by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoo
photos by Bob Dickey
story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 11/19/15
If you’re like me, there are at least a couple of rare or
expensive or unique wine bottles that have been awaiting a special occasion all
year long. Invitations and invitees have
come and gone. But it’s not until the
holidays that we find a supper special enough to open these reserved sippers
and share them with those we love.
Many of our local winemakers are no different, it turns
out, and I asked a few about the special bottles they’ll be what they’ll be popping
on this Thanksgiving.
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| Dave Potter (my pic) |
Dave Potter, Municipal Winemakers and Potek
“Since we are usually sharing the table with family and
friends, it’s a nice time to share special wines,” admits Potter. Next Thursday, he’s opening up bottles he
picked up on a trip to Burgundy and Bordeaux in 2011, where he got engaged. “Firstly, with five years in bottle
after release, those wines are really hitting their stride now,” he tells
me. “Also, all this insanity in Paris
has really got me thinking about how wonderful France is and how special our
trip was, and wine is a great way to transport us back there.” The Potters are especially thankful for their
daughter, who was born just six weeks ago.
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| Drake Whitcraft |
Drake Whitcraft, Whitcraft Winery
“Well, I actually always just pick any
of my dad’s wines,” says winemaker Whitcraft, whose father, legendary
winemaker Chris Whitcraft, passed away last year. ”They are all very special and very limited now. And he always said wine is made to drink, preferably
before it goes over the edge. So this
year, seeing as there is a turducken involved, I will reach for a high acid,
early vintage Bien Nacido Vineyards or Hirsch Vineyards pinot. And for
whites? No offense pops, but I'm going
with my current stuff.” The younger
Whitcraft’s own 2014 Presqu’ile Vineyards Chardonnay, vibrant and
sophisticated, would be a perfect pick.
Aaron Walker, Pali Wine Co.
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| Aaron Walker |
“I will most likely open up a
2003 Syrah from Sine Qua Non called "Papa,” Walker (himself a proud papa of two) tells me.
He’s been hanging on to this bottle for 10 years, since his server days
in San Diego, where his love for syrahs was sparked. “This is a wine that I have wanted to open
for some time now, and this Thanksgiving will be the perfect opportunity, with
my family and loved ones nearby.” For a
versatile Thanksgiving white, try Walker’s 2013 Pali Wine Co. Huber Vineyard Chardonnay,
with fruit-driven flavors and lively minerality that will match the entire
feast.
Jonathan Nagy, Nielson by Byron
“We will probably open a Delamotte Rosé as inspiration
for the chefs,” says Nagy, who's also husband of
Riverbench winemaker Clarissa Nagy.
“Clarissa loves rosé Champagne, and that makes it special to me.” Nagy’s own specialty is pinot noir, and,
for Thanksgiving, his 2013 Byron “Nielson” Santa Maria Valley pinot would be a versatile
and very food-friendly wine.
Aaron Watty, Big Tar Wines
Pink bubbles also appeal to Watty, who's saving a Bliard Rosé Champagne for Thanksgiving. It
hails from Hautvillers, France, where Dom Perignon is buried. “I smuggled a bottle back after visiting this
amazing family,” Watty says. “They’ve
been producing biodynamic Champagne since 1970.” For another perfect Thanksgiving red, try the
2012 Big Tar La Encantada pinot, with cherry fruit, smoky earthiness and bright
acidity.
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| Ben Silver |
Benjamin Silver, Silver Wines
"My Thanksgiving wine choice is a spontaneous decision and involves multiple
bottles," says Silver. "I'll look in my wine cellar for
red fruit-driven wines with some structure: masculine-styled pinot noirs,
Barolo or Barbaresco, medium-bodied Cabernet Franc, or medium-bodied
sangiovese-based wines.” Consider
Silver’s own 2010 Nebbiolo, with a lively mouth feel and with enough acid and
structure to hold up lots of Thanksgiving flavors.
Michael Larner, Larner Vineyards & Winery
Larner is
going back to 1997 both because of the past and the future. “Among a few European selections, we’ll
be pouring a ‘97 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf Du Pape,” he says. “We purchased our ranch in the Santa Ynez
Valley to start our estate vineyard from scratch in that vintage. My family traveled many times to France and
specifically the Rhone Valley seeking inspiration, and I can remember the
excitement my parents felt meeting the General Manager for La Nerthe. Their philosophy is the task I charged myself
with and still hold today -- focus on the vineyard, and the winemaking is easy.” The 1997 vintage also marked California’s
last visit by El Nino, and with the stormy period’s apparent return, Larner
feels that “there is hope of relief from the drought we have experienced for
the last three years.” The Larners will
also be sipping their own estate wines – all fantastic Thanksgiving matches –
like robust yet refined 2011 “Elemental” blend of syrah, grenache and
mourvedre.
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| Jeff and Nikki Nelson |
Nikki Nelson, Liquid Farm
Nelson is reaching back to her birth
year and opening up a 1982 Chateau Palmer.
She and husband Jeff won it at a Santa Ynez Valley charity auction last
year. “The projected decline of it is
coming very soon, so no better time to open her up and see what she’s all about,
after 33 years!” she tells me.
“Hopefully awesome, fingers crossed.”
Liquid Farm’s 2013 Golden Slope Chardonnay, with its citrusy minerality,
would be a perfect sipper while this fancy Bordeaux breathes.
Geoff Rusack, Rusack Vineyards & Winery
For Rusack, the focus is
on the wine for the end of the feast: a 1955 Dow’s Port. “I acquired it even before I met my wife Alison,
and that was well over 30 years ago!” he says. The man behind Rusack Vineyards fell in
love with Port in college, during a skiing trip to Idaho that included a serendipitous
pairing of port, apples and Stilton cheese.
“I learned, for the first time, what true synergy in food and drink
was,” he recalls. “Back then, I was
working at a fine wine and liquor store in Santa Monica – Pearson’s
Brentwood. I noticed they had a couple
of bottles of 1955 Dow’s, and I was able to convince the owner into selling
them to me. I’m not sure I was even 21!”
A few Rusack reds by winemaker Steve
Gerbac – including the 2013 Ballard Canyon Estate Reserve Syrah, with its buxom
tannins and chocolate tinges, and the 2013 Ballard Canyon Estate Zinfandel,
made from Santa Cruz Island cuttings and showcasing spice rack aromas and
blueberry flavors – will grace my own Thanksgiving table next week.
No matter what you’ll be popping open
next week, just remember to count your blessings. And don’t hesitate to splurge. Happy Thanksgiving!
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