Medium ruby in colour, there’s deep cherry, red licorice and plum aromas that come with subtle pepper and earth notes. It’s dry and medium bodied, with ripe cherry, raspberry and plum flavours bordering on confected but saved by light tannins and acidity, while a hint of spice comes with some heat from the oak aging and 13.5 per cent alcohol. A decent example of Pinot Noir for those who like things more concentrated and extracted.

For those who prefer white wines, this bright and crisp Chardonnay is ideal for white meat turkey and lighter garnishes. It also combines perfectly with desserts. A glass of this wine could stand alone as a dessert, with its aromas of baked apple, graham cracker and Meyer lemon , Asian pear and mineral notes.

This Pinot Noir will complement any item on the menu. It is a wine with aromas of blackberry, cherry, leather and tobacco, and flavors of red cherry, raspberry and blackberry. Subtle hints of espresso and cocoa beans underpin notes of exotic spices and toast, making it the ideal accompaniment to any of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

11 wines to gift and celebrate with this holiday season
With summer now just a distant memory, many wine lovers are transitioning their go-to-wines for the upcoming cool months. La Crema produces some of the best wines for their price points out of Northern California, with footprints in Sonoma and Monterey Bay. These chards are crisp enough to cool you down but are still structured and complex. The 2019 vintage, especially presents balanced acidity, with fall-friendly notes of baked apple, brioche, and Asian pear.

Juicy raspberry and cherry, aniseed, with a stony ferrous edge, dried flowers and chamomile. Medium-bodied, red fruits with a sappy and savoury edge, tannin is firm and stony, plenty of red berry flavour, though keeps itself pretty neat, with supple grip on a very long and bright finish. Tannin is a highlight. Kind of jubey as at now, though its future feels assured. Excellent.

Meaty, minty, a bit of truffle, black fruit and spice. This is distinctly savoury, kind of truffle and meat thing, with a sappy and slightly vegetal character, though does sport some cherry and banana fruit flavours. Finish is pretty grainy and firm, with a twist of amaro, and spiciness. It’s a wine of interest, for sure, and has no shortage of character.

Obtained from 100% Cabernet Franc, the Arcanum 2016 ages in barriques (80% new) for 12 months. Son of an excellent vintage at these latitudes, it offers aromas of various timbres, from ripe berries to cedar, from resin to licorice, from balsamic herbs to tobacco, from undergrowth to spices. Material and powerful on the palate, it has a juicy and balanced development, well played between the dense tannic articulation and the acidic fragrance, which accentuates a long and persistent finish with both fruity and balsamic returns.

Easier-than-pie Thanksgiving wine choices
The 2020 Siduri Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir is spicy, dark and woodsy, with raspberry fruit and fine tannins.

What a great word archetypal is. Although it’s one of those words that annoying wine writers like me use, but most normal humans would never put in a sentence.
‘Yeah, Matt is the archetypal builder now he has a Ford Ranger’.
No one says that.
Anyway, archetypal is how to describe this Yangarra Ironheart Shiraz 2019, which is everything you’d want in a McLaren Vale Shiraz – a big, chunky, mid-palate driven Shiraz of real flavour volume.
Now, Ironheart comes off Block 15 on the Yangarra property, which has ironstone gravel soils. Power of suggestion, but I can see the ferrous ironstone here. Plush purple fruit, but compact in a warm year style (rather than open and juicy) if a little drying at the edges. That purple fruit volume is proper flagship-level stuff – a flow of Ribena and plum, with thick cut tannins, a kick of alcohol warmth and chew through the finish.
Long, powerful and mouthfilling, this is an impressive Shiraz.
Best drinking: go now or in a decade. Your choice!
Would I buy it? Well worth a bottle.

For the Wine Enthusiast
Incredibly focused and defined, the 100% Cabernet Franc showcases aromas of mulberry, Asian spice, black tea, and graphite. Loaded with dense fruit and spice on the palate, the full-bodied wine has beautifully balanced acidity and ripe, uber-fine tannins. Stunning out of the gate, this wine should provide cellaring rewards for years to come.

