2005 Chateau de la Taille Bordeaux

Can't go wrong with cheap Bordeaux in a good vintage, can you? Eight bucks, I'm game.

Cedar and light plum notes on the nose.

This is very much an earthy/spicy sorta wine - Old World to be sure. There's some plum notes for fruit, but overall we're talking clove, cigar, tobacco, mint, anise, cedar, eucalyptus, and earth.

More of the clove and cedar linger on the palate as well as lingering plum.

Most the under $10 Bordeaux from 2005 we've had has been at least decent and this one is no exception. With these lower end offerings you're probably going to seeing the 06s or even 07s, on the shelf, but if you see the 05 I'd recommend it.

Wine: 7
Value: Sure

2007 Two Lads Merlot Old Mission Peninsula

The wines from Two Lads not only deserve, but I think sort of need, some time in the decanter before drinking. Yeah, I know, every young red should be aerated a bit, but these wines really come alive after around four or five hours of air exposure.

Cassis, cherry, mint, and peach are present on the nose.

Very nicely balanced - cherry, cola, eucalyptus, sassafras, strawberry, raspberry - fruity, spicy, with more than a spoonful of dirt. After it's opened an interesting stone fruit is coming through on the back palate - almost like a drop of nectarine juice got mixed in - it's stone fruit and it's not plum. As it opens a mild chocolate component comes through.

The finish.....remember when you used to bite the ends off of Twizzlers and then drink a Coke with it? Then, when the Coke is done, you eat the Twizzler and a fair amount of the candy flavor has faded and some of the Coke qualities have been absorbed? Imagine that used Twizzler put into a chocolate phosphate - take a sip and take a bite of the candy. There ya go.

I'm not sure how "varietal correct" this is - as a Merlot, I don't know if I'd expect what this wine delivered. As a wine, however, it's interesting and quite complex. At $35, this is a 'special occasion' pricing and would hardly be a disappointment.

Wine: 9
Value: Yep

2006 Chateau Grand Traverse Gamay Noir Reserve

This wine is $16 at the winery, but it looks like it's sold out through them. Perhaps it can be found in a local retail shop though.

A very nice nose - cherry and cola, two things I like to see, or smell in this case.

Nearly perfectly balanced with a very Old World quality to it - I notice myself saying, or implying, this about many Michigan red wines. A definite earth and even a graphite quality, solid acid, but by no means overwhelming - I would say this is an earthy wine for those hesitant about "earthy" qualities. You got your cherry, you got your cola, you got a bit of sassafras, you got your dirt - it really comes together nicely.

A bit of a raspberry thing comes out on the finish, which fades off to blackberry.

At $16 this is screaming - alas, the vintage is sold out from the winery. If you find it, snag it.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Yep

2009 George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

The annual tradition continues – I buy one BN and feel the need to buy another...why? I don't know. I suppose this year I enjoyed the Pierre Chermette so much that when I saw this for nine bucks I decided it would be worth a gamble. Right? Oh boy...

Immediately after popping, the scent of rotten bananas floated my way. The nose is somewhere between a banana gum or even a banana ice cream.

As it hits the palate, it's not bad – a bit of tart cherry and even a bit of root beer seems to come through, but after a few seconds, the thing we call the mid-palate, we hit this awful wall with a weird, funky mix of rotten banana and low quality cough drops.

Banana – and I do mean rotten, funky, unpleasant banana – on the finish.

Not good, my friends, not good at all.

Wine: 4
Value: No

Obligatory Thanksgiving Post

In general, I think a lot of people focus way too much on pairing. I mean, you obviously don't want to serve a giant Shiraz with a Caesar salad, but generally speaking most wine go with most food.

Thanksgiving dinner, if you believe the critics, is a "difficult" meal to pair. It helps sells papers and magazines, I suppose, but I think it's rather absurd.

The key is to avoid big wines - leave your Mollydookers, your Napa Cabs, and your giant buttery Chardonnays on the wine rack. This is the meal to break out the Pinot Noirs, the lighter bodied Zinfandels, the roses, the Rieslings, the Gewurztraminers, and the sparklers.

