There's no better time for this elegant red for all seasons

The sense of dislocation of middle autumn in southern California can only be described as mind-boggling. Where else in the greater 48 can you experience 90-degree November days, with Santa Ana winds arid enough to make you crave a Calamine bath? (To the unintiated, this is what meteorologists call "fire weather," the combination of intense heat and dryness that causes entire communities to burst into flames at this time every year.) Now imagine what it's like to park your car, cross the parking lot with that heat and those high winds leaving you sweaty and tousled, wander into your neighborhood grocery store, and walk right into an end-cap display brimming with decorative horns o' plenty and Santas.

Welcome to the traditional start of southern California's holiday season.

Yes, I'm very aware that this country's weather is as variable as any on the planet. While locals here roast and endure 58-mph gusts (that's what I've just read on a local news source), the Midwest is getting hammered by an early snowstorm, and residents in the Northeast are just digging out from several days of heavy rain. Yet no matter where American oenophiles live, most of them still want a glass of Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Grenache, Sangiovese, or another light red with their dinner. That preference is easy to understand, since they've probably quaffed easy-drinking whites, roses, and bubblies for the last six months to beat the heat and humidity.

So what'll satisfy wine fans not yet ready to plunge into heavyweights Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or Bordeaux for the next five months ... and, come to think of it, be a star on Turkey Day?

REGNARD HAUT COTES DE BEAUNE PINOT NOIR 2005/CHABLIS: ABOUT $15

100% Pinot Noir. In 1860, Zephir Regnard founded his winemaking business, a house that would later become of the most prestigious in the Chablis sub-region. Baron Patrick de Ladoucette bought Regnaud in 1984, ensuring its dedication to producing wines of classic style and tradition. The essence of a classic red Burgundy is a haunting, unforgettable melding of purity, delicacy, and earthiness, and this ethereal beauty from Baron de Ladoucette has those qualities in abundance: a gossamer-light bouquet and palate of Bing cherries, lilacs, roses, mushrooms, black pepper, and freshly tilled earth. With its pale ruby hue, fragile body, surprising grip on the mid-palate, and an ever-lasting finish with subtle spices. It summarizes everything that this varietal from this famed region should be. It acts like a premier cru with a price tag of at least $50, yet numerous retailers have it on their shelves in the $15 neighborhood. If you haven't had the chance to sample a quality Burgundy, take the plunge. (Dare we suggest that its elegance and balance would make it a hit on your Thanksgiving table?)