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By The Glass Roberto Viernes |
Chardonnays, merlots
will work on turkey dayNo doubt, by now you've picked up your Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc or Beaulieu Vineyards Zinfandel to serve with tomorrow's turkey. But if you haven't, there is still time to grab something for the culinary festivities.
Those wines are great for pairing with roast turkey and all the fixings, but there are alternatives that are probably more familiar. How about your tried-and-true chardonnays, merlots and one of my favorites, pinot noir?
I particularly enjoy certain wines for their intense purity of flavor. They aren't masked by too much oak, which might become bitter with certain foods. They don't overuse malolactic fermentation, meaning wines that are overly milky, or creamy tasting. They have elegance --no overblown styles of wine with screaming alcohol content. High alcohol content makes many foods taste bitter, exacerbates spiciness and deadens your palate. Lastly, they have a refreshing acidity that can help in pairing with a broader range of foods, dishes that are fatty, rich, dry (like some turkeys), even things with a citrus element.
Here are a couple of my choices if you decide to drink chardonnay this Thanksgiving, all under $20 a bottle:
The 2001 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay is a staunch favorite of many wine professionals. It exhibits all the elegance and class that I talk about and just makes me happy.
This wine is made by the world-renowned Jim Clendenen, a pioneer on the central coast whom many believe to be one of the best winemakers in California.
He is able to procure grapes from two of the best vineyards in Santa Maria Valley, the Bien Nacido Vineyard and the Rancho Vinedos Vineyard. And when you bring great fruit from great vineyard sites together with a great winemaker, you have magic!
Another Chardonnay that is just magic is the Ojai Vineyard. Non Vintage Chardonnay Why nonvintage? Adam Tolmach, another pioneer of the central coast, blended a lot of 2001 chardonnay from the famous Clos Pepe Vineyard with a touch of the 2002 Talley Rincon Vineyard to produce this lovely wine. It is soft and smooth, with tons of intense fruit. It'll go perfectly with the breast of turkey and gravy -- yeah!
I know many of you eschew white wine and go straight to the reds. Merlot is still hot on the wine scene, so why not have a plush, juicy, plummy, blackberry-ish, smooth merlot on the table?
Have you tried anything good from Chile lately? The 2000 Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre comes from Colchagua Valley -- part of the Central Valley, the "Napa Valley" of Chile -- from vines that are 60 years old. It has a concentrated, deep nose with tons of blackberry flavor and a nice but not overpowering note of spice from oak aging. At under $20 it's as good as many more expensive merlots from California.
Washington state is also making some fine merlot. Chateau Ste. Michelle, Canoe Ridge Vineyard Merlot shows with real concentration, great length of finish, without being overblown. This single-vineyard bottling can also be found for under $20.
For me, the ultimate in finesse and complexity comes from nothing less than pinot noir. Clendenen also has the magic touch with this Burgundian grape. His 2002 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Pinot Noir is a great example for those unfamiliar with this grape, at about $19 a bottle. It's ultrasmooth and has a super bouquet of cherries, sandalwood and flowers, a delicious pair for dark-meat turkey and cranberry dressing.
New to Hawaii is the 2002 Melville Estate Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills, one of the showiest and most complex pinots I've ever had in the $20 price range. It's sleek and intense without going overboard. It might be hard to find but is well worth the search.
Roberto Viernes is wine educator for Southern Wine and Spirits.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals. Write to features@starbulletin.com
