December 17, 2021 – What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Things that get you into the Christmas spirit and move your mood from bah humbug to putting bells on your toes?
Mine are simple. Cooking cranberries with lots of cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar and a healthy shot of bourbon or brandy, lighting a Fraser fir candle and hanging the little heart ornaments my mother gave me 40 years ago on our carved Oaxacan cactus. There’s also a gorgeous little glass Christmas tree from Seekers Glass in Cambria, and a hand-carved Native American natividad we picked up in a shop in Durango on one of our many southwest desert pilgrimages. These are some fun traditions that make me smile just thinking about them.
There’s also a ritual involving Riesling, which somehow seems to set things right. If Gewurztraminer is for Thanksgiving, Riesling is the white for Christmas. There’s also nothing like Cabernet Franc, with its aromas of pine and incense, to remind me that there is nothing wrong with finding a bit of balsam in a red wine.
How about a few wines that reflect the spirit of the season: wines that remind us of all the wonderful things that make this time of year special? And more importantly, wines that won’t break the bank.
A great place to start is with 2016 Ser Sparkling Riesling from Wirz Vineyard, with its refreshing lime and pear notes mated nicely with its panettone yeastiness, at $34, a bargain. And then, there’s the 2020 Morgan Double L Riesling, super appealing, done in a kabinett style, with a bit of RS, and 11% alcohol. Jasmine and lemon balm make merry with flavors of lush peach and apricot, at $24.
Packed with juicy and sundrenched orchard fruit, the 2020 CRU Unoaked Chardonnay from the Santa Lucia Highlands is the essence of warmth and friendliness. No oak necessary. A twistoff, and $20.
Great Pinot Noir under $40 is hard to find, but CRU just happens to have a 2018 Sarmento Vineyard example that’s worthy. The fascinating earthiness and forest floor in the nose, proffers a view to its savory depth, satiny suppleness and exciting spiciness, at $35. Visit the CRU tasting room in Soledad, Friday through Sunday.
A solid go-to Pinot Noir from our region is the 2018 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast, just brooding enough with its iron rich nose to remind you it’s from Calera, and yet buoyed up by the presence of some bright red coastal fruit, namely cranberry and cherry compote, with a solid finish of allspice for $24.99
2019 Hahn Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir is among a threesome of Arroyo Seco designated wines from the steady hand of Paul Clifton. There’s also a Chardonnay and a GSM, and they’re all worth your money, if you want pleasantly fruit forward wines that are lithe on their feet and politely not screaming for attention. The Pinot Noir ($20) is rose petal perfumey with lilac and lavender, bringing a delicate salted watermelon quality to the strawberry cardamom compote on the palate. There’s a hint of mint and tarragon, giving it a savory edge. It’s reminiscent of Tabitha Stroup’s Salted Watermelon Jelly from Friend in Cheeses Jam Company.
Everything from Chesebro is well made and very reasonably priced. There is absolutely a place on the table for the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, made of the Musque clone, known for its fine richness and tropical flair, at $20. The 2015 Piedras Blancas is a dramatic Rhone style white that starts with 85% Roussanne, elevated by 10% Vermentino and 5% Sauvignon Blanc. Decadently complex and $27.
Is there a more tantalizing and endlessly fascinating red wine for the money than the 2008 Chesebro Montagne Sauvage? We think not. Aged to perfection and still going strong, this Chateauneuf du Pape style blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre is Santa’s long haul wine to get through those dark cold nights. $24.
Chesebro has a couple of holiday specials, including the 2017 La Grava, made of 70% Merlot and 30% Grenache, aged 22 months in French oak, for $25, the 2013 Cedar Lane Grenache, $24, and two 2014 Pinot Noirs, one from Mission Ranch and one from Cedar Lane, both $15.
Looking for something rich, that’s not Chardonnay? May we suggest the 2020 J Lohr F & G Pinot Blanc from Arroyo Seco? Winemaker Kristen Barnhisel aged this for 6 months in concrete egg, then in tight grain French oak and some acacia wood to accentuate the creamy vanilla pear pudding texture of this age worthy wine. It’s inviting with narcissus, golden apple and Bosc pear aromas, displaying ripe cantaloupe and Meyer lemon cream, on the super and long finish. $30.
Isn’t it great to have so many local choices? And that’s just the beginning.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
