California Wines

When it comes to pairing wine with Thanksgiving cuisine, let's keep it simple and relaxed this year, shall we? There's no need to get too fussy. For a streamlined way to pair everything from the cheese plate to the turkey to the pumpkin pie, I'm recommending a few varietals (a sparkling, white, and red), as well as a few of the YumSugar team's favorite bottles, at both affordable and splurge-worthy price points. Here's hoping that you and your family sip with utter enjoyment this holiday. Cheers!

Sparkling Ros

Although still a rare sight, sparkling red wines are quickly gaining ground in wineries and restaurants across the United States. My first experience with this effervescent treat was a few years back at De Kas in Amsterdam, and more recently, I've seen the varietal hit Gioia Pizzeria, my go-to local pizza place. Generally speaking, Italian Brachetto and Lambrusco are what's on offer, as they're the most well-known examples of red sparklers, but there are a handful of worthy bottles produced on our own home turf.

Today's bottle comes from Northern California's Chandon Winery, a proud maker of an exceptional sparkling red ($30). This Pinot Noir and Zinfandel blend is currently exclusively available at the winery, making a visit to the gorgeous Yountville location all the more enticing, and here's why.

Mention Sonoma or Napa in a conversation, and most people will nod their heads in recognition; sadly, the same can't be said of Mendocino, even though its high elevation and moist, mineral-rich soil make it an ideal region for wine production. Near tailor-made for Pinot Noir (a favorite around Sugar HQ), discover Mendocino's finest with a bottle of 2009 La Follette Manchester Ridge Pinot Noir. While it's on the pricier side at $50 a bottle, the carefully crafted wine exemplifies the vibrant Pinots that come out of this up-and-coming area.

The wine's cherry and rose scent coaxed us to pour a glass on the heavier side, and as we sipped, the flavor bloomed on our palates. Smooth yet smoky, jammy yet peppery, and floral yet earthy: each sip built upon itself with new notes. Although many Pinot Noirs are thinner bodied and lower in tannins, this wine held its own without being overly acidic. We'd pair it with rich, crispy duck confit or a vegetarian entrée with portobello mushrooms.

It's the final week of our wine month, and we were not about to turn a blind eye to the bottle of the 2010 Landmark Overlook Chardonnay ($25) sitting in our wine collection. Admittedly, 2009 is my preferred year for Chardonnay (cue the eye rolls), thanks to the buttery, oaky flavors prominent in that vintage, but I'm always willing to try another 2010 in hopes of finding that elusive flavor profile that my appetite craves. While, this bottle was more typical of Sonoma's 2010 run and is zestier and more acidic than I prefer, there is still much to praise.

Upon opening, the Chardonnay held so much promise. A robust perfume of toasted wheat, brown butter, and toasted oak filled the air. Yet on the tongue, it was sharp, citrusy, and pucker inducing, much like preserved lemon. While this particular style of Chardonnay might be too overwhelming for daytime drinking and light salad lunches, a well-chilled bottle would play nicely with creamy Gruyere, or butter-slathered seafood, spritzed with fresh lemon wedges. The 2010 Landmark Overlook Chardonnay may not have the exact smoothness of the Chardonnays I crave, but it's a worthy bottle to pair with late Summer and early Fall suppers.

Over the course of wine month, we've discovered each of us gravitates toward certain varietals in our wine collection. I'm usually not one to crave a red wine in the middle of the afternoon, but a bone-chilling day in San Francisco called for a robust bottle of red to warm the office.

Thinking we were in for a heavy, tannic Cab, I reached to open the 2008 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($70) for a little office tasting. To our surprise, the wine was surprisingly mellow, with brandied cherries, cinnamon, and chocolate hitting the nose and palate. I was fully anticipating a mouth-puckering, fuzzy-sweater finish, but the tannin finish was velvety, leaving only a subtle trace of its presence behind.

Midtasting, I noticed something very rare take place: tasters lingered around the bottle, refilling their glasses with another splash until the bottle reached its last drop in record time, a clear indicator that the wine is worth its weightier price tag. I returned to my desk a little warmer — and with a greater understanding of the potential of an Alexander Valley Cabernet.

As an educated consumer, I try not to read too much into labeling (after all, it's often naught but a marketing ploy) but was nonetheless intrigued by the 2010 Caricature Red Wine's ($15) claim to be a "wine of character with great legs." While from the outset that statement may seem glib, the LangeTwins Family Winery wasn't joking around: we unanimously agreed that this Cabernet Sauvignon-Zinfandel blend possessed great "legs" and a silky smooth mouthfeel to boot.

