8 Reasonably priced American Pinot Noirs to Pair With All the things on the Thanksgiving Desk

Over time as a wine author I’ve advised an alarming variety of wines in my equally alarming variety of “what to drink for Thanksgiving” columns. However someway, shockingly, I managed to by no means write a Turkey-day column that includes one of the basic choices: Pinot Noir. Considerably baffling, on condition that Pinot Noir and poultry is a pairing no-brainer, and given the breadth of my different recommendations.

In actual fact, through the years I’ve mainly advisable every part however Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving. I’ve written about Syrah (odd); discount Bordeaux (go determine); Riesling (I proceed to struggle!); fancy wines for fancy Thanksgivings; lighter-bodied wines; sommelier picks; Goal-Costco-Dealer Joe’s choices; funds bottles; magnums (why not); Cabernet Sauvignon; Zinfandel (America’s grape, despite the fact that it initially got here from Croatia), and extra.

However regardless, my final recommendation is to pair your wine with the company somewhat than the meals. Your austere great-aunt Alice doesn’t need a natty Loire white that smells like a horse saddle together with her two brussels sprouts and single slice of breast meat, as an example, nor does your nephew Noah, he of the tats and piercings, need an old-school buttery Chard along with his vegan bird-thing-substitute. Nevertheless, what they may each get pleasure from is that goes-with-everything pinch-hitter, Pinot Noir.

Maybe a contrarian streak in my character is responsible for my longtime Thanksgiving Pinot Noir blind spot (my spouse would assume, “and we’re shocked by this?”) So let’s repair this example, as a result of it is about time: listed here are eight nice American Pinot Noirs to serve for Thanksgiving this yr.

2022 Hahn California Pinot Noir ($16)

Household-owned Hahn Vineyards, situated within the Santa Lucia Highlands simply inland from Monterey, makes this eminently quaffable, medium-weight Pinot. It’s stuffed with appealingly ripe, black cherry fruit.

2023 Cloudline Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($23)

Domaine Drouhin’s second label, Cloudline, is a dependable supply for elegant Willamette Valley Pinot Noir at a modest worth. The 2023, aromatic with wild berry and recent herb notes, is a living proof.

2022 Stoller Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($25)

Brambly wild cherry flavors and mushy tannins make this Willamette Valley Pinot distinctly engaging. The Stoller household received its begin in Oregon elevating turkeys (they’d 700,000 after they referred to as it quits). Conveniently for wine lovers, they determined in 1988 to shift their consideration in direction of grapes. 

2022 Banshee Sonoma County Pinot Noir ($30)

Transparently ruby in hue, this Pinot from winemaker Alicia Sylvester is vivid and tangy, its pink berry fruit enriched by refined vanilla and spice notes from getting old in French oak barrels (25% new). 

2022 Elk Cove Property Pinot Noir ($34)

Elk Cove, based in 1974, was a part of the primary wave of formidable winemaking within the Willamette Valley. At this time second-generation winemaker Adam Campbell makes a number of the valleys prime single-vineyard Pinots, together with this spice-accented, cranberry-cherry-rich property cuvée.

2022 Hundred Suns Outdated Eight Reduce Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($35)

Husband and spouse group Grant Coulter and Renée Saint-Amour personal this rising star Oregon producer. Their Outdated Eight Reduce cuvée attracts on glorious vineyards up and down the valley. Its vibrant raspberry-pomegranate flavors float by, leaving hints of dried sage on the prolonged end. 

2022 Paul Hobbs Crossbarn Pinot Noir ($40)

Paul Hobbs received his begin with Cabernet — he was on the unique group at Opus One — however Pinot Noir was among the many varieties he launched for the inaugural classic of his namesake vineyard again in 1991. Over 30 years later, this luscious but targeted pink is an affidavit to his abilities.

2021 Patz & Corridor Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($45)

Winemaker James Corridor is a longtime Pinot skilled, principally concentrating on elegant single-vineyard cuvées. However this regional bottling is a standout, with a silky texture, juicy raspberry fruit, and loads of complexity.