Holiday Wines for 2006

         Thanksgiving.  The holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Year’s is a festive time to enjoy a range of your favorite wines, and also to try some new ones. Thanksgiving, of course, is a challenge of its own, for the traditional turkey is not an easy fit with wine. The up side of that dilemma is that there is no “right” wine to serve. You can drink what you enjoy best, without fear of the Wine Police descending upon you with lectures about what must be served and what should not.

    Recently we have enjoyed Alsatian white wines with our Thanksgiving turkey. You might enjoy, for example, a Hugel Gewurztraminer 2004 ($16.99) for a touch of spice, or perhaps an Albrecht Reisling “Cuvee Henri” ($17.99) from the same vintage. I would stay away from the 2003 vintage for Alsatian wines. It was just too hot, and a number of the wines produced are rather unfocussed.

    If you are going to have a red wine, better make it on the light side. Of course, a chilled bottle (hopefully a magnum, around $18) of Georges Duboeuf’s 2003 Beaujolais Villages would be a treat. This is a floral wine, not very deep, and in the Beaujolais region the hot weather didn’t pose any serious problems. A light Burgundy of fine character, the 2004 Santenay Jadot “Clos de Malte” ($24.99) would be an excellent choice. You might choose a rose wine. They are now being produced in greate quantity in Bordeaux, and the finest I have tasted is the Rose de Calon Segur, produced by the St. Estephe classified estate. The 2005 costs just $12.99.

         Christmas.  Let’s skip to Christmas dinner. For starters, you might offer a real treat, a 2004 Simmonet-Febvre Chablis 1er Cru “Les Vaillons” ($16.99). Starting the dinner with a glass of real Chablis will set a flavorful tone for a memorable dinner.

    If you have game, or a traditional goose, a robust Rhone wine or a Chateauneuf du Pape always goes well. We have had several years of fine vintages, including 2001 and 2001. Even the difficult 2003 vintage was successful in Chateauneuf du Pape, they say, because the roots of the vines grow so deep that they could tap water sources even in the drought conditions that prevailed. These wines are rounded, with fresh berry flavors. They are festive, and informal at the same time. They will taste very fine in the future, but can be enjoyed right now.

    Why not spring for a magnum? This double bottle format is always festive, and your dinner guests will appreciate your generous hospitality. You may still find a magnum of 2000 Bosquet des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape for $49.99, or you may wish to try a bottle of Bosquet des Papes’ prestige label 2000 Chante le Merle, which I think is delicious, for $34.99. The 2000 reliable Vieux Donjon is available for $35.99, and if you want to give the 2003 vintage a try, there is Pierre Usseglio for $24.99. I’d suggest buying a bottle or two for the future.

    Should you prefer a Rhone, the 2004 Saint Joseph Tunnel can be found at $24.99. And if you wish to serve a classic red Burgundy, try the 2001 Nuits St. Georges “Haut Poirets” from Jayer-Gilles at $49.99.  These fine wines are being discovered, and I m afraid their prices will continue to rise. I greatly enjoy Nuits St. Georges, whose general quality, like St. Julien wines in Bordeaux, is very high, despite the absence of any grand cru  wines in the region. A comparable Gevrey-Chambertin or Musigny would cost twice as much!

    New Year’s Day. For New Year’s Day dinner, with the traditional roast beef,  you have quite a choice, but increasingly, an expensive choice. Going through the holiday season at retail rates for fine wine might just be the best reason for you to make a New Year’s Resolution. This is the year that you are going to start a wine cellar! The sooner you start, the more mature wines you will have to drink in the future. It certainly beats trying to buy mature wines, if they are available at all, a bottle at a time at very high prices.

    Let’s choose a fine Bordeaux, the traditional wine for roast beef. The prices also keep rising, but with care, you can find well regarded wines that will complement the dinner – and compliment your hostess! I’ve selected one wine from each of the major Bordeaux regions. In the Medoc,  you might have a 1996 Les Pagodes de Cos for $29.99. This second wine is well made, and costs $100 a bottle less than Cos d’Estournel, the grand vin produced at this fine St. Estephe estate. In Pauillac, a relative bargain would be a botle of 2001 Haut Bages Liberal for $26.99. From St. Julien, you might well chose a 2001 Chateau Leoville Poyferre for $44.99.

I was glad to find a well regarded Margaux, Chateau D’Angludet, from the fine 2000 vintage for $31.99. A 1998 Chateau Fieuzal from the Graves is a good choice at $30.

    There are also good selections from Pomerol and St. Emilion. St. Emilion’s Chateau Bonsejour Becot from the 1996 vintage is available for $34.99, while the 1999 Bon Pasteur from Pomerol retails for $39.99. Any of these wines would be a highlight of your holiday dinner. Just choose from your favorite region, or try a new one for the holidays!

    Let’s not forget the Sauternes. A little goes a long way, and we usually open a bottle for Thanksgiving to have with those three desserts. Then the bottle will often last through the holiday season. This year you can try a 2003 Doisy Vedrines for $31.99. Should you wish to just try Sauternes perhaps for the first time, a half bottle may be a better idea. A high point of your dinner would be a half bottle of 2003 Chateau Suduiraut at $29.99.  This is one of the finest Sauternes from a great estate, smooth and unctuous. It is often served at official state dinners. Try it with some mild cheeses and a tray of fruit, apples and grapes for example.

    For Christmas giving, wine is a thoughtful gift, and a distinctive one. This year, why not surprise some lucky someone with a gift basket of  five or six bottles of wine? Here are some suggestions, for $50, $100, and $250. You supply the basket, and tuck in a copy of my wine book, Shepard’s Guide to Mastering French Wines, for the gift that keeps on giving!

          $50 Christmas Wine Basket
          2004 Domaine Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone rouge ($10); 2004 Muscadet La Quilla ($8); 2003; Haut Sociondo Cotes de Blaye 2005 ($10); William Fevre 2005 Chablis ($15); Rose de Bourbon 2005 ($8). This gives you a robust red Rhone, a refreshing Loire Valley white wine, a quality introduction to Chablis, and a fine red wine and a refreshing rose wine from the Medoc region of Bordeaux.

          $100 Christmas Wine Basket
          2004 Hugel Gewurztraminer ($17); Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne NV ($25); 2002 Haut Montplaisir Cahors ($11);  2001 Chateau Filhot half bottle ($17); 2001 Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape ($30). Here we have a fine Alsatian wine, a distinctive champagne for the holidays, a fine Chateauneuf du Pape,  a half bottle of savory Sauternes, and a hearty bottle of red wine from legendary Cahors.

          $250 Christmas Wine Basket
          1999 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape ($45); 2003 half bottle Chateau Rieussec Sauternes ($30); 2001 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut Brion ($35); Taittinger Champagne Brut Millesime 1999 ($55); 1999 Potel “Suchots” Vosne Romanee ($50); 2004 Latour “Sous le Puits” Puligny Montrachet  ($38). For those wine fanciers who have been very, very  good. We know who we are!