Greetings and salutations!  As your humble Wine Bargain Sleuth peeks at his Outlook calendar he is somewhat surprised to see that the pending countdown to Thanksgiving, that uniquely American holiday and excuse to polish off a week’s worth of calories in between the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys football games with impugnity. That, of course, can only mean that it is high time for this month’s Chapter to unveil our recommendations to allow you sleuths to shine with your thoughtful wine selections at your own annual battle for the turkey leg with your families, friends, significant others and hungry, random strangers who popped in to purloin your dressing and that last piece of pumpkin pie!

 

As with last year’s list, we will break the main categories down into Value Wines that will satisfy the pickiest of wine snobs yet will not burn up that new Visa card with the fancy chip and Worth A Splurge Wines to be acquired when it’s an occasion to say, with apologies to Tom Cruise, “What the … Heck.”  What is new from last year is that most selections will have a suitable alternative in the same varietal to help your shopping.   What can we say, your Wine Bargain Sleuth is a giver!

 

Our list will include primarily domestic wines (after all, this is a holiday about the US of A!) and a few worthy foreign jobs.   It will include the usual varietal suspects and more than a few outside the dots recommendations.   But at the end of the day, you should select what you and your loved ones enjoy and that will complement what you or your host is serving.   As with all pairings of food and wine, your best strategy is to either select a wine that either complements or contrasts the main course or side dishes.  With those simple guidelines, let the selections begin:

 

Value Wines:

It is difficult to go wrong with the classics.  Assuming that roast turkey is the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving feast, a classic California Chardonnay or a Russian River Pinot Noir is a quality choice.   If you are sleuth that like to zig when others zag, a sparkling wine is also a clever way to go.  No worries–we have you covered! As Value Wines, the maximum retail will not exceed $18 per bottle, which is wine sleuth code for you should be able to get the bottle for several sheckels less with careful shopping.  Without further ado, the drumroll, please:

 

Bogle 2013 Chardonnay (California).  Year in, year out, those clever folks at Bogle continue to be among the leaders in the value curve of domestic wine.   The Bogle 2013 Chardonnay is no exception.  Think of this Bogle offering as a blind tasting buster at a bargain bin suggested retail of $10.  Talk about some value, folks?!!    The 2013 Bogle Chardonnay is in short a foodie’s Chard, with lively acidity to cleanse one’s palate from the cornucopia of rich foods.   Its flavor profile is one of crisp apples and pears with a hint of vanilla and just a touch of cinnamon spice for complexity.   Utter balance and and a smooth, slightly buttery touch will make your guests reach for a second (or third) glass.  But hey, at this price point, buy a few extra bottles for crazy Aunt Mildred.   Recently selected as Number 6 on the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Buys of 2015, the 2013 Bogle Chardonnay (California) is a great selection.

Alternative Selection:   Kirkland Signature 2013 Signature Series Chardonnay (Russian River Valley).  Available at a very reasonable $13 per bottle, the Kirkland Signature Series 2013 Chard is also a great value, and might be preferred by those who enjoy their Chardonnay a bit more Oakey and with a sharper, lemon-dominated profile.

 

Cameron Hughes Lot 403 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.  Those of you who follow The Wine Bargain Sleuth regularly are undoubtedly familiar with Cameron Hughes’ terrific wines.   In fact, it is fair to say that we could easily feature a Cameron Hughes wine as a recommended Value Wine each month.  The savvy wine sleuths understand the value that all Cameron Hughes wines bring in terms of bang for your hard earned buck, and the Lot 403 Russian River Pinot is no exception.  Retailing for $18 in stores or on the website, www.chwine.com, this is a classic, bold Pinot Noir from Russian River.  Lot 403 has classic dark cherry and cola notes, with a bit of raspberry for a little zing, followed by an earthy, polished finish that will stand up to turkey, whether roasted or deep fried.  This is no watery, wimpy Pinot for your table.   As with virtually every Cameron Hughes wine I have sampled, the Lot 403 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir far outdrinks its price point.  Your guests will keep asking for just one more glass.  

Alternative Selection:  Want even more wine value for your budget?   Try the Line 39 2013 Pinot Noir (California) for a mindblowing $11 per bottle retail.   This Line 39 Pinot sourced from numerous California grapes has a lovely and attractive nose and will drink with many much higher priced Pinots with its elegant and balanced finish.   It is lighter bodied than the Cameron Hughes offering above while managing to be satisfying.    Wine Enthusiast awarded this modestly priced wine an impressive 90 rating.  What’s not to like?

 

Gruet Brut NV.  Does your Thanksgiving posse have a taste for expensive Champagne but your budget is decidedly of the beer nature?    Problem solved:  Gruet Brut NV.  This remarkable sparkler from New Mexico — just imagine the fun of quizzing your guests as to the source of this remarkable wine! — is from a bona fide winemaking family with French Champagne roots, and it will compete and win many blind tastings with Champagnes costing 3 times its suggested retail of $14.99. Hell, when it comes down to it, there’s really no excuse not to have a couple of bottles of the Gruet Brut NV in your cellar or fridge at this price point.   What occasion is not made more fun and grin-invoking with a great glass of bubbles?  The full-bodied sparkler has lovely tiny bubbles (like the best of Champagne’s efforts) and has a dry, apple and citrus profile with just a hint of toast.   Wine Spectator bestowed a very solid 89 rating on this one.  And it’s made right here in the good old USA, not far from Walter’s mythical meth labs of Breaking Bad…never mind.

