Thanksgiving Wines , whats your favorite?

mantis

Hello all?
I'm in charge of suppling the wine to our families get together this Thanksgiving. I did however just get back from Napa Valley and learned so much about wine.
I'm looking for a good quality California Pinot Noir ,Chardonnay and maybe few suggestions on a good quality Cabernet Sauvignon. I have my favorites now but always looking for others to give a go. I have tried this entry level wine called Bogle Vineyards and thought it was a fantastic Alternative to my usual Silver Oak , Reverie , Lava Vine, V. Sattui or my personal favorite Frank Family.
I got Riesling down as I have a few special bottles I'm taking with me.

Mikey081057

Katherine Kennedy Cabernet...check it out

mantis

Awesome Thanks.
Anyone try Dreaming Tree wines? I heard they are fantastic. Dave Mathews is involved with them I just learned.

Erik Tracy

The Bogle Merlot is a nice wine at a very good price.

I recently had a 2011 Longhand Cab (Alexander Valley, CA) that was very nicely balanced.

And don't forget the California Zins - which would go well with a Thanksgiving roast or pork loin.
(Zynthesis, or Four Vines)

Mikey081057

It's actually Kathryn Kennedy... Some of the finest CA wines... expensive but worth it... makes silver oak taste like it came from a box

http://www.kathrynkennedywinery.com/inner.html?fnv=wines

gudnoyez

Riesling it is, with my wife being German and all, when I lived in Germany we rented a house from a guy who had acres and acres of trauben (grapes) we lived in a town in Baden Wurtenburg called Heilbronn. The best Rieslings come from that area. He also produced a Eis Wein that was made from the trauben after the first frost.

chumlie

2006 H. Coturri & Sons Pinot Noir Jewell – USA, California, Sonoma County
Dark cherry red color; big cherry, berry, herbal, acetaldehyde nose; tight, very tart red fruit, tart berry, cranberry palate with acetaldehyde and/or oxidation; short-medium finish

mantis

Wow keep em coming. Lots to choose from now.

Frank family is amazing so if Kathryn Kennedy is that good , she should win the next years wine Shootout like Frank family did this year as well as so many others.

Erik Tracy

I've always had good results with Chalone Pinots

txcoastal1

David Bruce Pinot Noir an all time favorite

http://www.davidbrucewinery.com/

gudnoyez

Here it is Heilbrons best. Wish I had a bottle for the holidays.

heiney9

A good consistent performer as well as fairly reasonably priced. Rancho Zabaco - Heritage Vines Zinfandel (Sanoma County).

H9

decal

My home made Pomegranate is my fav during the holidays.

Jimbo18

Bogle Petite Sirah is a great, inexpensive wine, check it out. Not a common varietal by itself but it's a full bodied wine with good depth. My favorite low cost Calif. Cab is Shannon Ridge. The online price is a lot higher than the $9.99 our local Harris Teeter normally sells it for. Amazing wine for the price.

If you are serving a wine with turkey, my favorite has always been a very cold Pinot Grigio.

rooftop59

Hey Dan what's the main dish? That makes a big difference. Usually pinot grigio, pinot noir, or reislings go the best with Turkey, but I am honestly not a fan of Turkey :eek:

If you are looking for a relatively lost cost but really solid reisling, I like J-Lohr. Although I am usually not a huge fan of merlot, St. Francis Merlot is one of my favorite reds. La Crema is one of my favorite pinots, and L. Lohr Hilltop cab is probably the best red I have ever had (granted I have not had any truly high end wines).

Moose68Bash

Have you tried any of the Justin cabernets -- Paso Robles, Justification, Isoceles?
How about Goldeneye pinot noir?
Chateau Montelena chardonay or cabernet?
Bernardus chardonnay?
Cobblestone makes a couple of good cabs.

mantis

rooftop59 wrote: »

Hey Dan what's the main dish? That makes a big difference. Usually pinot grigio, pinot noir, or reislings go the best with Turkey, but I am honestly not a fan of Turkey :eek:

If you are looking for a relatively lost cost but really solid reisling, I like J-Lohr. Although I am usually not a huge fan of merlot, St. Francis Merlot is one of my favorite reds. La Crema is one of my favorite pinots, and L. Lohr Hilltop cab is probably the best red I have ever had (granted I have not had any truly high end wines).

