Giving Gifts of Good Taste (And Smell!)

PICTURE MOM managing the kitchen, working her culinary magic while trying to keep family and guests from sneaking finger-size portions of everything. Wonderful smells stir the appetites—oaky smoke from a crackling fire, the Richelieu sauce simmering on the stove, chocolatechip cookies puffing up in the oven.

Now, think about adding to those sensory pleasures for the holidays. Every part of a meal or event can be enhanced with wines that titillate beyond the palate with bursts of yeast and bubbles from a fine Champagne, hints of vanilla from Limousin oak in a glass of a favorite Chardonnay or Meursault, or berries and spice from a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Holiday gatherings are perfect venues for trying new wines, from inexpensive to classic and limitededition wines costing $200 and more. As a starting point, picture the setting, the crowd and the flow. How will you move from one tasting experience to another? The wine adventurer goes beyond simply matching wine with the food (white with fish, red with meat) and looks for contrasts in taste, smell and weight.

The following wines are worth considering as you march through your menu from appetizers to dessert in search of new combinations. Each represents solid value and quality in its category. Prices are approximate.

 

Champagne

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin NV (nonvintage) Brut Champagne, $35
Piper-Heidsieck 1995 Brut Champagne, $50
Krug NV Brut Champagne Grand Cuvee, $100
Louis Roederer 1996 Brut Champagne Cristal, $170

Domestic Chardonnay

Chateau Souverain 2004, Sonoma County, $15
St. Clement 2004, Napa Valley, Carneros, $16
Hess Collection 2004, Napa Valley, $18
MacRostie 2004, Carneros, $20
Simi 2004 Russian River Valley Reserve, $22
Flora Springs 2004, Napa Valley, $24
Ferrari-Carano 2004, Alexander Valley, $25
Beaulieu Vineyards 2004 Carneros Reserve, Napa Valley, $30
Beringer 2004 Napa Valley Private Reserve, $35

Domestic Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Blanc

Steele 2004 Pinot Blanc, Santa Barbara County, $15
WillKenzie 2004 Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $16
Adelsheim 2004 Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $18
Babcock 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Rita Hills, $20

White Imports

La Chablisienne 2004 Chablis, Vieilles Vignes, $23
Louis Jadot 2004 Meursault, $36
Roux Pere & Fils 2004 Meursault, $38
Louis Jadot 2004 Puligny-Montrachet, $40
Louis Latour 2004 Meursault, $40

Domestic Cabernet & Blends

St. Francis 2003, Sonoma County, $18
Sebastiani 2003 appellation selection, Alexander Valley, $25
Ferrari-Carano 2003, Alexander Valley, $30
Stags’ Leap Winery 2003, Napa Valley, $45
Grgich Hills 2003, Napa Valley, $50
Caymus, 2003, Napa Valley, $65
Etude, 2003, Napa Valley, $80
Spottswoode 2003, St. Helena Estate, Napa Valley, $110
Joseph Phelps 2003 Insignia (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Verdot), $140

Domestic Pinot Noir

Benton Lane 2004, Willamette Valley, Oregon, $20
Merry Edwards 2003, Russian River Valley, $32
Artesa 2004, Carneros, $38
Rochioli 2004, Russian River Valley, $44
Sea Smoke 2004, Santa Rita Hills, Southing, $50

Red Imports

Château Haut-Marbuzet 2003, St. Estephe, France, $38
Girardin 2002, Gevrey Chambertin, France, $38
Concha y Toro 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Piente Alto Don Melchor, Chile, $40
Geantet-Pansiot 2004, Gevrey Chambertin, Vieilles Vignes, France, $42
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2003, Pauillac, France, $50
Marchesi de Frescobaldi 2001, Brunello di Montalcino, Castelgiocondo, $55
Castello Banfi 2001, Brunello di Montalcino, Poggio alle Mura, $70
Château du Beaucastel 2004, Châteaneuf-de-Pape, $80
Antinori 2003, Toscana, Solaia, $150
Sassacaia 2001 or 2003, $175
Château Pavie 2003, St. Emilion, France, $200
Joseph Drouhin 2003, Musigny, France, $250

Sauternes

Château Coutet 2003, Barsac, $40
Château Guiraud 2003, $45
Château Climens 2003, Barsac, $80
Château d’Yquem 2001, $375

Port

Several from the 2003 vintage:
    Cockburn, $65; Croft, $65; Delaforce, $58; Dow, $75; Fonseca, $90; Graham, $80; and Taylor Fladgate, $88

Wines That Won’t Bust the Budget

Columbia Crest 2004 Grande Estates Merlot, Columbia Valley, Washington, $9
Babich 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, $10
Allan Scott 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, $10
Artesa 2005 Carneros Chardonnay, $10
Marquis Philips 2004 Shiraz, Australia, $10
Georges Duboeuf 2005 Morgon, Jean Descombes, France, $10
Georges Duboeuf 2005 Beaujolais-Villages, France, $10
Greg Norman 2003 Estates Cabernet-Merlot, Limestone Coast, Australia, $14

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