Which California chardonnay wines are the most popular recommendations for Thanksgiving?!
Answers: Between $10.99 a bottle or more?
At bottom of price range I would recommend Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve or Columbia Crest Grand Estates. Both are more complex than others at the price point. More full and Oaky at around 15 would be Villa Mt. Eden, J. Lohr Arroyo Seco, and Wente Riva Ranch (if it is on sale). Also Chateau Ste. Jean does a nice job, or Cateaus Souverain. If you are willing to go as high as 20, I like Girard or Hess Suskol. The problem with wines like Two Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw) is that they buy left over juice and while one bottle may be great for the price, the next may be below average. There can be hundreds of different lots based on where they bought the juice from.
I'm serious, get a bottle of "2 buck chuck" (charles Shaw)
You bring up a significant problem in asking this question about chardonnay. Chardonnay, by itself, is not all that unfriendly to a turkey. It does, unfortunately or fortunately according to your taste, have a wide range of vinification styles. Typically on one end, you have a chard which has been fermented in very little or no oak and, on the other end, wines that have so much vanilla that they overpower whatever food you are trying to eat. With that said, the bigger problem is what goes with Thanksgiving.
While a chardonnay in a rich and opulent style can certainly stand up and even enhance a roast turkey, the problem is all the dishes one serves with it, including the dressing. Typically a Thanksgiving meal tends to be on the sweet side, with cranberries, sweet potatoes and nutty or fruity dressings. The problem with this is that, and this is strictly my opinion, the chardonnay can cope with the richness of the turkey adequately but cannot cope with the sweetness which enhances the meal, typically. My father allowed me to select the Thanksgiving wine from age 16 and I am forced to admit, I ran the gamut with chardonnay. I confess that my favorite chardonnays were of the French variety, usually burgundies. In these I will also share that I tried some pretty expensive white burgundies (including a prohibitively expensive Le Montrachet) and I think they didn't work. What worked the best for me was a semi-inexpensive wine from the Macon region. Rully is also a good district and reasonably inexpensive. A final choice might be a St. Veran, but often they are too soft for the big meal. My mother is fond of a wine from the Macon region called Pouilly-Fuisse, actually named for two regions from which the wine comes. I think she just likes the name. You have to admit it is fun to say. You spend some extra dollars for it, but it worked somewhat.
Since you asked about California chardonnay, I think it is clear that I would recommend a fairly austere white without a lot of oak or malolactic fermentation, something that tends to soften the apparent acid in a wine. The acid in the chard, to me, is one of the GOOD things about it as it seems to stand up to the richness of the turkey. One that comes to mind is Travis Chardonnay. Another is Hawkes Home Ranch Chardonnay. Both are fermented in stainless with no malolactic fermentation. One last one is Stags Leap Arcadia, a truly stunning wine but pricey at around $45.
Ultimately, I would recommend that you choose another grape for your Thanksgiving wine. Frankly, I changed to a red some time ago, but I always have a white for my mother if she is here. I usually choose a good Alsatian Gewurztraminer. A little sweetness helps with the food, so not bone dry if you please. It works about as well as any white wine I have tried
Gerald Asher, a man whom I respect deeply, wrote a great wine article for Gourmet magazine this Thanksgiving month. In it he suggests wines, with alternatives, for four different thanksgiving dinners. I have not tasted some of the wines he recommends, but his history as a wine writer is impeccable. By the way, he typically chooses red wines for the turkey. One last word of caution: do not choose a big red with lots of tannins like a California Cabernet. Soft tannins and big fruit seem to work best with the sweetness and richness of the turkey and surroundings. I have found out the hard way that superlative reds just become eclipsed by the food. I like reasonably young Zinfandels or Beaujolais. Save your money for Christmas when you can carve a roast beef.
i love Cambria Katherine's Chardonnay - $14.99
Acacia Chardonnay - $13.99
Benziger Chardonnay - $10.99
J. Lohr Chardonnay Riverstone - $10.99
though I have to admit, I am more of a pinot noir or big fruity zinfandel (the red kind) person for thankgiving. Or if you can get your hands on a beujolais nouveau, like the one from beringer, I would do that instead.
I think that most CA chards are too oaky to go with your Turkey dinner. However, if you can find an unoaked chardonnay (Four Vines Naked Chard is one) then go with that. It'll run you $12-15 depending on where you live.
On the other hand, reisling is awesome with turkey dinner as would be a good dry rose.