Turkey Bro followed by a Ham , we usually have both. My family puts out on hell of a spread.

mantis

Erik Tracy wrote: »

The Bogle Merlot is a nice wine at a very good price.

I recently had a 2011 Longhand Cab (Alexander Valley, CA) that was very nicely balanced.

And don't forget the California Zins - which would go well with a Thanksgiving roast or pork loin.
(Zynthesis, or Four Vines)

I have had Bogle Cab and it was awesome. For the money it was amazing. I picked up a bottle for the house.

mantis

Jimbo18 wrote: »

Bogle Petite Sirah is a great, inexpensive wine, check it out. Not a common varietal by itself but it's a full bodied wine with good depth. My favorite low cost Calif. Cab is Shannon Ridge. The online price is a lot higher than the $9.99 our local Harris Teeter normally sells it for. Amazing wine for the price.

If you are serving a wine with turkey, my favorite has always been a very cold Pinot Grigio.

Bogle , I'm gonna have to try the entire line. Everyone is talking about this company, are they newer?

mantis

Moose68Bash wrote: »

Have you tried any of the Justin cabernets -- Paso Robles, Justification, Isoceles?
How about Goldeneye pinot noir?
Chateau Montelena chardonay or cabernet?
Bernardus chardonnay?
Cobblestone makes a couple of good cabs.

I have not , I'm a huge California Napa Valley Cab kinda guy. My favorite is Frank Family.

Jimbo18

mantis wrote: »

Bogle , I'm gonna have to try the entire line. Everyone is talking about this company, are they newer?

mantis, not sure how long Bogle has been around. I am sure Google knows. But I first read about their Petite Sirah around 2002 in, of all places, Consumer Reports.

The other wine that I have been drinking since reading that article is Rosemount Estates Shiraz from Australia. Another inexpensive but full bodied wine.

oldmodman

Champagne. Usually Charbaut Brut

If I am going over to someone else's Thanksgiving I always bring a chilled bottle.

At home I always have four bottles in the fridge.

alkermes

oldmodman wrote: »

Champagne. Usually Charbaut Brut

If I am going over to someone else's Thanksgiving I always bring a chilled bottle.

At home I always have four bottles in the fridge.

I am a fan of Champagne/sparkling wine also. I think we will go with a nice Spanish cava this year.

tonyb

mantis wrote: »

I have not , I'm a huge California Napa Valley Cab kinda guy. My favorite is Frank Family.

You and me both bro.

Listen, I wouldn't steer ya wrong when it comes to wine and seeing we both have the same tastes, here's a Pinot that will kick your arse. It's called "Flowers", it's about 45 bucks at your local wine shop. This sucker drinks and smells like a 100 buck bottle, no joke.

Napa wines in general are a little more smoother than their European counter parts. European wines have a more "earthly" taste to them. I also dig very good Italian wines and Spanish. If your looking for cheap crowd pleasing wines, Spanish wines are hard to beat. Tres Picos is one for about 13 bucks anywhere.

Flora Springs wines from Napa, also very good. If you can find a bottle of Flora Springs "Trilogy", also about 45 bucks, your in for a treat. Duckhorn has some lower end wines, one in particular is labeled "Red table wine", has a duck on the label but the name escapes me at the moment. Certainly drinkable and another crowd pleaser for around 21 bucks a bottle.

Cabs....heck I can spend all day on Cabs. There's just too many. Depends on the price bracket. When it comes to straight Cabs, not blended wines as some others are, money dictates quality. Frank Family....nothing they make should be off your list. Phelps....what can ya say about old Joe. Domus....anytime. Silver Oak....you betcha, but 06 or earlier. Plenty more too.

If Chardonnays are your huckleberry, hard to beat Frank Family's reserve or a Shafer. Of course Brunello's and Borolo's....I'll kick you in the balls to get to some. again, PRICE will dictate quality in your nicer wines.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

You and me both bro.

Listen, I wouldn't steer ya wrong when it comes to wine and seeing we both have the same tastes, here's a Pinot that will kick your arse. It's called "Flowers", it's about 45 bucks at your local wine shop. This sucker drinks and smells like a 100 buck bottle, no joke.

Napa wines in general are a little more smoother than their European counter parts. European wines have a more "earthly" taste to them. I also dig very good Italian wines and Spanish. If your looking for cheap crowd pleasing wines, Spanish wines are hard to beat. Tres Picos is one for about 13 bucks anywhere.

