundy for Pinot Noir. As part of the Cote de Nuits wine region in the Northern part of the Cote d’Or, limestone and clay soils create the perfect environment for complex Pinot Noir. Of course, Burgundy is known for its varied and coveted terroir within each sub-region’s individual vineyards, so full-bodied Gevrey-Chambertin wines are often designated Grand Cru, while many wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges receive Premier Cru distinction. During a recent class at SF Wine Center, James Beard award-winning author and resident Pinot Noir expert, Jordan Mackay, took us through a flight of beautiful red Burgundy from these two regions.

The first four wines came from Nuits-Saint-Georges; three of these were Premier Cru. I particularly enjoyed the 1995 Robert Chevillon, with its floral but rustic perfumed nose that smelled like autumn in a glass. Super smooth on the palate, the velvety body was balanced by a nice acid profile.  The 2001 Dominique Laurent smelled like pickles at first, which I didn’t mind, but as it opened up I enjoyed the violets and roses on the nose and the lingering finish.

The next four wines from Gevrey-Chambertin were a bit more complex and earthy. My favorite, the 1998 Domaine des Chezeaux Grand Cru, had a funky, earthy nose with spice, fruit and flower on the elegant palate; this wine had great texture.

Many of the wines kept changing in the glasses as we tasted them, reminding us that wine is a living thing that constantly evolves in its various environments.

Jordan had some suggestions for wine touring in Burgundy, which is a great way to learn about the terroir. From CDG in Paris it’s about a 3-hour train ride into Beaune, the town he recommended staying in; from there you can drive around the region or bike around the vineyards. This trip may be next on my travel wishlist.

Pinot Noir Around the World

The world of Pinot Noir stretches way beyond Burgundy – though each new world version is compared to the French mother lode. Known the world over as a finicky grape, Pinot Noir is difficult to maintain since it ripens so early and is prone to rot due to its thin skin. Genetically unstable, many different clones exist and can have marked differences. In this wine class at SF Wine Center, Master Sommelier Gillian Ballance described Pinot Noir as “charming – exhibiting grace as well as power.” She took us through a varied flight of Pinot Noir from places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in addition to Burgundy, Oregon and California.

First, a well-aged Pinot from Central Coast: Calera Mt Harlan Jensen Vineyard 1999, grown on one of the few limestone vineyards in California, which was planted in 1974. It was very much alive, with balsamic, stewed fruit and good tannin. Further north in Willamette Valley, Oregon, J.K. Carriere held the crowd favorite with the 2005 Shea Vineyard – a little funky on the nose but very Burgundian, with nice spice and good acidity. 

Over on the other side of the world, South African Pinot from Hamilton Russell showed its funky side with some rubber, pine and earthiness that was quite interesting and unique. Gillian explained that South Africa's wine areas lack certain minerals in the soil, so the addition of these minerals contributes to their "rubbery" quality.

Finally, we went down under to Australia’s Yarra Yarra valley in the Victoria district, a cooler area on the southern coast of the country. This wine is beautiful with pomegranate, cranberry and great acidity. It brought me back to a trip I took to this area in 2009, when I sampled my first Aussie Pinot and took a $25 bottle back home with me, halfway around the world to New York, where I lived at the time. This 2004 from Labyrinth is a steal at $20! Then, from neighboring New Zealand, a 2009 Marlborough Pinot from Seresin also showed really well, with pretty fruit, leather, good acidity and a long finish. While I’m partial to Burgundy, I found these two wines to be the most exciting of the night (and the most affordable). 

But speaking of Burgundy, a 2008 Premier Cru from Patrice Rion Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes in Cote de Nuits showed refined fruit, floral and herbal qualities with elegant structure and a long finish. I can’t help it – Burgundy is always my favorite.

Indigenous Italy

Italy is one of the most varied wine countries in the world, particularly because they have so many indigenous varietals – over 6000! There are no generalizations to be made, especially in a country whose climates and soil are so varied from one section to another. Italian wine labeling doesn't necessarily makes thing any clearer, since sometimes the name of the grape is used and sometimes it is not. Personally, I’m always trying to learn more about Italian wines, since there are so many wines to try and many are good values. Mauro Cirilli, native of Venice and current Wine Director at Press Club in San Francisco, helped us break it down in Wine School at SF Wine Center. We started with Prosecco, the refreshing bubbly wine of the Veneto region in northern Italy. Formerly named for both the grape and the region, things got confusing when Prosecco achieved DOCG status, the highest quality designation for Italian wine, so they since went back to using the name Glera for the grape. Prosecco is not "Italian Champagne" – it’s a completely different style of bubbly wine that is meant to be light, fruity and refreshing.

Further south and off the coast of the “boot,” the Mt Etna wine region of Sicily surrounds the tallest active volcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world, with vineyards planted on volcanic soil. Mt Etna white wines are made from the grapes Carricante and Catarratto; the version we tried was dry, austere and a little bit funky.

Image of Mt Etna looming over vineyards

Vermentino, a white wine usually varietally labeled, is an expressive grape that grows in Liguria, Tuscany and Sardinia; we tried a Sardinian version grown on minerally soil, with a rich creamy palate of chamomile. Cannonau is a red Sardinian varietal that we sampled, which is their local name for Grenache or Garnacha. I love Sardinian Cannonau for its earthy and funky qualities; this one didn’t disappoint me with its barnyard, herbs, mushrooms and long finish. 

Back in the Veneto, Valpolicella is a red wine typically made from 3 grapes – Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara – each contributing important characteristics to the wine including color, tannin, spice and body. The one we tried was earthy and spicy with dried fruit character.  Refosco, a wine made from grapes with red stems, also comes from the north, in Fruili-Venezia. This wine had bright fruit and flowers with a good texture. 

Finally, on the sweeter side of things, we sampled Lambrusco, the slightly “frizzante” red wine from Emilia-Romagna, and Moscato, the floral dessert wine from Piedmont. A wide variety of wines, quite representative of Italy.