Mise en Place

The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is already more than hectic, so why complicate your life with things that aren’t worth the stress? You take care of the reservations, the gift selections, the booking of flights and lodging, and the seating charts for your holiday dinners, and leave the wines to me. What follows is a subjective list of bottles I’ve tasted, paired with foods, and shared with friends during tasting sessions and at the table with meals. Some of these selections might be more difficult to find than others, but the internet is rich with sources, so happy hunting.

One request: When and where possible, please purchase your wines directly from the source, meaning the producer/winery. Many producers, especially the smaller ones, need the business. If that is inconvenient for you, your local independent wine merchant is the way to go. As always, if you can’t find the specific vintage I sampled, these wines, with perhaps no exception, will serve you well no matter the year the fruit in the bottle was harvested.

Bubbles should begin all of your gatherings, and I offer a number of bottles here that will satisfy any occasion. First up, how about a vintage Champagne? The 2012 Cuvée Louis Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs is a delicious marvel. It’s named for the brother of Elisabeth Salmon, who married Nicolas François Billecart and with him founded Maison Billecart-Salmon in 1818. Louis was mad about wine and heavily involved in making Champagne for the storied house, which is today owned and run by Mathieu Roland-Billecart, the seventh generation of the family.

The 2012 Louis Salmon Cuvée is elegant, delicate yet bold, and abundantly self-assured. Soft gold in color, the fruit (100 percent Chardonnay) for this vintage comes from the grand crus of the Côte des Blancs: 60 percent Mesnil-sur-Oger, 23 percent Cramant, 11 percent Chouilly, and 6 percent Oiry. Citrus and pear aromas deftly shone in my sampling, and this wine offers the palate sublime citrus, pineapple, and baked apple, along with a chalky minerality that rewards savoring. The 2012 was aged for more than 10 years on the lees, and dosed at 3.9 percent. The patient and demanding Billecart-Salmon approach and care shine in this wine, which you and your guests should find enthralling. Look for it at around $200. As for pairings, I admire that the Champagne house recommends a “casserole of whole calf sweetbread from Corrèze,” but procuring that dish on this side of the pond will take some effort. Oysters are always correct, and caviar is never wrong.

New Mexico, here we come, as our second sparkling selection hails from that state. It’s a methode champenoise bottling from Vara Winery & Distillery, which is based in Albuquerque. I’d serve this wine ($27 SRP) with oysters on the half shell or a smoked salmon canapé, both excellent choices for kicking off a dinner party. It’s 72 percent Chenin Blanc, 18 percent Listán Prieto, and 10 percent Pinot Meunier; jasmine and lemon notes caress the nose, and a sip brings apple and hazelnut (almond ventured forth on a second tasting). Fine bubbles that persist increase the sensuality of this wine.

I tasted our next sparkling wine last week. It’s a Moscato d’Asti DOCG from Vignaioli di Santo Stefano, the 2023 vintage, and if you want to serve a dessert wine that keeps people at the table with a surprise – what, no Sauternes?  – this $24 bottle is for you. Fruit is harvested by hand, and the result is a remarkable creation whose sweetness is balanced by superb acidity. Serve very cold.

Now to Oregon, and a festive rosé sparkling from Abbey Road Farm. It’s 100 percent Pinot Meunier, and the vibrant color of this wine makes me smile. Blair Trathen is the winemaker behind this bottle, and he’s created something that is lively and easy to drink. If you like lambrusco, try this $34 bottle. You get red fruit flavors along with an effervescence that provides a distinct and lasting finish. Pair with a mushroom and cheese tart. Abbey Road also makes a fine little carbonic Gamay Noir, so look for that one as well. (I’ll have more Willamette Valley wines for your consideration in upcoming articles, so stay tuned.)

Let’s turn to Garganega for our first white selection, a grape that might not be on the tip of your tongue, despite it being in the 6th position on the list of Italy’s most widely grown grapes. However, it is one that often rewards via its price-to-quality ratio. The 2022 PassioneSentimento Bianco Veneto IGT from Pasqua will cost you $18, and for that price you might as well get a case and serve it with exuberant abandon this holiday season. Bright citrus and lemongrass aromas lead to tart apple in the mouth. Refreshing to drink on its own, and I served it with a goat cheese galette and loved the combination.

How about a Chardonnay? It’s a tried-and-true choice, and there are any number of reasons the grape is consumed in the quantities it is – I’ll leave the buttery/oaky/unoaked debate for another day, or year, though I do think less oaky wines pair better with holiday fare, and a bottle I sampled recently takes its place on my list of “chardonnays to drink often.” Te Mata Estate, which produces the acclaimed Coleraine, is the source of one of the best chardonnays I’ve had this year. It’s a Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand wine, dry and plush and earthy. Golden white in the glass, a whiff of the Te Mata Estate Vineyards Chardonnay gives you lemony notes and subtle oak, then the palate is treated to white flower and pineapple. Firm, confident finish. I’ve not found a Chardonnay for $24 that I like more. This would be great with a butternut squash tart.

On we go, and Napa is the next stop. Chateau Montelena is the exact destination, and the 2017 Chardonnay is on the table. I sampled it and the 2022 vintage recently, and while both are singing with aplomb, I chose the ’17 to include on my list this year for reasons that are completely subjective. (By all means, buy the 2022 as well and be happy, because you won’t go wrong with either of these.) Loads of citrus peel, delicate peach, and cavorting aromatics of white flowers. Try it with your poultry or fowl, or perhaps a roasted sea bass. The 2017 is priced at around $75, but I’ve seen it for less on some reputable sites.

