It has been raining in the desert, finally giving the slightest indication of fall weather in Nevada. With that, I have been in the mood for wines that warm you from the inside out. The type of wines with rich complexity, texture, and well-rounded flavors, such as these, are ideal for sipping on a chilly November night. 

Kosta Browne makes Pinot Noir wines I want to drink.  From Anderson Valley in far Northern California, Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir captures the region’s rugged, somewhat untamed vibe in the bottle. Lush wild strawberry and raspberry leap from the glass, with wet leaves and forest floor giving a hint of earthy character, keeping the palate engaged. Warm spice and a touch of toasted vanilla round out the overall flavor, bringing in autumnal harvest flavors.

Conversely, where Cerise is rustic yet refined, the winery’s Bootlegger’s Hill Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is bold, rich, and ready to be noticed. The vineyard is planted to Goldridge fine sandy loam soils, some of the most prized soils in the region, as they are well-draining and nutrient-poor. Although that may sound disastrous for growing fruit, they are actually ideal as vines must struggle to find nutrients, digging deep into the earth, extracting its characteristics, and creating wine with a sublime sense of place. The generous palate shows black and blue fruit notes of black cherry, black raspberry, and blackberry, with sandalwood, and a touch of lavender. While bold, the wine maintains freshness and acidity that keep the palate engaged from first sip to the last. 

With plush red and blue fruits, Willamette Valley’s Résonance Winery showcases why the Oregon region is so ideal for growing cool-climate pinot noir. The winery brings Old World Burgundian style to its Willamette Valley wines, allowing the terroir to shine through in satisfying wines. Utilizing fruit grown throughout the valley, including the winery’s estate Résonance and Découverte vineyards, the wine layers fresh raspberry, wild blackberry, earthy forest floor, and wildflowers. The palate is multi-layered yet beautifully approachable, resulting in a well-balanced wine that pairs with anything from grilled salmon to pork tenderloin to Thanksgiving turkey. 

Although native varieties thrive in Sicily, international varieties such as Syrah also shine on the Mediterranean island. Taking its name from the Arabic word Nazir, meaning deep, rare, and precious, Tenuta Rapitalà Nadir Syrah highlights the high-elevation terroir of its sand- and clay-rich soils in Northwestern Sicily. The wine undergoes a long, cool fermentation, ensuring rich aromas and smooth, chewy tannins. After fermentation, the Syrah ages for an additional year. The aging helps round out the wine’s character, resulting in a rich, full-flavored palate of blackberry, plum, warm spice, and pepper with notes of vanilla and dark chocolate.

Textbook Winery’s Page Turner Oakville Proprietary Red Blend lives up to its name, keeping you engaged and going back time and time again to revisit the latest chapter as it evolves in your glass. The wine is a blend of 58% Merlot and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the western edge of Oakville, in the heart of Napa Valley. After hand-harvesting and a long maceration, the wine ferments and ages for 2 years in French oak. The resulting wine is silky, rich, and balanced, showing layers of red cherries, plums, currants, black raspberry, and chocolate, with a touch of wildflowers and woody herbs. It has balance and freshness, keeping you going back time and time again.

There is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah grapes can create powerful wines with bold tannins that can put hair on your chest if not handled with kid gloves. Thankfully, Dry Creek Valley’s Dutcher Crossing understands the power that the grape can yield, and keeps it in check with its Proprietor’s Reserve Petite Sirah. From grapes grown on Dutcher Crossing’s estate and neighboring vineyards, the aromatic wine opens with blue and blackberries, spring violets, woody herbs, and wet leaves. The fruit notes carry through to the palate, melding with dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, and sagebrush. While the tannins are bold, the wine’s natural acidity provides a beautiful balance, keeping the palate fresh. The richness pairs well with fatty ribeyes, braised pork belly, or coffee-crusted lamb chops.

A juicy, full-bodied, bold Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon always warms the heart and palate. From the Far Niente family of wines, Bella Union Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shines with luscious black fruit, graphite, and dark chocolate flavors that dictate the classic Napa Valley profile. Though the wine has a Napa Valley appellation, the base is from Bella Union’s Rutherford estate, lending the dusty, earthy characteristics the region is known for. This is the wine to pair with braised or grilled meats, roasted lamb chops, or a hearty stew.

You may think Rosé is only for summer sipping. Many Rosé wines are light, zesty, and perfect for quenching your thirst on a warm day. However, Rose can also be rich and complex, with highly gastronomic properties that make it a wonderful dinner companion any time of year. McCollum Heritage 91 Rosé is one of those wines. The Willamette Valley winery was founded by NBA star CJ McCollum and his wife, Dr. Elise McCollum, after they shared a mutual love for the grape. To ensure the wines delivered the quality they hoped for, they brought in one of the region’s finest consulting winemakers, Gina Hennan, to help bring their vision from vine to glass. McCollum Heritage 91 Rosé is made from Pinot Noir grown in the Chehalem Mountains sub-AVA. The wine has a deep salmon-pink color, indicating a long maceration time for the fruit on the skins, which lends color, texture, and flavor to the selection. Luscious ruby red grapefruit, watermelon, and wild strawberry unfold in the fruit-forward selection, with subtle hints of woody herbs and crushed stone. It is a lovely wine to take you from aperitifs through a dinner of fish tacos, chicken chili, or spicy Thai food.