L.A. WINELINE A SELECTION OF WINES TO BE THANKFUL FOR.

Byline: - Larry Lipson

Every year around this time, wine becomes more important than usual.

That's because the festive season begins with Thanksgiving and carries on through the other holidays.

Right now the immediate question to most of us concerns what we should be placing on the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Will it be a bubbly? Or Beaujolais Nouveau? Or something really different, like a sparkling shiraz?

Or perhaps, if your dinner table will be holding six or more adults, all three.

With the help of a few of our top-notch local wine merchants, here are some worthwhile recommendations:

PUT UP DUKE'S: David ``Duke'' Breitstein, owner of the Duke of Bourbon, 20908 Roscoe Blvd., Canoga Park, picks the first wine of Isabel and Michael Mondavi as his $10-and-under wine for Thanksgiving.

Priced at $8.99, their I'm Rose is a 2003 vintage and described by Breitstein as ``a beautiful, dry cabernet sauvignon rose, the perfect accompaniment for any holiday meal.''

He chooses an estate bottled Au Bon Climat pinot noir, sale priced at $19.99, as his $25-and-under pick.

``It's a terrific wine, of true Burgundian style, produced from grapes grown in Santa Maria Valley, California,'' he says.

At any price Breitstein opts for 2002 Duckhorn Napa Valley merlot at $48. ``A Napa Valley classic, rich and delicious, perfectly balanced, that will go well with turkey, goose and, of course, duck.''

His personal choice is Clos de la Bierle, Cru Cerdon for $16.50, an off-dry, sparkling pink wine from eastern France that he proclaims as ``one of the world's great wine tastes.''

Information: [phone].

RED CARPET FAVES: David Dobbs, owner of Red Carpet Wine, 400 E. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, recommends a 2002 Giesen sauvignon blanc priced at $9.98 from the Marlborough region of New Zealand as his bargain choice.

He characterizes it as ``light and refreshing; a zesty wine with tropical fruit and citrus flavors that won't dominate turkey the way a chardonnay will.''

A 2001 Domaine Carneros pinot noir for $22.50 is his $25-and-under choice that he describes as having ``a richness that most pinot noirs don't have.''

At any price he would pick a champagne, the Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle tete de cuvee ticketed at $79: ``One of the finest champagnes in the world with a warm bread-dough nose and flavors of citrus and ginger.''

Says Dobbs, ``I will bring to my mother's house the 2002 Sebastiani Sonoma Coast pinot noir ($11.90), a wonderful wine for a large gathering that won't break the bank.''

THE WHOLE TRUTH: Claude Ruau-Choate, the specialty coordinator for Southern California's Whole Foods Market, unhesitatingly chooses a $6.99 bargain, the 2002 Full Circle, an organically grown California cabernet sauvignon from Stoneybrook Vineyard as her $10-and-under Thanksgiving wine.

``It's aged in French and American oak, is of classic cabernet structure and has plum and cassis flavors,'' she promises.

At one cent under $25, she chooses a red Bordeaux, the 2000 Moulin de Duhart from Pauillac, a Rothschild Family wine from one of the great vintages of recent times.

``It's a classic Pauillac with balance, structure and full fruit, a perfect wine for holiday turkey or game.''

At any price, Ruau-Choate goes for a bubbly, the Nicolas Feuillette brut premier, a cru champagne from Chouilly, near Epernay, available for $25.99. She portrays it as ``very floral, light-bodied,'' and compares it the Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label.

As for a personal choice, she points to a sweet Argentine bottling ``to begin or end the meal,'' a 500-milliliter size for $11.99, of Santa Julio Tardio made from the Torrontes grape: ``A late-harvest wine with a honeydew nose, great pear and apricot after-tones.''

Information: [phone] or www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

WOODLAND WINNERS: Paul Smith, owner of Woodland Hills Wine Co., 22622 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, would pour a 2003 Domaine Solitude Cotes du Rhone ($9.99) as his $10-and-under wine.

``It's nice and fresh and will combine with all the elements and flavors of a Thanksgiving meal,'' he says.

In the $25-and-under category, his choice is a 2003 Melville pinot noir at $23.99 from Santa Rita Hills, ``A rich and lush, mouth-filling wine, a combination of fruit and complexity.''

As his any-price wine, Smith is drawn to the 2002 Zilikin Saarberger Rausch, a spatlese from Mosel priced at $22.99.

``It's light and delicate,'' he confirms, ``yet it offers surprising power.''

He terms his personal Thanksgiving wine, the 1991 Comte de Vogue Musigny in magnum ($350), ``one of the great red burgundies on this planet and a truly decadent experience.''

Information: [phone].

Larry Lipson, [phone]

larry.lipson(at)dailynews.com