Drinks: Bring these to holiday supper

Last-minute gift ideas come packaged in red and white. So, here's a case of very merry wines to go with everything from pears and partridge to roast beef and lasagna.

2008 Shafer Relentless ($60) -- A first-class Napa syrah that lives up to its name, and an ideal wine with beef, game, robust cheeses.

2008 Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon ($35) -- Lots of red and black fruit in a very accessible wine from an excellent vintage.

2007 Luce Brunello di Montalcino ($93) -- A big, concentrated sangiovese-

merlot blend with dark fruit and a decade-plus ahead.

2009 Byron "Monument" Pinot Noir ($60) -- A complex, elegant, berry-plum-driven red from Santa Barbara County.

2007 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva ($22) -- A versatile, ruby-hued, berry-and-herb driven sangiovese.

2006 Rocca Sveva Amarone ($60) -- A powerful, layered, raisiny red, with a hint of blackberry and lots of personality.

2005 Clarendelle Bordeaux Rouge ($20) -- A mostly merlot, satisfying, and well-priced taste of France.2009 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir ($35) -- A lively, balanced, silky red from the New Zealand producer that redefined sauvignon blanc.

2009 Patz & Hall 'Zio Tony Ranch' Chardonnay ($60) -- Outstanding, vivid, intense white, peachy, toasty, with some spice, too.

2009 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Grand Cru "Les Clos" ($80) -- A wonderful white Burgundy, elegant and powerful.