These Thanksgiving wine picks were chosen to match up to the family recipes that Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniel prepare for their traditional feast. SHED chef Perry Hoffman selected these food-friendly crowd pleasers, intended to be celebrations in a bottle.
Raventos i Blanc de Nit Rose ($39)
A biodynamic wine from one of Spain’s oldest family-owned wineries (founded in 1496), this intriguing sparkling rosé is subtle, pretty, and minimalist. Look for mineral freshness with traces of rosewater and Morello cherries.
Daniel Gewurztraminer ($35)
This bone-dry Gewurztraminer from Anderson Valley’s Ferrington Vineyard has the perfect minerality to partner with shellfish, oysters, and for the person who doesn’t like sweet wine. With aromas of spicy Asian pear, wet stones, and nutmeg, this wine bursts with acidity and a palate of guava, apricot, and stone fruit.
Scribe Estate Riesling ($41)
In a pre-prohibition Sonoma Valley vineyard, fourth-generation California farmers Andrew and Adam Mariani harvest this Riesling early in the season when sugar levels in the fruit are low and acidity is bright. Fermented in concrete and stainless steel — without any oak contact — the finished white wine is dry, deep, and vibrant.
Matias Charles Heintz Vineyard ($60)
Sourced exclusively from the renowned Charles Heintz Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, this Chardonnay is bright, aromatic, and complex. The juice was fermented with indigenous yeast in 100% French oak, resulting in a pale yellow wine with a floral nose, hints of cardamom, and tangerine, and a palate of creamy pie crust, toasted hazelnut, and citrus zest.
Knez Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley 2014 ($46)
Knez’s coastal vineyard is ideal for growing Pinot Noir with well-structured tannins, aromas of vanilla and spice, and the flavor of ripe cherry and candied raspberries. A powerful yet approachable wine, its simple beauty and cleansing lightness is perfect for the meal’s beginning and end.
Enos Cabernet Sauvignon “Estate Vineyard” 2012 ($60)
Pour this 2012 inky-purple Cabernet Sauvignon in your glass and you’ll be greeted with the intense aromas of fall baking spices and sultry forest floor. Its palate is refined and opulent with firm dusty tannins and concentrated notes of bing cherry, brambly fruit, and sweet wood.
Vine Starr Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley, 2015 ($42)
Listed on the Top 100 Wines 2014 in the San Francisco Chronicle, this naturally fermented beauty has been lauded by drinkers and critics alike as a restrained Zinfandel that reimagines what one expects from the California varietal. Essential aromatics of bramble-brush and spice make way for mouth-watering acidity and subtle fruit.
Roederer L’ermitage Rose ($98)
Roederer Estate’s first-ever reserve rosé, this is the best of the Anderson Valley winery’s 580 acres of vineyards. Expect a smooth complexity, notes of baked apple and fresh baked bread, and a creamy mouthfeel in tiny salmon-pink bubbles.
Lichen Blanc de Noir ($66)
This organically grown bubbly of Pinot Noir from Lichen’s Estate Vineyard in Anderson Valley is the confluence of California opulence and classic French elegance — a focused fruit-forward bubbly that is both bright and rich, with notes of crushed berry and brioche.