California penoit noir ideal for Thanksgiving

Every year I am faced with the daunting decision of what to serve for Thanksgiving. I don't mean the meal; like most people my family follows a tradition menu.

I'm referring to what wine to serve with the varied Thanksgiving menu. Think of it - there is the meat, usually turkey, chicken or game birds; then there are the sides and sauces - soup, potatoes, mushrooms, beans, yams, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce.

I have successfully tried a variety of wines over the years. I have been known to start with whites like sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and pinot gris; then move on to reds like zinfandel and syrah. But I have decided that this year pinot noir is the wine for the meal.

This grape that's notoriously difficult to grow and vinify may be the most versatile of red wines. Good acidity and low tannin balanced with a purity of fruit and a silky texture give pinot noir the flexibility to match with many foods. Its aromatic and flavorful profile typically displays cherry fruit (also raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, plum), brown spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), and a pleasant earthiness (mushrooms and soil).

And this may be the best time ever to drink California pinot noir. Although the grape has been grown in California since the late1800s, it was mostly a bit player until the 1990s. Producers realized that the grape, even more than others, must be planted in the right places, namely cooler climates with longer growing seasons that enable the grapes to ripen while retaining good acidity; with better quality clones; and cultivated and vinified with extra care.

Following are recommendations from my recent tastings listed by appellation from north to south.

Mendocino County is best known for fine zinfandel and Gewürztraminer but in recent years has taken its place among the top sources of pinot noir. Especially from the Anderson Valley, where producers such as Goldeneye, a 12-year-old project of Napa Valley's Duckhorn Winery, has four estate vineyards. As a group, the wines show remarkable depth, richness and balance and are at the top of their respective price categories.

• 2006 Migration ($32), ideal for early consumption
• 2005 Anderson Valley ($55), more complexity
• 2005 Confluence Vineyard ($75), powerful dark fruits
• 2005 Gowan Creek Vineyard ($75), intense red fruits
The Russian River Valley viticultural area, which stretches through central Sonoma County, produces many of California's most celebrated and expensive pinot noirs.
• 2006 Foppiano Estate ($28), lighter, food-friendly style
• 2006 Kenwood Reserve ($30), lush and ripe
• 2006 Frei Brothers Reserve ($30), earthy and sleek
• 2006 J Vineyards ($38), silky, yet firm with bright fruit

Carneros straddles the southern border between Napa and Sonoma and enjoys the moderating influence of the cooling breezes of San Pablo Bay.

• 2006 Acacia ($26), firm and minty
• 2006 Clos du Val ($30), spicy and structured

Although large swaths of Monterey County have been given over to large corporate vineyards, certain microclimates have been cultivated successfully by small, quality-minded producers. The Santa Lucia Highlands especially have emerged as prime pinot country. Steve Pessagno, who has been a winemaker and grower in the area, now is making waves with his eponymous winery

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• 2006 Lucia Highland Vineyard ($28), a spectacular value
• 2006 Four Boys Vineyard ($55), dense and concentrated

Sonoma County-based winery Hayman & Hill also has produced a fine value from the Santa Lucia Highlands in its Reserve Selection ($15). Look for lively fruit offset with spicy earthy tones.

J. Lohr, a major vineyard owner in Monterey and Paso Robles, has ventured into the Arroyo Seco region in the southwestern corner of the county to produce an excellent inaugural release, the 2006 Frog's Reach ($35)

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Certain growing areas within Santa Barbara County recently have produced such quality that the county can now contend with Sonoma as California's best pinot noir region.

At the northern end of the county, the Santa Maria Valley benchlands are home to the famous Bien Nacido Vineyard and a growing number of pinot noir vineyards.

• 2006 TAZ Cuyama River ($28), velvety with spicy, earthy notes
• 2006 Cambria Julia's Vineyard ($21), another very good value
From a narrow opening near the Pacific Ocean, the Santa Ynez Valley broadens inland encompassing the vineyards and wineries that inspired the movie "Sideways." The Santa Rita Hills in the western end of the valley, long the home of the celebrated Sanford & Benedict vineyard, have garnered special attention in recent years. The 10-year-old hillside vineyard of Sea Smoke is producing some of the area's best grapes. Rather than focusing on bottlings of individual blocks, Sea Smoke then crafts three expressions of the site. The two current releases are breathtaking.

• 2006 Ten ($80), powerful, deeply extracted
• 2006 Southing ($50), elegant, seductive

No matter which pinot noir you pick, you'll be getting a wine guaranteed to enhance any holiday meal.
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Rich Mauro has been writing about wine since 1995. He is a policy analyst for the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Reach him at
rich@rmpeoplespalate.com or
Box 1779, Colorado Springs 80901.