Alternative selection:   If you are thinking European for your bubbles, then I recommend that you consider the Mercat Brut Nature Cava NV.  Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate loves this value sparkler, awarding a salty 91 rating on a Cava that retails for a very modest $14.   It has flavors of apricot and pears and a hint of cream for balance, and it will definitely successfully pair with Thanksgiving feasts!

 

Worth a Splurge Wines:

Rombauer Chardonnay Carneros 2013.  Long a personal favorite California Chardonnay, the 2013 vintage is really everything that a great Chardonnay should be:  food friendly, rich without being overly buttery, with lively acidity and a gorgeous key lime finish that makes one reach for another sip.  As Worth a Splurge Wines go, this Rombaurer Chardonnay 2013 is a relative bargain, retailing for $36.   This vintage’s quality is such that it was awarded a strong 93 rating and named as Number 35 on this year’s Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines list.  If you want to splurge a bit without breaking the bank, this is your huckleberry for this year’s Thanksgiving feast.

Alternative selection:  For roughly half the price of the terrific Rombauer Chardonnay, a clever alternative is the Treshen White Santa Barbara County 2013.  Technically not a Chardonnay, but a clever blend of Viognier, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Chard, the Treshen White 2013 is nevertheless a wonderful and enticing white to pair with Thanksgiving foods.   Also a member of the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines at Number 29, the Treshen White offers hints of orange blossom and honeysuckle, with a lovely finish of green tea and refreshing acidity.   

 

2013 Siduri Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir–Santa Lucia Highlands.  If you enjoy your Pinots with complexity and personality, then the 2013 Siduri Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir–Santa Lucia Highlands may be the selection for your Thanksgiving table.  A blend of two highly decorated vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Central California, this Pinot is simply amazing.  Priced at $55, this is classic Central Coast Pinot, with immediate earthiness balancing the dark fruit initially, followed by a healthy dollup of cranberries and raspberries, and wrapped up beautifully by a lingering earthy and satisfying finish reminiscent of bacon and meats.   Winemaker Adam Lee has been making a name for himself and the Siduri label for years, and if you have yet to sample his craftsmanship, this is an outstanding opportunity.  Wine Enthusiast laid a healthy 93 rating on this one, and your humble Wine Bargain Sleuth believes that might be a touch low for this quality.

Alternative selection:  Want to splurge but have to save a little  in the budget for dessert?  One simply cannot go wrong with the Meiomi 2013 Pinot Noir Monterrey-Sonoma-Santa Barbara Counties.   Formerly a part of the Belle Glos Pinot family until a recent separation and eye-opening sale to a conglomeration, the fine folks at Meiomi have managed to keep a good thing going, following the terrific 2012 vintage with a near mirror image 2013 Pinot Noir.  Wine Spectator continues to think highly of this wine, awarding a 92 and naming it the Number 20 of their Top 100 Wines list.  Best of all:   this quality of California Pinot Noir at a $22 retail.  Wow!

 

Duckhorn 2012 Merlot (Napa Valley).  Let’s face it, not everyone is a Chardonnay or Pinot Noir fan.   For those Big Red and others fans, a more substantial bodied-red may be the ticket.   In that case, it’s hard to beat the Duckhorn 2012 Merlot (Napa Valley) at its suggested retail of $55.   Powerful flavors of dark berries and mocha yet refined and elegant enough to complement rather than overpower the roast turkey, dressing and sides, the Duckhorn 2012 Merlot is a wine to be savored.   Awarded a strong 91 rating by Wine Enthusiast, this beautiful Big Red will satisfy those fans of Cabs and the Bordeaux blends.

Alternative selection:  Peju 2012 Merlot (Napa Valley).  This elegant Bordeaux blend was awarded a 94 rating by the QRW Magazine and a Double Gold int the San Francisco Chronicle Wine.   Priced at a reasonable $35 per bottle, this lovely Peju Merlot tastes of hints of cocoa and raspberries, totally balanced and lovely to pair with either the main course of turkey or ham or with a gooey pecan pie.  Long a house favorite.

 

Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley L’Ermitage 2007.  If you haven’t sample a domestic sparkler that can and does hold its own against the Champagnes, then you are in for a treat with the Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley L’Ermitage 2007.   Incredibly smooth and elegant, this bubbly has a hint of baked apple and a hint of red berry.  Tiny, elegant bubbles enhance the experience and bring large smiles to the consumer.   Wine Spectator awarded a strong 93 rating and named the sparkler Number 60 on the Wine Spectator Top 100 List.   I had the opportunity to sample this one at a recent wine event, and I can still taste the liquid elegance.

 

Wine Thought for the Day:

A shout out to my occasional traveling buddy Captain Rob Richardson for this one:

 

It’s no longer “Box Wine”;    The classy term is “Cardboardeaux”.

 

Finally, I would like to repeat my annual Thanksgiving blessing to each of you:

 

May you share your Thanksgiving feast with those whom you love and those who love you, and may your plate be filled and your wine glass overflowing…until it’s time to watch the Cowboys game!

 

Until next month– Cheers!

© The Wine Bargain Sleuth 2015—All Rights Reserved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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