5 Best Wines for Turkey

Turkey can be a bit tricky to pair with wines. So I've short-listed 5 wines that would enhance your turkey meal. Their flavors are intense, but not heavy, with a brightness of fruit and some earthy spice that would make the turkey taste delicious with every bite. Check them out!


San Diego County Red "Grenache Carignane", Los Pilares 2013 $24.00 (order here)

A terrific vintage for this singular blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Carignane from San Diego County. The fruit comes from meticulously farmed vines planted in 1981 in McCormick Ranch Vineyard. The vineyard is farmed sustainably in a cool micro-climate situated at an elevation of nearly 1,000 feet in the backcountry of San Diego County just east of Escondido. This area of San Diego County is ideal for growing these Rhone varieties. Its scrubland terrain and Mediterranean climate allow these grapes to produce intense, flavorful wines. 12.3% alcohol. Just 180 cases produced


Santa Ynez Valley Red "Grande Marque Rouge", Storm Wines 2012 $33.00 (order here)

Winemaker Ernst Storm produced this red blend from Rhone varietals that is balanced, food friendly and uncomplicated. Think of an oak fire, good friends, family, music and laughter! The 2012 Grande Marque Rouge is a luscious blend of 43% Mourvedre, 29% Grenache, 14% Cinsault, and 14% Syrah from three prime cool vineyard sites in Santa Ynez Valley--Curtis Vineyard, Demetria Estate, and Kingsley Vineyard. Bottled without fining and filtration. 13.5% alcohol. Just 165 cases produced.


Cienaga Valley Trousseau "Siletto Vineyard", Harrington Wines 2012 $33.00 (order here)

Two things that Trousseau love, a warm, sunny exposure and rocky, gravelly soils. Fortunately, the Siletto Vineyard in San Benito's Gavilan Mountains has both, thus Trousseau ripens well here. Bryan Harrington ensures that all that goodness in the vineyard remains intact in the winemaking. He vinifies with native yeasts without temperature control and other manipulations. Addition of sulfites is minimal (20 ppm) and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bryan's natural winemaking approach results into a wine of fresh aromas and deep flavors. It is a rich expression of Trousseau with good tannins and balanced structure. 14.1% alcohol. Only 53 cases made. If you love Trousseau or if you've never had it before, don't miss this.


Coteaux du Languedoc Rouge "CSG", Autour de l'Anne 2012 $28.00 (order here)

Grapes were grown in France's Languedoc region, but the wine was aged and bottled in a cave up north in the Loire. A blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah from vines averaging 40 to 60 years-old planted in limestone and red clay soils with miniscule yields. Vinified separately before blending in tank for a year in the winery's cellar in the Loire. Gorgeous, velvety, rich red fruit flavors, bitter spice and very smooth tannins. 12.5% alcohol. No added sulfites. A different kind of Languedoc, more delicate and elegant in character.


Beaujolais-Villages "Tracot", Domaine Jean-Paul Dubost 2013 $19.00 (order here)

The Tracot vineyard in the Beaujolais-Villages area is one of the most notable vineyards in all Beaujolais. Over the past century the Dubost family have replanted the Gamay vines, and today they average 45 years-old, with some vines over 50 years-old. It is farmed biodynamically. The wine is vinified in tank and cement traditionally using whole clusters and fermenting with native yeasts. There is a light filtration and a minimal dose of sulphites at bottling. Production was down in 2013 but the quality is amazing. Rich with fruit with zesty acidity and good structure. 12.5% alcohol.

More California Wines for Thanksgiving

Long overlooked grape varieties planted in California before Prohibition have surprisingly become fashionable again. Prior to Zinfandel becoming the iconic grape of California, other grape varieties, particularly Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignane, were also extensively planted in California vineyards.

During the past few years a growing number of new producers, most of them young winemakers, have shunned mainstream varietal wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and, yes, even Zinfandel, and, instead, have championed Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignane. They are inspired by what they see as underrated heritage varieties that have thrived in California vineyards for over a century.

Yet, a vision has also taken hold of this new generation of young California producers influenced by the natural winemaking trends sweeping Europe. They believe they are pursuing an enlightened approach to California viticulture by focusing on grape varieties like Grenache, Mourvedre, and Carignane that are native to the Mediterranean region, hence more suitable to California vineyards than the cool-climate Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and Merlot, which often require a lot of manipulation in the vineyard and winery. In fact, after a sip of the delicious wines they make it would be difficult to disagree.

