Give Thanks for These 3 Long Island Bordeaux-Style Blends

Normally for Thanksgiving I lean towards rosé or sparkling wine for appetizers, followed by sauvignon blanc with the main course, as the bright acidity tends to cut the meal’s heaviness. I follow that with a rich, full-bodied, red with, or even for, dessert and fine conversation.

This year I’ve decided to try something new and celebrate with three of Long Island’s delicious Bordeaux-style blends. A quick primer on what it takes to be a Bordeaux: Bordeaux reds are comprised of one or more of the five noble grapes. The five noble grapes for Bordeaux red wine blends are cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and malbec.

One might wonder, what is a noble grape? Noble grapes have a reputation for creating consistently excellent wine regardless of where they are grown. Another qualification is that the wine hail from the Bordeaux region in France. While Long Island wine is unable to do that, it can and does produce some gorgeous Bordeaux-style blends.

For this Bordeaux-style Thanksgiving, first on the table is Mirage from Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard. This dry red wine has bright cherry flavors in front tempered with notes of vanilla. It is an excellent social wine. The blend is 70% merlot, 18% cab sauvignon, and 12% cab franc. This blend is lighter and brighter than the next blends we’ll talk about. Mirage would pair well with appetizers, or vegetable dishes, which are notoriously hard to pair wine with, and other light opening courses. Mirage retails for $36.

Our next wine is the wonderfully medium-bodied Pythagoras. Pindar Vineyards’ Pythagoras was originally crafted to celebrate the winery’s 15th anniversary of winemaking on Long Island. According to the winemaker’s notes, which are incredibly spot-on, a rarity, this wine combines the full characteristics of merlot with the subtle herbal notes of cabernet franc. Pythagoras is both complex and approachable. This is easily a go-to wine for pairing with your main course. Pythagoras retails for $22.99.

For our final wine we have the breathtaking 2022 Bergen Road from Macari Vineyards. According to the winemaker’s notes, the magic that goes into making this wine is 44% merlot, 31% cabernet franc, 17% cabernet sauvignon, and 8% petit verdot. The wine is aged between 15 and 22 months in French oak barrels that are 23% new French oak. It is carefully blended over the course of two months.

This wine is big. It’s bold. It’s silky smooth and sumptuous. In the glass it is a medium garnet color with a bright ruby ring. It has notes of dark cherry, rich dark berries, bittersweet chocolate, and light notes of anise. I’d drink it with dessert, or instead of dessert, maybe even instead of the main course. While it would pair beautifully with any gamey dish, dark chocolate, or red meat, it does not need food to be enjoyed. It would pair well with after-dinner conversation but drinks equally well with solitude and silence. If buying a bottle to share at Thanksgiving, buy another bottle to keep for yourself. It retails on the higher end at $75, but it drinks well above its price point, and I assure you — it’s worth every penny.