For Thanksgiving,
Drink American
California Cabernet Celebrates History
And Good Taste
November 9, 2007

TASTINGS
By DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER

Thanksgiving is all about the classics. Turkey is a classic main course, cornbread is a classic stuffing, Jell-O mold is a classic odd side dish. In the same way, Thanksgiving is all about history. We talk about Pilgrims and Native Americans and the dishes we're using that were handed down from Great-Grandma, and somehow this all becomes part of a seamless, living narrative. In the midst of all of this, shouldn't the wine be a classic, too, a wine with true American history behind it? We think it should -- and we have some suggestions.

Around this time of year, a big question on everyone's mind is: What wine should I serve with Thanksgiving dinner? Truth is, whatever wine you choose, there's an expert somewhere who says it's perfect and there's a good reason for that: Thanksgiving dinners are so varied that it's impossible to suggest a one-size-fits-all wine. Our advice has always been pretty simple. First, because this is an American holiday, stick with American wine. Second, start with a bubbly; this is not only a great way to begin a celebration, but the sparkler will also be great with the food if anyone would like to keep drinking it with dinner. If you want to serve a white with dinner, we conducted a tasting in 2004 in which we cooked a Thanksgiving feast weeks before the celebration and tried a wide variety of whites. We recommended then that you look for a white that is quite dry, is bursting with fruit and has abundant acidity. At the time, the three wines that hit the mark perfectly were Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Johannisberg Riesling from New York, Gallo of Sonoma Pinot Gris from California and Robert Mondavi Chardonnay Reserve from California.

A Time for Red

For the red -- and, to us, Thanksgiving is a time for red wine -- we suggested two years ago that it might be fun to try an Oregon Pinot Noir. Not only are these delicious, but having a wine from one of America's most exciting newer wine regions is a fine way to celebrate the bounty of this country.

CLASSIC CABERNET INDEX

 In a tasting of some of California's long-time, classic Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Sauvignon blends, these were our favorites. All that said, though, for us there is one perfect wine for Thanksgiving dinner: a fine American Cabernet Sauvignon. It's not just that the flavors match well with the dinner, though they do. It's that a good Cabernet has complexity and layers of interest, just like the big meal on the table. And, critically, a fine Cabernet has the stature to belong on the table. This year, we'd suggest taking this one step further: Choose a wine that is itself part of American history. Open one of the classic Cabernets of America, wines linked to the people who had a vision of great American wine and took risks to help create the modern American wine industry. These were the pioneers, people like the sparkle-eyed Russian émigré André Tchelistcheff, who proved what was possible in America at Beaulieu Vineyard; Robert Mondavi, who broke with his own family to show the way toward California's future; Warren Winiarski, a former Mondavi winemaker who stunned the world with his Stags's Leap Cabernet at the Paris Tasting of 1976; Al Brounstein, who smuggled vines from Bordeaux to plant Diamond Creek Vineyards; and crusty Joe Heitz, who was once asked by the author of a book called "Great Winemakers of California" whether California wines were as good as European wines and replied: "Is the best blonde as much fun as the best brunette?"

Goodness knows there were many other pioneers in those early days and there are still pioneers today. But a few winemakers and their wineries will always have a very special place in America, and times are changing. Mr. Mondavi is frail and lost his winery in 2004. Mr. Brounstein died last year. Mr. Winiarski just sold his winery.

Of course, some of these wines are no longer considered among America's best -- a lot has happened over the years -- but history should count for something. In any event, serving one of these wines invites wine lovers like us to remember vintages of our lives because these are names so many of us grew up with. To decide which we might recommend, we bought a large sample of wines from some of America's classic wineries. Wine geeks could argue forever about which should be included in any first cut, but we chose well-known names that have been around since about 1972 or earlier and whose top Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet blend has been, or at least was, well-regarded for a number of years.

Showing Their Stuff

For our tasting, we ordered the 2004 vintage if we could find it because it's the most widely available, but some wineries haven't yet released the 2004, so we got other vintages. We generally tried to skip the 2003 vintage, which was inconsistent. In some cases, we tasted two vintages of the same wine. We did not taste these blind, but instead tried one or two bottles per night, so each of these young wines had a chance to show its stuff, with and without plenty of air and with and without food.

Great American Cabernet Sauvignon is something special, with the tastes of big, ripe, proudly American grapes and the skill of a winemaker reining in the tastes to create a tight, textured, structured whole. The combination of power and elegance in a wine that slowly reveals itself, layer by layer, is a wonder. Alas, that is something we have experienced less as the years have gone on and Cabernets have too often become caricatures of themselves, with far too much oak, cream and alcohol and too little acidity, fruit and winemaking elegance.

In the attached index, you will see the wineries and the wines that we liked best among the pioneers. These should remind anyone what great American wine can taste like: bold and proud, but with guiding principles that give them focus and meaning. History can be delicious. These wines prove it.

The Dow Jones Classic Cabernet Index

In a tasting of some of California's long-time, classic Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet Sauvignon blends, these were our favorites. All of these are made in limited quantities. They would be great with Thanksgiving dinner. Open these an hour before dinner and take a sip to see if they seem tight and a bit mouth-puckering; if so, decant. Because these are specialty items, prices vary widely.

VINEYARD/VINTAGE PRICE RATING TASTERS' COMMENTS

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 'Cask 23' 2002 (Napa Valley) $170* Delicious Best of tasting. Tightly wound and powerful. Great fruit, but well-controlled, with blackberries, blueberries and minerals. Exciting to drink as it dances along the edges. We didn't like the 2000 ($145) as much.

Diamond Creek Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 'Volcanic Hill' 2004 (Napa Valley) $175 Very Good/Delicious Big, beautiful wine. Rich, earthy nose of blueberries and blackberries, with a splash of lemon. Intense fruit, with chocolate and great oak. We also liked the 2004 "Gravelly Meadow" ($175).

Joseph Phelps Vineyards 'Insignia' 2004 (Napa Valley) $159 Very Good/Delicious Wonderful dark color and rich plum nose. Big wine, with loads of fruit, some chocolate and a concentration of black coffee and tea. We didn't like the 2002 ($200) as much.

Ridge Vineyards 'Monte Bello' 2003 (California) $109 Very Good/Delicious Black wine, rich and deep, intense and soulful, yet with good structure, too. Ripe California fruit, some chocolate and earth and some spice at the back, but all held in restraint. We also liked the 2004 ($125).

Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 'Reserve' (Napa Valley) 2002 $100 Very Good/Delicious Interesting and well-made and intentionally edgy -- a wine to savor and talk about. Very dry, with abundant tannins and honest fruit. We also liked the 2004 ($98).

Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 'Special Selection' 2002 (Napa Valley) $150 Very Good At first, it's closed and seems simple, but give it time. With air, it turns rich and warming, with a hint of eucalyptus, bittersweet chocolate and sage. We also liked the 2004 ($150), but not as much.

Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 'Georges de Latour Private Reserve' 2002 (Napa Valley) $80 Very Good Deep and dark, with black cherries, black olives, prunes and some black coffee, with a purple-black core. Plenty of oak, but well-balanced. We didn't like the 2004 ($80) as much.

Heitz Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 'Martha's Vineyard' 2001 (Napa Valley) $150 Very Good Fresh, fun and lively, with plenty of black cherries, mint, blackberries and nicely balanced acidity. Restrained and food-friendly. The 2002 ($119) was also good.

NOTE: Wines are rated on a scale that ranges: Yech, OK, Good, Very Good, Delicious, and Delicious! These are the prices we paid at wine stores in California and New York. *We paid $190 for Stag's Leap, but this price appears to be more representative. Prices vary widely.