The wines from La Clarine Farm in the Sierra Foothills, Los Pilares in San Diego County, Folk Machine in Mendocino, and A Tribute to Grace in Santa Barbara are all produced in small lots from carefully chosen vineyards that are naturally farmed. They are honestly crafted, without tricks, as the aim is to deliver a product as pure as the fruit that they are made from.

San Diego County Grenache-Carignane, Los Pilares 2011 $23.00
A stunning second vintage of this 50% Grenache and 50% Carignane cuvee from fruit grown in meticulously farmed vineyards in the backcountry of San Diego County just east of Escondido. The area is ideal for growing these varieties, as it has the scrublands and Mediterranean climate that allow these grapes to produce intense, flavorful wines. 2011 produced delicate and fresh Grenache fruit that benefited from the earthy depth of the super Carignane. Made as naturally as possible with little manipulation. The fruit was hand sorted. Vinification was whole-berry, native yeast fermentation. No additives were applied nor inoculation for malolactic, just grapes. Aging was in tank, no wood. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. More elegant, higher acidity, and more polished than the previous 2010 vintage. Intense flavors that are bright and layered with delicious complexity. 13% alcohol. A revelation for San Diego County wine! Very limited availability. Just 120 cases produced

Sierra Foothills Mourvedre Sumu Kaw Vineyard, La Clarine Farms 2011 $24.00
The Sumu Kaw Vineyard is source of what I regard as La Clarine Farm's greatest red, the Sumu Kaw Syrah. The Mourvedre grown there has been used for blending with this superb Syrah, giving it structure and lift. Situated at an elevaton of 2,900 feet on a ridgetop overlooking Pleasant Valley, the vineyard is surrounded by tall pines that seem to lend some of its resiny, tarry flavors to the fruit. This is precise Mourvedre that recalls more the Provencal style. Only 81 cases produced. Enclosed in screwcap.

"This mourvedre, at 12.4% alcohol, was actually one of the first reds we picked in 2011.  The crop level was way down (which may have contributed to the increased flavor concentration) and the grapes seemed ready surprisingly early for mourvedre, a notoriously late ripening variety. It shows all the classic markers of the grape (earthiness, some leathery/dried leafy tones) in a forward, (all too) easy drinking package.  It is a wonderful introduction to the style of the vintage. It is delicious!" Hank Beckmeyer, La Clarine Farm

Sierra Foothills Mourvedre Cedarville, La Clarine Farms 2011 $24.00
From a single-vineyard up in the Sierra Foothills, farmed organically by Jonathan Lachs and Susan Marks. The fruit ripens fully and beautifully on this site, producing a wine that is readily appreciated from release. Gorgeous concentration and balance, with irresistible, seductive fruit. Scented by the Sierra Foothills garrigue. Tiny production of just 51. Enclosed in screwcap.

"It became immediately apparent that this wine was going to be something special. The aromas from the fermenters was incredible, and the wine from the press on November 8 (at dryness) was already quite drinkable. Malolactic fermentation bubbled along all winter long. By Spring of 2012, we had one of the most unusual mourvedre wines I've ever tasted. Lighter in color than most years, lower in alcohol (11.7%), but big in flavor, it's a wine you could very easily drink a lot of, if there were a lot. I jokingly started calling it my version of Beaujolais, and it does have a lot of similarities to a good cru Beaujolais, but with sort of a 'mutant beaujolais' feel to it." Hank Beckmeyer, La Clarine Farm

Mendocino Red "Three Ceremonies", Folk Machine 2011 $18.00
A unique blend of Carignan, Syrah, and Petit Sirah--a California pop version of the GSM Rhone blend. Superluscious without being overdone. Well balanced 13.2% alcohol. Layers of juicy red fruits and earthy spices. Just 125 cases produced. Helps bring luck for this year and next!

Santa Barbara Grenache Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard, A Tribute to Grace Wine Company 2010 $41.00
One of the best California wines you would ever come across, this is very charming for its light but intense strawberry-filled flavors layered with sweet spices and herbs. 100% Grenache grown in the desolate Sierra Madre Mountains at 3,200 feet elevation. The soils are sandy and rocky and together with the cool climate produce a wine with bright, intense flavors. Brilliant proprietor and winemaker Angela Osborne vinified half the fruit in whole clusters, foot treading the grapes twice a day. The other half of the fruit was destemmed and given a light pigeage. The wine was aged over 16 months in one third new barrel and two-thirds neutral barrel. Just 141 cases produced.