Insolia is a grape I find myself drinking more and more. It loves seafood of most all sorts, and seafood loves it. I like to shell oysters, run the empty shells in a dishwasher cycle, and make Chinois Curried Oysters with Cucumber Sauce and Salmon Roe, a recipe I came across a decade or so ago and made at a wedding I catered on Nantucket for my friends Constance and Alison. I’ve served it a few times since then, and the 2022 “Carinda” from Assuli Baglio will go with it well. This wine from Sicily sells for around $19. White flowers on the nose – orange and jasmine – and a beautiful salinity that goes for miles.

You should cook the oyster dish, which is based on a Wolfgang Puck creation first served at Chinois in Los Angeles, so I’m including it here; if you make it, drop me a line and let me know how you liked it.

Chinois Curried Oysters with Cucumber Sauce and Salmon Roe
From “Comfort Me With Apples” by Ruth Reichl

“This was an appetizer on Chinois’s first menu. I’ve always loved it. I’ve adapted the recipe from the one Wolfgang distributed at the American Institute of Wine and Food’s Cutting Edge of L.A. Cuisine dinner in 1985. The cucumber sauce is very easy and endlessly versatile; I sometimes use it as a vegetable dip.”

FOR THE CUCUMBER SAUCE

1/4 of a seedless cucumber, chopped

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, unseasoned

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

2 tablespoons peanut oil

FOR THE CURRIED OYSTERS

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

16 oysters, shucked, shells reserved

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 tablespoons salmon roe

Accompaniment: lemon wedges

TO MAKE THE CUCUMBER SAUCE

In a blender, purée the cucumber with the vinegar and salt and pepper until very smooth. With the motor running, add the two oils in a slow stream and blend until emulsified.

TO MAKE THE CURRIED OYSTERS

Whisk together the curry powder, flour, and salt in a shallow bowl. Dredge the oysters in the curry mixture one at a time, shaking off the excess flour, and transfer them to a plate.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet until hot but not smoking and pan-fry the oysters in batches, turning them once, until slightly crisp on the outside, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the fried oysters to paper towels to drain. Spoon a scant tablespoon of the cucumber sauce into each of the 16 oyster shells and top with a fried oyster. Top each oyster with 1 teaspoon of salmon roe.

Here’s a red for you that pairs well with a rack of lamb, or Bill Blass’ meatloaf. The 2023 G d’Estournel, from Cos d’Estournel, is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The clay soils of  northern Médoc can be discerned in this wine, which offers a fascinating melange of eucalyptus, violet, rosemary, and blueberry. Peppery notes sustain through a relaxed finish. It retails for $39, and you can find other vintages at a lower price point, such as the 2019 for $23.99 at Zachys.

I’m going Chianti now, and these two bottles I recommend with gusto. From Tenuta Perano we have the Chianti Classico DOCG 2021 ($25 SRP), and from Castello Nipozzano the 2020 Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG ($19.99 SRP). Here’s what you do with these Italian reds: make a large dish of lasagna with béchamel and, if you can find it, wild boar (or lamb or beef). It will be a cool evening, sometime between now and the end of the year. If you wish, make the lasagna the day before. Invite a few friends over for dinner, a between-Thanksgiving-and-Christmas gathering, and open these bottles. The Perano delivers with a bouquet of berries and forest floor and a confident finish, while the Castello Nipozzano brings dark cherry, wild mushroom, and a concise minerality. They’ll both pair well with the lasagna, and the addition of a crusty baguette and a simple salad will make the evening perfect. Both selections are from the Frescobaldi family, which has been producing wines for about 700 years.

I like to give wines to special people as holiday gifts, and while all of the selections in this article would be ideal for such purposes, J. Lohr has put together a few collections that would make ideal presents. One I sampled recently highlights Paso Robles well, and is comprised of the 2021 Proprietary Red Wine, 2021 Tower Road Petite Sirah, and the Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon. For $117, you get three bottles that I would happily drink with a meal starring bone-in ribeye, grilled medium-rare and served with creamed spinach topped with toasted breadcrumbs. The blend melds Cabernet Sauvignon with Petite Sirah, while the 100 percent Petite Sirah showcases the beauty of that grape in outstanding manner. Robust tannins are balanced with rich fruit … you’ll want to put away a bottle of this for a few years as well, because it will age with grace. The Hilltop’s oakiness might be off-putting to some, but the winemaker, Brenden Wood, has a deft touch, so don’t hesitate to give it a try if you like Cabernet Sauvignon.

Barolo is special. Nebbiolo is one of my favorite grapes, and I’m including the 2019 Ceretto Barolo DOCG on this holiday list because it tastes so good. Fruit for this wine ($75 SRP) comes from vines with an average age of 30-35 years selected from a number of DOCG Barolo vineyard sites. The wine is aged for three years in oak casks, then for at least one year in the bottle. I hope you are well aware of the beauty of a Barolo, and this one possesses the magic for which Nebbiolo is loved, the rose and tar and mushroom notes that can transport one to a special place. Serve this wine with the grilled steak of your choice, or a pasta and truffle dish.

That’s it, the 2024 edition of my holiday wine guide part one. (Part Two will include some unique finds, along with a few wine-related accessories and books that will be appreciated by those fortunate to receive them as gifts.) I hope you find something to your liking, and that you open and pour with good people. Dine well, enjoy the season, and remember, wine is a living thing, so treat it with care.