Here are a few wine recommendations you might enjoy this Christmas. They are among our recent favorites, and hopefully you’ll find one that fits your Christmas dinner.
A new find for us is My Favorite Neighbor. The Cabernet Sauvignon ($50 a bottle full retail) is delicious. In this price range, it’s the best Cabernet we’ve had from the Central Coast region.
If you prefer something from Napa, try the Recoltant Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a very drinkable wine. It’s a crowd pleaser because it has no real flaws. The website lists it for $60 and sold-out, but do some shopping; I’ve seen it for as little as $29.95 and more commonly around $40.
Teeter-Totter Cabernet Sauvignon has an amazing pedigree. Crafted by the extraordinary Benoit Touquette (the winemaker for Realm and other super high end wines), Teeter-Totter is a well crafted wine under $100. It use to be under $50, but acclaim has a way of driving up the price.
Looking to go big, or want to buy a crazy expensive wine as a gift? And tired of the big names from Napa? Then look at Patrimony Estates from the Paso region. Amazing wine from the folks at Daou, but largely operated like a smaller boutique wine. We hosted dinners with friends and did blind taste tests with some of the unique Napa cult wines. We’d sneak Patrimony into the tasting to make the test interesting. To our surprise, Patrimony won each time. But it’s pricey. Figure $275 a bottle.
Okay, so reds aren’t your thing and you want a good white wine? Here are three to consider.
From Oregon we enjoy the Domaine Drouhin “Arthur” Dundee Hills Chardonnay. It is delicious. I’ve seen it for $29.95 at several retailers.
If you want a white wine from France, look for Fichet Meursault Bourgogne Blanc. It sells out fast but you can find it on the web. The importer, Rare Wine Company, has a few of the higher end Fichet wines available.
No list of wines for the holidays is complete without Champagne. And the best we’ve found for the price is from our friends at Scale Wine. Two really stand out: Champagne Juillet-Lallement and Champagne Paul Launois. The later has been our favorite for years. Both are very, very affordable (under $100) for amazing quality. Actually, while you are on the Scale Wine website, check out all the wines they represent. I’ve loved them all.
Hope this is helpful — and hoping you have a great Christmas dinner!