I don't generally find big reds to be very drinkable on their own, and prefer to enjoy them with a meal, but was surprised by how smoothly the sips went down, despite Caricature's earthy flavor profile and 14.2 percent alcohol content. Perhaps it was due to a case of the Tuesdays (far more vicious that the Mondays, one might argue), but the wine's velvety texture largely contributed to our copious consumption. Still, I'm pretty sure this bottle would be equally appropriate enjoyed under celebratory circumstances, whether sipped solo or enjoyed as part of a sumptuous meal with friends.

Chardonnay typically runs in two veins: either crisp and apple tart or buttery and oaky. People feel strongly about both sides, but those who gravitate toward latter flavors will love this 2010 Franciscan Estate Cuvée Sauvage Chardonnay from Napa Valley. At $40 a bottle, this is no table wine, but its unique method of fermentation and big, bold flavors make it worthy of opening on a special occasion.

Customarily, winemakers add yeast to the grapes to propel fermentation, but this Chardonnay is a cuvée sauvage. Sauvage in French means "wild" or "natural," indicating the grape juice, stored in a barrel, slowly developed natural yeast strains and fermented on its own. The fermented wine is then aged in oak barrels sur lie — meaning "on the yeast" — which contributes to added flavor complexity.

The wine pours out a golden hue, a sign that our palates are in for a strong, heavy white that holds its own and offers enough depth and intricacy to appeal to red-wine drinkers. On the nose and tongue, the scent and flavors sync harmoniously. Vanilla bean, butter, caramelized sugar, hazelnut, and toasty oak swirl together for a hefty, rich combination. Perhaps there's a slight hint of apple and lemon, but the fruitiness of the wine subtly lingers in the background. With each swallow, the velvety tannins from the oak coat the tongue and throat but don't stick there relentlessly. Red-wine drinkers, I challenge you to taste and enjoy this Chardonnay.

I prefer buttery, rich Chardonnays over acidic, zesty ones, and this 2009 Layer Cake Virgin Chardonnay ($14) has me giddy and excited, even after all the wines we've tried during wine month. The story behind this Central California Coast wine is a precious one. On the back of the label, winemaker Jayson Woodbridge explains the inspiration for the winery's name: "My old grandfather made and enjoyed wine for 80 years. He told me the soil in which the vines lived were a layer cake. He said the wine, if properly made, was like a great layer cake . . ."

This 2009 Chardonnay is a layer cake indeed. Aged in stainless steel tanks, rather than French oak barrels, the aroma of the Chardonnay is clean but also distinctly buttery. On the tongue, vanilla, tart lemon, and frothy meringue come to mind, and it swallows with a roasted flavor like popcorn and a hint of a warming spice, such as nutmeg. On a hot day, I'd pair this wine with a lightly sautéed white fish. However, I'd love to store a few of these bottles for the Winter, when I'm making creamy, rich fettuccine alfredo.

The 2009 Alexander Valley Folie à Deux Cabernet Sauvignon ($24) translates to "a passion shared by two," and the moderately priced Sonoma County red is a great bottle to enjoy on date nights. While pouring the deep purple Cab, I admired the strong smoky and oaky aromas, and the flavor tasted noticeably barrel-aged with a sour cherry zing. Despite its lack of sweetness, the wine is not bitter. And with a medium body and moderate tannic finish, the wine holds its own. It's a red on the lighter side, with a spicy, warm character that would definitely help a date go in the right direction. Serve it alongside earthy risotto and morels or a firm, dry cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The guff about Rosé wines is quieting down, but if you are still feeling skeptical, the 2010 Matchbook Rosé of Tempranillo ($10) is a reasonably priced bottle to uncork. Grown in Dunnigan Hills near Sacramento, CA, this particular Rosé is made from a blend of Tempranillo, Syrah, and Malbec grapes, all of which are famous for making full-bodied red wines. The harvested grapes sit in their skins 24 hours to extract some of the bitter tannins and red hue. To retain its sweetness and height-of-the-Summer fruitiness, the blend is bottled and corked early in the fermenting process.

The Rosé is tart and astringent on the nose, like sour cherries, yet its ripe, syrupy watermelon flavor is unexpected. The slightly tannic quality makes it thirst-quenching, particularly on hot Summer days. While the days stretch long into the evenings, sip this Rosé on your patio with a large platter of manchego cheese, olives marinated in crushed red peppers, and Carr's Water Crackers. This wine has me thinking it's never too temprano ("early" in Spanish) for Tempranillo Rosé!

Photo: Susannah Chen