T-day wines

Florida Jim

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
With friends at Thanksgiving:

2007 Edmund Vatan, Sanserre Clos la Nore:
Served closer to room temperature than my fist bottle of this several days ago; starts tight and only moderately expressive but uncoils as it gets air and as the wine warms to be the most precise, evocative and enjoyable sauvignon blanc I have tasted. Immense complexity, lyrical fruit, evolving palate presence and endless length all in such perfect balance that it seems of whole cloth. Stunning wine!

1999 Jadot, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques en magnum:
Correct, even ethereal on the nose; precise but without much depth or breadth in the mouth. Good wine but not showing greatness, by any stretch. Excellent with the dinner but Im afraid my expectations were higher.

2001 Chat. Leoville-Barton:
Some vegetal notes with good finesse and complexity but again, not much depth. I enjoyed it but would not buy it. Others felt it better than I.

2002 Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon Montebello:
So much American oak that I could make no judgment as to the wine nor could I even discern what variety it is. Others enjoyed it; I felt that this is evidence of how oak can mask or even destroy a fine wine.

Best, Jim
 
'01 Leoville Barton was lovely on release. Maybe a few more years and it will come back around.

Welcome to the 2009 Thanksgiving Day thread extravaganza.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim: T-day wines With friends at Thanksgiving
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While not the wine I would have chosen to go with turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings, we nevertheless appreciated very much our host serving Ch Lafite Rothschild '70 -- Classic aromatics, cigar box, currants, ample fruit still, seemed to develop a bit in the glass.

. . . . . Pete
 
We had a gold-plated locally-raised 'heirloom' turkey, but went modest on the wine.

Starting with a 2000 Trimbach Pinot Gris, which was extremely good: bits of tropical fruit and grapfruit and grape fructose flavors, with tang, a touch of sweetness, and prickly acid sizzle. A fine sample of this varietal and drinking beautifully. I meant to have some of this with the turkey, but we finished it off before the eating began, which is a pity, as I believe this would have been great with the breast meat.

We sipped a bit of 1999 Joh. Haardt Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese in the interlude, seeking to downregulate the aperitif alcohol flow before uptake of food, but it was rather thick and dumb. I have hopes for it this evening, after a day to interact with oxygen.

With the meal we initially tried a 2000 Haut-Batailly, but it didn't seem quite right, so an hour before the meal we opened a 2007 Arlaud Bourgogne rouge Roncevie. This Gevrey-sourced bourgogne, grown from a formerly villages-classified plot, was a bit thin and fruity on its own, but paired up about perfectly with the Turkey.

We'll try the HB tonight with leftovers.

Cheers, and thanks to all.
 
We also had an 'heirloom' turkey served with smoky pumpkin soup, cheese-y popovers, stuffing, gravy, greens, and whole-berry cranberry sauce. Dessert was pumpkin pie and pumpkin chocolate cake, with pumpkin and gianduja ice creams (and a few squares from Jacques Torres).

We drank Brun's FRV100, Porter Creek 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, and Tete 2005 Julienas Cuvee Prestige. All showed well.

We also had Fonseca 1985, decanted 8 hours ahead (per advice from Roy Hersh). Most folks loved it but it just tickled my TCA threshold. Sigh.
 
Sounds tres elegant. How was the Savignon Blanc with turkey? We considered a De Moor St. Bris, but thought it would be too light with the meaty heirloom flesh.

I'm surprised the Tete showed well; I'd've expected it to be closed still.

Our Haut Batailly drank very nicely the second day, pairing well with thigh and drumstick leftovers. The Haardt didn't develop, but was good with crackers and Stilton cheese.
 
I had a 2005 Donnhoff Norheimer Kirscheck Spatlese for T-Day. Nice minerally drink with restrained fruit, though I wished it had more acidity to help balance out the sweetness a little more. Time in the glass ameliorated the balance issue, but I was a little turned off by the wine's density. But, all in all, paired well with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and candied yams.

I also had a 2007 Ridge Three Valleys. Not bad at all. Pleasant floral nose, but a little austere at the beginning. But again, with some air, it really opened up: dark fruit, some raspberry(?) tartness, soft tannins, and nice spiciness on the finish. A fun holiday wine that my dad loved.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Sounds tres elegant.
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How'd you know? ::emoticon::

How was the Savignon Blanc with turkey? We considered a De Moor St. Bris, but thought it would be too light with the meaty heirloom flesh.
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Well, the reality is that it was mostly drunk first with the popovers and pumpkin soup.

I'm surprised the Tete showed well; I'd've expected it to be closed still.
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I decanted it two hours ahead.

Oh! I forgot to mention we had a port, too: Fonseca 1985. I decanted that 8 hours ahead, too. ((I'll go back and edit.))

Our Haut Batailly drank very nicely the second day, pairing well with thigh and drumstick leftovers. The Haardt didn't develop, but was good with crackers and Stilton cheese.
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I don't buy it, but I occasionally bump into Haut Batailly and it's usually pretty good. Glad it worked out for you.
 
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