I also can't help but think that unless you have a very small group of people who all really know wine, you shouldn't be spending much - even $15 is steep. Stick with the $10 range, it's all about the food and the company, right?

My top five suggested wines for Thanksgiving are:

1) 2009 Pierre Chermette Beaujolais Primeur
Screw the haters. I don't know if it's the vintage, the producer, or my incredibly low expectations, but this won me over and would be perfect. My endorsement is only for this bottle, not BN in general (see above).

2) 2007 Bistro Pinot Noir
An easy choice - perhaps the best under $10 (if not under $20) Pinot Noir out there.

3) 2008 Lacheteau Loire Valley Vouvray
An absurdly good Trader Joe's exclusive for seven bucks. Loads of acid and a nice hit of sugar will complement just about everything on your plate.

4) N/V Binny's Blanc de Blancs Cuvee Tradition Brut Vin Mousseux
For Chicagoland readers, this Binny's exclusive (for five bucks, no less) is a screaming value.

5) 2008 Mulderbosch South Africa Rose
A rose from South Africa should be unique enough to spark a conversation should one be needed. The fact that it's tasty helps as well.

2009 Pierre Chermette Beaujolais Primeur

Ah, yes – the third Thursday of November. Here's the tradition – I say “I'm not falling for this again, no Beaujolais Nouveau, thank you sir” and I leave it at that. Then the e-mails start coming in from the various wine shops. Eventually, I create an excuse to hit up Binny's (today's excuse was the Three Floyd's Alpha Klaus) and: “Oh, gee, look, $15? SOLD! That's totally fair!” I opted to skip the eight dollar George Duboeuf and go for something a bit more exciting.

A bit of bubble gum on the nose and perhaps some apple candy. There's some funk, but no banana...hmmm....

Light, tart, crisp, easy drinking – I'll be good goddamned, this is like a very light Pinot Noir. Cherry, bubble gum, even cola shines through. This is well worth serving at Thanksgiving – plenty of mouthwatering acidity, some interesting funk, but none of the vile qualities you some frequently find.

A bit, just a bit, of banana comes through on the finish, but so little I can forgive it. More bubble gum, sort of like cherry Bubblicious.

The 2009 Beaujolais (Villages and Cru and all those) may be quite promising with this wine being as thoroughly enjoyable as it is. When the various retail outlets start heavily marking these down in January, I hope to snag as many varieties as I can to compare but for now I'm actually pleased I jumped on this. Don't get me wrong - you won't confuse this with a "good" wine, but for what it is, it more than succeeds. Kudos to the cheese eating surrender monkeys.

Wine: 6.5
Value: I give this one a go, as long as you know what you're getting yourself into.

N/V Saint Julian ST.J Red

I was at a local shop, wanting something, cheap, not too complex or heavy - an easy quaff, if you will - to go with some steak tacos. This jumped out at me for eight bones - it's a blend of Chancellor, Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Strawberry and a distinct garbage thing on the nose.

You know, this is almost like a damn good Beaujolais Village wine. It's simple, light, sorta compost like, but none of the negatives (ie, banana). Cherry, strawberry, plum, even some cola, with some very mild tannins and spice.

The finish fades quick - some plummy notes and lingering traces of cola.

The fact is this wine excels at what it is - it's meant to be a light red that's good for everyday drinking - I can not only complain, but I must sing its praises.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes

2007 Domaine de la Mordoree Tavel Rose

This is probably the most expensive rose I've consumed - retail price was $24. Of course, it was heavily discounted to $8 at Binny's, but this is neither here nor there.

Cranberry cocktail on the nose.

Big - very big - oddly big, in fact. Somewhat sweet, which I wasn't expecting. There's some distinct honeydew qualities, plus some herbal tea notes, and some cherry - all in a medicinal sorta way. As it opens, some of the unpleasant qualities fade away, but the whole thing is just, I don't know, unrefined? Everything is so big and in your face it's offputting.

Some interesting cantaloupe qualities come out on the finish.

The first 90 minutes or so I though this wine was damn near atrocious. After it got some airtime, I'm not convinced it works with my palate, but it's not bad.

Wine: 5
Value: Nah