Have fun on Thanksgiving with this Oregon pinot noir

Occasion: For Thanksgiving, there are two basic choices of wines: Riesling for white, which is versatile and matches all the food you're going to consume, and pinot noir for red, which I am focusing on here, because it is much more fun to drink with the turkey. A to Z Pinot Noir is a Burgundy dead-ringer, stunner for the money and you will love the bottle design; it could even serve as a house gift for the big dinner at your relatives' house. No Tom Turkey foolery here, just superb Oregon pinot.

Wine: A to Z Pinot Noir

Grape: Pinot noir

Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.

Vintage: 2013

In the glass: A to Z Pinot Noir is a vibrant semi-translucent crimson-red color with a firm, deeply colored core going out into a fine bright crimson-pink rim definition with medium-high viscosity.

On the nose: There are crushed ripe red fruits with cherries, raspberries, red currants, strawberries and hints of fruit-driven minerals. It also reveals rather subtle but noticeable cranberry juice, lingonberry jam, red plum skins, violets and red fruit compote.

On the palate: The wine is lush and obviously a bit more extracted than Old World pinots tend to be with layers of crushed red cherries, red plums, mixed red berry compote, licorice root, great concentration and delineation with raspberry coulis, strawberry notes, minerals and hints of violets. The midpalate is impressive for its balance and play among fruit, acidity and tannins that appear soft and liquid. The finish is wonderful with yet more red berry fruit concentrate, hints of aniseed, cherry liqueur and minerals.

Price: $12.99

Availability: Lee's Discount Liquor, Trader Joe's, chain stores

Gil Lempert-Schwarz's wine column appears on Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.