Thanksgiving Wines— and Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives!

I was looking through my blog stats today and noticed a huge amount of visitors reading the post I wrote about Thanksgiving wines in 2009! So I figured I better write another one and give folks something more recent to read with my selections for 2011. So here are what wines I’m drinking for Thanksgiving—and more importantly the three days after Thanksgiving. Plus a special bonus feature: Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives—

Thanksgiving Day: What’s on the menu? Duck I think, I don’t know really. My husband is the cook. But it will all be good with these wines.

Rose: Shane 2010 Rose Ma Fille, Sonoma County 
Whites: Cartograph 2009 Gewürztraminer Floodgate Vineyard, Russian River Valley &
Quivira 2010 Viognier–Sauvignon Blanc 50/50 blend
Reds: La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Manchester RidgeVineyard, Mendocino Ridge  – I love everything that comes out of the Manchester Ridge vineyard and this wine in particular is pure magic.
Baxter 2007 Pinot Noir Toulouse Vineyard, Anderson Valley –
Q: What’s going on in Philo? A: Some serious good wine.

Black Friday Wine—
Baxter 2006 Carignan Caballo Blanco Vineyard, Mendocino --I love this varietal and I’ll need the strong flavor profile of this Rhone variety to help me navigate the online sales.

Saturday 2nd Day of Leftovers Wine—
These wines will shine and make the leftovers taste divine.
White: Phillips Hill 2010 Gewürztraminer, Anderson Valley
Red: La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard Sonoma Coast – Every time I drive by this vineyard I think about this wine and it’s mineraly-minty-mocha-cherry-madness. Will pair great with the leftover duck if there is any leftover.

Sunday Everybody Please Go Home Now Post-Thanksgiving Wine—
Quivira 2009 Flight Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma-- the name Flight says it all—this fruity blend of 94% Zinfandel and 6% Viognier— is the right choice to serve after the holiday to those lingering too long . The name drops a subtle hint if  that doesn’t work simply say—“Go on, get going or you will miss your flight!”

The Thanksgiving line up. Start your engines!

Wines to Pair with Annoying Relatives—

Aunt A: Well she’s a lush and we all know it, but she's not super particular about what's in her glass. She drinks any old swill on sale at the market so just to mess with her I'll pour Phillips Hill 2010 Chardonnay Ridley Vineyard, Anderson Valley because it will make her really sit up and notice. She will love it, but then won't be able to buy it in her Podunk town, so it will be a passive aggressive win-win.

Cousin J: My pain-in-the-ass-know-it-all cousin:  I'll serve Bonny Doon Cunning a blend of 61% Carignane and 39% Mourvedre because he won't know the grapes and will smirk that it's a screw cap. Then the color will fade from his smirky-know-it-all face as he realizes how darn good it is and he'll be beside himself and fuming because he didn’t know anything about it.

Cousin MJ: MJ is such an utter twit. He is an investment banker... need I say more? No, but I will…MJ is a beady-eyed greed monster, obsessed with feathering his nest on the backs of others. He gives new meaning to the 1%.  For him I’ll pour La Follette 2009 Pinot Noir Van Der Camp Vineyard, Sonoma Mountain because it’s elegant and complex with a beautiful backbone. All the qualities he lacks. Wait, on second thought this wine is too good for that loser. I’ll save this for later.

If I had a favorite cousin I'd pull him or her aside and pour them a glass of Shane 2007 Syrah The Villain, Mendocino County – but I don’t—so I’ll just drink it myself.

Wine I’m Saving for Christmas: Baxter 2007 Pinot Noir Oppenlander Vineyard, Mendocino 

Cheers and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

NOTE TO READERS: I received the LaFollette and Quivira wines I discuss in this post as samples---BUT!!! I am already a Quivira Queue club member, and I purchase all their wines. I love La Follette and buy their wines regularly on my own as well. It was just a happy coincidence that I was sent samples. So don’t get all huffy about the fact I liked these wines because they were samples. I ALREADY BUY & LOVE THEM! Everything else I bought with my own money.