Easy to Find Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations - 2018 Penner Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

A Wine from a Producer That Exemplifies Sustainability:
2020 Yangarra Estate Vineyard Ovitelli Grenache (Australia, South Australia, McLaren Vale)
I am so glad that this producer satisfies two things I wanted to talk about here today: McLaren Vale Grenache and a leader in sustainability in the vineyards. The McLaren Vale Grenache story is a very important one to the global world of Grenache. Grenache, the grape that loves sun, thrives on a bit of water and throws a huge crop that is susceptible to high alcohol and robust tannins. Grenache, that in McLaren Vale has the propensity to express in a balanced, ripe, low-pH frame, littered with blood, ferrous, red fruits and a plume of tannin through the fruit that feels both firm and finely milled at once. These wines are growing up to be the pride of Australia in this space, and this Ovitelli Grenache has been matured entirely in concrete egg. The tannins derived solely from the grape. A marvel, and one that warms not just the belly but the soul too, knowing that only good things go into the biodynamic/organic vineyard, and only good things come out. A singular wine style.

How to pair red wines with the Thanksgiving feast
Our first wine is a 2018 La Crema Pinot Noir Fog Veil Russian River Valley – Sonoma County. The grapes for this wine come from neighboring vineyards to their Saralee’s Estate. The primary clones are Pommard and Flowers, first planted in 1996, and the wine is aged for 14 months in 100 percent French oak. The color is a ruby red. To the nose there are notes of black cherry, raspberry and baking spices. To the tongue, there is black plum and pomegranate, balanced by fine tannins, with very slight acidity. As the name implies, a late afternoon fog visits the valley daily, ensuring slow and steady ripening, leading to the grape’s slight acidity. Historically Russian River Valley pinot noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to riper fruit and bolder wines, exhibiting black cherry and blackberry notes over the more traditional pinot noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and sour cherry. This is a bolder pinot noir worth trying and comparing to an Oregon or Burgundian-sourced pinot noir.

An inviting, fruit-driven style, with a gorgeous display ofplum puree and blackberry confiture pumping along,flanked with licorice and apple wood and kept honestwith a loamy accent through the finish. Polished in feeloverall, but that belies the serious grip. Drink nowthrough 2036.

As winemaker for Jackson Family’s high-end Napa Valley brands – Cardinale, Lokoya and Mt. Brave – Chris Carpenter has a sure hand with Cabernet Sauvignon, whether the fruit comes for the Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder, the benches along the valley floor or somewhere else from Jackson’s holdings. Although the vintage and the terroir certainly have an influence, Carpenter’s Cabs seem to always be assertive while maintaining a core of seductive fruit down the middle of the taste – and Carpenter is as intelligent and interesting a winemaker as you will come across – an added plus for visitors to the estate. The Mt. Brave fruit comes from the same Mt. Veeder vineyard that Chateau Potelle owned for several years, The 2018 vintage has lovely aromas – not always a feature of Cabernets – that is reflected in the rich fruitiness on the palate with lots of fresh vanilla and old oak notes that come across soon after opening as almost like a vinous cheesecake. With airing, the lusciousness is somewhat lessened, and the wine lengthens out to show savory notes and good finishing acidity. In sum, it is one of those fascinating wines that should evolve significantly in the bottle.

A compelling wine, broad-shouldered yet detailed, offering expressive blueberry and guava flavors, which take on bitter chocolate and forest floor accents as this builds toward medium-grained tannins. Drink now through 2030.

Vivid, with açaí, boysenberry and blackberry puree steaming through, buttressed by a prominent cast iron note that lends a racy, driven feel from start to finish. A wine of fresh power. Best from 2023 through 2036.

Like a brooding teenager, this Pinot has a lot going for it but patience is required. Offers notes of blueberry, stony minerality and forest floor framed by a tannic bite on the finish. Best from 2023 through 2030.

Pulsating with tension and balancing snappy acidity with simmering tannins, this offers lively cherry and strawberry flavors flanked by savory herbs, bittersweet chocolate and spice. Still coming together, but will bloom in time. Best from 2023 through 2030.

Ripe, but compact and restrained in feel, with a core of raspberry, blackberry and mulberry fruit keeping energy in reserve, while light sassafras, licorice and apple wood notes add range through the finish. Drink now through 2032.

Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of cranberries, raspberries and cherries. Flavors of cranberries, strawberries and raspberries. Medium to tart acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink over the short term.

This is reserved in style but has a nice well of loganberry and mulberry fruit, with subtle apple wood, loam and licorice root notes. A flash of sweet bay leaf flickers in the background, too. Polished feel overall. Drink now through 2032.

Ripe and expressive in feel, with a polished core featuring a tasty set of sweet bay leaf, licorice and cassis flavors that glide through. Ends with a lightly toasted, savory finish. Drink now through 2032.

Generous and plump with fruit, offering rich tropical fruit and apricot flavors that sail on a long, supple finish. Drink now.

Pretty, with a high-pitched cherry and damson plum fruit profile laced with sanguine and red tea notes, which linger on the understated finish. Drink now through 2027.