The 11 Best Wines for Your Holiday Feast, From Napa Cab to Burgundy Grand Cru
Sharing a meal with family and friends is one of the joys of the holiday season, and few things let them know how much you really care like opening some special bottles when they are gathered around your table. We always like to start the festivities with bubbles—in this case rosé Champagne—and it’s great to have a good Chardonnay on hand for seafood and lighter dishes, but when the main event comes around, we know most of our guests are carnivores looking for some bold holiday reds.
Lower tannin choices such as Pinot Noir and Shiraz are nice pairings with turkey, ham or roast pork, but if you are preparing heartier fare such as prime rib, beef Wellington or even tomahawk steaks on the grill, the crowd is going to be clamoring for Cabernet Sauvignon. We’ve added a few of those into the mix, including choices from Napa and New Zealand. And of course, it is always wonderful to wrap things up on a sweet note. Whether you are a fan of team chocolate or team cheese, vintage Port is a terrific option, but if you like to think outside of the box a passito-style sweet red from the Veneto will help showcase your unique style.
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Champagne Gosset Grand Rosé Brut NV France
This delicate pink Champagne is composed of 50 percent Chardonnay and 50 percent Pinot Noir. It has fine bubbles and aromas of red fruits and yeasty bread. It is aged for three to five years on the lees which results in great complexity and richness on the palate. In the mouth it is quite lively with delicious fruit flavors and a touch of vanilla in the finish.
Lynmar Estate 2018 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley Sonoma
This brilliant Chardonnay is golden in the glass with a green hue at the rim. In the nose you can detect aromas of white flowers, anise fronds and citrus rind. In the mouth there are vibrant fruit flavors of tangerine and lemon pith tempered by a touch of warm Madagascar vanilla. It is full bodied on the palate with lingering persistence.
Domaine des Perdrix 2019 Echezeaux Grand Cru Burgundy France
This exceptional Burgundian Pinot Noir is sourced from two historic plots planted in 1922 and 1945. After harvest, grapes are sorted by hand and allowed to begin fermentation using 70 percent individual berries and 30 percent whole bunches. The wine is aged for 18 months in traditional Burgundian barrels made from 100 percent French oak. The bouquet features aromas of dark cherries and red plums. In the mouth there are flavors of red fruits accented by violet and spice with a touch of salinity in the long finish.
Penfolds 2019 St Henri Shiraz South Australia
St Henri was released for the first time in the early 1950s and it quickly drew the attention of dedicated Penfold collectors. It remains one of the most collected wines in Australia today and for good reason. It is ruby garnet in the glass with plush red fruit aromas and full bodied on the palate with soft and silky tannins. There are rich flavors of ripe fruits with just a touch of cocoa and coffee bean in the finish.
Accendo Cellars 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
An intoxicating bouquet of pencil lead, rose petal and wild anise draw you in to this rich ruby colored Cabernet Sauvignon. In the mouth it is very balanced with bold, bright fruit flavors and a great backbone of minerality. The tannins are pleasantly grippy now but will soften as time goes on. Drink now through the next 15 years.
Venge Family Reserve 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley
This 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon stunner from Oakville has rich ripe aromas of black raspberry, cassis and brown baking spices. It is aged in French oak for 27 months and has delightful flavors of vanilla and cinnamon complimenting the rich fruit flavors. It has plush mouthfeel with great persistence in the finish. Drink now through 2035.
Textbook 2019 Mise en Place Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville Napa Valley
Named for the French phrase, mise-en-place which translates to “everything in its place,” this red blend from Oakville is made from 77 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 23 percent Merlot. It has aromas of ripe red and black plums and brown baking spices. In the mouth, it is full bodied with rich fruit flavors and a touch of dark chocolate in the finish. Drink now or through the next 10 years.
Tarpon Cellars 2018 Shifflett Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll Napa Valley
Grapes for this Oak Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon are grown on the Shifflett Ranch which has been family owned for over 80 years. Aromas of blueberry, red plum and blackberry are all found in the complex bouquet. In the mouth there are ripe fruit flavors with hints of powdered cocoa and cinnamon in the finish. The volcanic soils contribute to the intense minerality and mouth feel in this wine making it one you want to revisit for another, and another, and another sip.
Villa Maria 2018 Ngakirikiri Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay New Zealand
A blend of 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, eight percent Merlot and two percent Malbec this enticing red blend from New Zealand is garnet to inky purple colored in the glass. Named for the Maori word that describes the gravelly soil in which the grapes are grown, this wine introduces itself with aromas of graphite, purple flowers and cedar. In the mouth there are flavors of black olive tapenade, black raspberry and black plum with voluptuous mouthfeel and heft on the palate. The tannins are fine grained and pleasantly astringent. Drink now or over the next decade.
Dal Forno Romano Passito Rosso Veneto IGT Italy
This dessert wine from Dal Forno Romano is produced in very small quantities and only in years with exceptional growing conditions. Grapes are harvested in late September and allowed to rest for four months in well ventilated rooms. It has intoxicating aromas of caramel, raisins and dried plums and bold flavors to match. It is delightfully sweet in the mouth without being cloying due to the balanced acidity.
Taylor’s 2018 Fladgate Classic Vintage Porto Portugal
Hailing from the Douro Valley—upriver from the town of Porto—this vintage Port wine is purple, almost black in the glass. It has nuances of wild mint and rose petal layered on top of ripe black fruit aromas. In the mouth it is perfectly sweet without being overpowering and the supple tannins provide structure without being too restrictive. Although it seems frivolous to drink this young wine now, it has everything you would expect from an older vintage Port, but if you have patience, you will be rewarded immensely if you lay it down for a few decades.
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