Flora Springs wines from Napa, also very good. If you can find a bottle of Flora Springs "Trilogy", also about 45 bucks, your in for a treat. Duckhorn has some lower end wines, one in particular is labeled "Red table wine", has a duck on the label but the name escapes me at the moment. Certainly drinkable and another crowd pleaser for around 21 bucks a bottle.

Cabs....heck I can spend all day on Cabs. There's just too many. Depends on the price bracket. When it comes to straight Cabs, not blended wines as some others are, money dictates quality. Frank Family....nothing they make should be off your list. Phelps....what can ya say about old Joe. Domus....anytime. Silver Oak....you betcha, but 06 or earlier. Plenty more too.

If Chardonnays are your huckleberry, hard to beat Frank Family's reserve or a Shafer. Of course Brunello's and Borolo's....I'll kick you in the balls to get to some. again, PRICE will dictate quality in your nicer wines.

Awesome man thank you very much.
Have you tried Davie Mathews Wine? I heard it's amazing and super affordable.

tonyb

No man, I usually stay away from celebrity wines. Everyone and their brother it seems has a label on someone elses wine. Who knows though, give it a whirl. My best advice is to open yourself up to blends for cheaper drinkable, crowd pleasing wines. Look for cheaper wines rated 91 or above and pay attention to tasting notes to see if it's something you'd like...especially the finish. Seems the amount of tannins is what turns most off or on in a wine. Certainly bargains in the under 25 buck category, but good wines will obviously cost more....as with anything.

Another decent Napa cab for cheap is called "75". Oh....that lower end Duckhorn, the red table wine I mentioned earlier, It's called Decoy. We haven't hit the Zinfandels yet. LOL

headrott

Believe me when I say that you will have a very hard time and have to spend rediculous amounts of money getting a better Chardonnay than the Rombauer Chardonnay. Their Zinfandel and Cabernet ain't bad either. A link is below:

http://www.rombauer.com//index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showList&productcategoryid=84dc4abf-e46b-0ec4-30c3-0a577e867ed6

tonyb

Haven't tried theirs yet, but I'll put it on the list. Frank Family too has a Carneros Chardonnay that's fantastic. Depends on the type you like. Some Chards. like we both mentioned are crisps and more fruity, others are buttery and smooth. I like them both. The crisper Chards for summer, the buttery ones in the fall and winter.

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

No man, I usually stay away from celebrity wines. Everyone and their brother it seems has a label on someone elses wine. Who knows though, give it a whirl. My best advice is to open yourself up to blends for cheaper drinkable, crowd pleasing wines. Look for cheaper wines rated 91 or above and pay attention to tasting notes to see if it's something you'd like...especially the finish. Seems the amount of tannins is what turns most off or on in a wine. Certainly bargains in the under 25 buck category, but good wines will obviously cost more....as with anything.

Another decent Napa cab for cheap is called "75". Oh....that lower end Duckhorn, the red table wine I mentioned earlier, It's called Decoy. We haven't hit the Zinfandels yet. LOL

I had this blend from Reverie called "A.S KIKKEN" which was simply amazing. You can't buy it anywhere but from Napa Valley which sucks but thats how it is with some of the higher end wines out there.
http://www.reveriewine.com/index.shtml

mantis

headrott wrote: »

Believe me when I say that you will have a very hard time and have to spend rediculous amounts of money getting a better Chardonnay than the Rombauer Chardonnay. Their Zinfandel and Cabernet ain't bad either. A link is below:

http://www.rombauer.com//index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showList&productcategoryid=84dc4abf-e46b-0ec4-30c3-0a577e867ed6

Looks like they are in St Helena which we plan on going back. I'm gonna put them on my list of places to check out. Thanks man

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

Haven't tried theirs yet, but I'll put it on the list. Frank Family too has a Carneros Chardonnay that's fantastic. Depends on the type you like. Some Chards. like we both mentioned are crisps and more fruity, others are buttery and smooth. I like them both. The crisper Chards for summer, the buttery ones in the fall and winter.

I'm not a huge white wine kinda guy but I love me some Rielsing. It has to be done right and if it's not from Germany , there's a Place right in ST Helena that does it as good or dare I say better then Germany.
A must for Riesleng fans. It's so unique I fell in love with this wine.

http://www.vsattui.com/Off-Dry-Riesling