Thanksgiving is the biggest wine holiday of the year. The food, the family, the friends, the debates, everything just pairs a bit better when you have wine in your glass. So here we have a quintessential wine pack, featuring four grapes and four regions that will appeal to everyone, even the pickiest among you. 

 

1. Banshee Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, 2018 - Sauvignon Blanc for Thanksgiving? Have you lost it Jake, shouldn't we drink this on the patio in the Summer? Hear me out! Thanksgiving can be a rich meal; between gravy, casseroles, potatos, of the Russet and Sweet variety, you name it. It's really nice to find a break among the heavier dishes and your wines too. Enter Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma. This is not the bright, grassy, grapefruit style you may know from New Zealand. Banshee, brings a lovely honeysuckle aroma with elements of pear, white peach and tangerine to your glass. This is an excellent pairing for green beans, brussel prouts or fruit salad and a most welcome break from the heavier reds being passed around the table.

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2. Domaine de Beaurenard, Côtes du Rhône, 2019 - Among the top vintages of the decade, this quintessential Beaurenard style blend of 70% Granache and 30% Syrah punches above its weight. Domaine de Beaurenard is a 7th generation, 100% biodynamic producer. Eventually I will do a class on Biodynamics and what that means, but in a nutshell it is farming the way it was done 150 years ago, creating a closed loop system where the inputs to the vineyard are the outputs of the farm. While this is young for a Côtes du Rhône, it is a perfect blend of fruit and spice that delivers a full bodied palate that is supple and spicy with lots of cherry. 

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3. J. Christopher, J.J Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, 2017 - A blend of Pinot Noir from the Chehalem Mountains, Eolo-Amity Hills and Dundee Hills that is precisely blended through a top down barrel selection process to showcase the elegance and fruit forward expression of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. J. Christopher owner and winemaker, Jay Somers, takes the philosophical approach of Burgundy and brings it to crescendo through Oregon terroir. His wines are native yeast fermented, small lot produced and masterfully expressive of Oregon's unique volcanic soil terroir. This is a winery that tends to fly below the radar, but for those in the know this is a delightful wine.

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4. Alexander Valley Vineyards, Zinfandel, Wetzel Family Estate Alexander Valley, 2016 - Known the world over as America's grape, Zinfandel may be the underrated champion of Thanksgiving wine. Why? Because Zinfandel pairs exquisitely well with the classic autumn spices of cinnamon, allspice and clove. A touch of smokiness enhances all the classic dishes and it's higher alcohol content, leading to a bigger, bolder body really works well with dark turkey meat. Zinfandel is also the overlooked savior of California's old vine vineyards. If it weren't for the glut of White Zin in the 80's and 90's Old Vine Zin might not exist today. As for our winery, Alexander Valley Vineyards, lovingly known around the world as "AVV", wraps along the curves of the Russian River in Sonoma County and is home to bold and rich styles of Zinfandel.