Thanksgiving dessert wines
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to break out the good wines, wines you might have saved for a special occasion. This is particularly true of dessert wines; when a little goes a long way, you want to have enough people around the table to share so as not to waste.
For this Thanksgiving, here are some wines made from grapes that have gone through botrytis (a form of mold that can be beneficial if it takes place late or after the main harvest) and a few fortified wines.
In both cases, the wines are made from white wine grapes because of their sweetened acidity, which can be refreshing after such a large meal, as well as for their ability to pair so deliciously well with the fruits of autumn — apple and pear — found in seasonal desserts.
Here are some locally produced favorites.
Carol Shelton 2006 Sweeter Caroline Reserve: Zinfandel master Carol Shelton used trousseau gris grapes from the Fanucchi Vineyard in Russian River Valley for this extra-late-harvest dessert wine, which is sweet and full-bodied in every sense of the word, lovely with aromas of honey and peach. 13% alcohol, 17% residual sugar. $40 (375 ml). www.carolshelton.com
Cinnabar 2009 Late Harvest Semillon: From the Luchsinger Vineyard in Lake County, high above Clear Lake, comes this golden, honeyed, late-harvest semillon so delicious it's like biting into your granny's best apple pie. Fully botrytized fruit (75% semillon, 25% sauvignon blanc) was hand-harvested for the wine, which then fermented in French oak barrels, mostly new, for a clean, crisp liquid with a lingering taste of dried fruit. 12% alcohol, 17% residual sugar. $48 (375 ml). www.cinnabarwine.com
Dry Creek Vineyard 2005 Soleil Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc: Crafted out of 62% sauvignon blanc and 38% semillon, all grown in Sonoma County, this dessert wine spends 15 months fermenting in French oak and is nuanced with spice and honey notes wrapped around apricot fruit. Pair with a fruit dessert and vanilla ice cream and the sun will come out. 13.5 % alcohol, 10% residual sugar. $25 (375 ml). www.drycreekvineyard.com
Matanzas Creek 2008 Denouement White Wine: This is the first and so far only vintage of this botrytized sauvignon blanc dessert wine, made in the style of a Sauternes, lush and overwhelmed by flavors and aromas of peach and honeysuckle and a touch of hazelnut. 13.2% alcohol. $45 (500 ml). www.matanzascreek.com
Merryvale Antigua Dessert Wine: Merryvale makes this wine using Muscat de Frontignan grapes harvested from 1970 to 1983 and again from 1992 to 1994 and fortifying the wine with pot-still brandy crafted in the Napa Valley, like a port. The whole lot then ages in French oak barrels for an average of 11 years, turning it a deep butterscotch color and allowing aromas and flavors of orange peel and hazelnut to settle in. 18% alcohol, 11% residual sugar. $35 (500 ml). www.merryvale.com
Navarro 2009 Hummer Late Harvest Gewürztraminer: Navarro makes a host of decadent dessert wines but their end of the Anderson Valley is so noted for its gewürztraminer that a late harvest version is hard to pass up, given its bounty of tropical mango and honey flavors. 11.1% alcohol, 8.1% residual sugar. $19 (375 ml). www.navarrowine.com
Novy 2010 Oley Late Harvest Viognier: Winemakers Adam and Dianna Lee make this lovely dessert wine using yeast isolated from the Sauternes region of France. Named for Dianna's grandmother, Lillie Novy, whose wedding day photo is on the bottle's front label, it's rich and layered with peach, apricot, tangerine and vanilla cream flavors, accented by a kick of crisp, refreshing acidity throughout. 11.4% alcohol, 14.7% residual sugar. $19 (375 ml). www.novyfamilywines.com
Peterson 2008 Home Farm Muscat Blanc: From grapes grown organically in the Lipton Daniel Vineyard in Dry Creek, this aromatic dessert wine contains mostly muscat blanc grapes but also a handful of orange muscat (8%) and spends most of its time aging in stainless steel, fortified by spirits made from the previous vintage's muscat. The orange blossom from the orange muscat carries the day here with velvety flavors of honey and hazelnut popping out as well. 17.8% alcohol, 13.8% residual sugar. $34 (375 ml). www.petersonwinery.com
Stephen & Walker 2010 Late Harvest Chardonnay: From grapes left to develop botrytis along the Mendocino Ridge is this exceptional dessert wine, marked most by pear and apple aromas and flavors with a finish of crème brulee at the end so beautiful it might leave you speechless. Only 24 cases were made. 12% alcohol, 15% residual sugar. $65 (750 ml). www.trustwine.com
Virginie Boone is a freelance wine writer based in Sonoma County. She can be reached at virginieboone@yahoo.com.
Thanksgiving dessert winesBy VIRGINIE BOONE
The Novy 2010 Oley Late Harvest Viognier dessert wine features the wedding photo of the winemaker's grandmother on the bottle's label.