Giving Thanks

2009 Coudert Tardive. Started out a little thin and tight, but blossomed with about twenty minutes of air.

Thankful for oxygen...it's a wonderful thing.
 
07 de Moor St. Bris, 07 Foillard Mogan. Both from magnum, both closed on opening. The Foillard just began opening towards the end of the evening to show surprising power and elegance. In hindsight, should have decanted both several hours before dinner.
 
originally posted by BJ:
09 MMIX and Tardive last night for cooking
dead 91 Weinbach Theo Gew.
00 Trimbach Seigneurs Gew.
81 Lucien Barrot CnP *excellent*
89 Raymond Lafon (as yet unopened and untasted)

The Raymond Lafon was very clean and classy but oaky and not really my style - I'm more of a Coutet guy.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
Even good wine can taste so-so in small straightsided crystal glasses. I give thanks for the fact that I love my relatives anyway :)

Oh, and the wines were a 2009 ESJ Rocks and Gravel and the 2005 Pinon Cuvee Botrytis. When I tell you that the Pinon had almost no nose you can see what I was dealing with. The ESJ was suprrisingly purple and tannic this year. Even more than in most years I'd give it time.
 
TG is a wonderful opportunity to serve nice wine to non-geeks and enjoy their reactions. My favourite quote from Thursday, regarding 09 Brun Ancien: "all those characteristics that usually bother me in red wines, none of them are in this one!"
 
My family went nuts for the sparkling cranberry wine... At least that's what I introduced it as- everyone had a good laugh when I revealed it was a crazy Sicilian wine by the name of Contadino 7...

Also on the table over several days were Occhipinti's Frappato in both '06 and '07 vintages, Lapierre Morgon '09, Gobelsburger sekt, Chidaine Clos Baudin '08, Massa Vecchia passito of Aleatico, my "Union Square" Manhattan variation (Berkshire New England Corn Whiskey, Vergano Americano, Cocchi Americano, Bittermens Boston Bittahs), Vergano Nebbiolo Chinato, Roagna Barolo Chinato, Tuthilltown Manhattan Rye, and the full line-up of Pretty Things beer. Much to be thankful for.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
TG is a wonderful opportunity to serve nice wine to non-geeks and enjoy their reactions.

That's for sure! The Camillo Donati Malvasia we started with was pretty weird, regardless of whether you were a Master of Wine or a non-geek. It was enjoyable in an intellectual sort of way but nobody asked for a second glass. Guests went gaga over the 2006 Stephen Ross Stone Corral Pinot Noir from magnum that was quite rockin', if I may say so myself.

There was a 2003 H. Thanisch Berkastler Doctor Sptlese that was quite good. Purchased as a closeout, it had a bit of leakage and when better to assay dodgy bottles than at a big Thanksgiving feast with people who aren't particularly into wine. Those who averred that they "don't like white" lost out big time. The wine was balanced (although leaning towards the ripe side, as Spats of this vintage are wont to do) with a fair amount of citrus taking the lead over from the honey and dried apricot/stonefruit sensations. The finish was long but not cloying and the wine probably has some development ahead of it, but I wouldn't exactly hang onto it to drink with the great-grandchildren unless you're already about 89 years old.

An Ampelos Dornfelder was interesting in a non-intellectual way. Tasted good, went with turkey. What more do you need? I don't want to think about what prompted someone (Huber?) to plant Dornfelder in the Santa Ynez Valley, but people have done stranger things there so why not Dornfelder?

2008 Hirsch Bohan-Dillon pinot noir didn't show much (if any) of the smoky character that has allegedly tainted all the north coast pinots that year (too bad there weren't forest fires in Europe in 2003, as that could have really brought out a whole lot of "common knowledge" wine reviews). We also drank a Bordeaux blend from Washington and a GSM blend from Twisted Oak but both were so nondescript as to obliterate any specific memories of them other than that they were red and conveyed alcohol.

-Eden (it's fun drinking with people who are just as happy with Martinelli's Apple Cider as they'd be with La Tche)
 
originally posted by Eden Mylunsch:
The Camillo Donati Malvasia we started with was pretty weird, regardless of whether you were a Master of Wine or a non-geek.

the dolce or the really weird stuff ?

There was a 2003 H. Thanisch Berkastler Doctor Sptlese that was quite good.

which H Thanisch, Sofia or the other dudes?
 
originally posted by Seth Hill:
They loved the sparkling cranberry wine!My family went nuts for the sparkling cranberry wine... At least that's what I introduced it as- everyone had a good laugh when I revealed it was a crazy Sicilian wine by the name of Contadino 7...

Also on the table over several days were Occhipinti's Frappato in both '06 and '07 vintages, Lapierre Morgon '09, Gobelsburger sekt, Chidaine Clos Baudin '08, Massa Vecchia passito of Aleatico, my "Union Square" Manhattan variation (Berkshire New England Corn Whiskey, Vergano Americano, Cocchi Americano, Bittermens Boston Bittahs), Vergano Nebbiolo Chinato, Roagna Barolo Chinato, Tuthilltown Manhattan Rye, and the full line-up of Pretty Things beer. Much to be thankful for.

Wowzer. Nice lineup.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Eden Mylunsch:
The Camillo Donati Malvasia we started with was pretty weird, regardless of whether you were a Master of Wine or a non-geek.

the dolce or the really weird stuff ?

Definitely the non-dolce. This stuff was so dry that one sip would remove the memory of the last couple of packages of gummi bears you'd wolfed down when you had the munchies back in high school.

There was a 2003 H. Thanisch Berkastler Doctor Sptlese that was quite good.

which H Thanisch, Sofia or the other dudes?
[/quote]

There's more than one? I had no idea! I've only seen the one label that makes it out here to California.

-Eden (I can tell the difference between Fritz Haag and Willi Haag though)
 
which H Thanisch, Sofia or the other dudes?

There's more than one? I had no idea! I've only seen the one label that makes it out here to California.

Dr. H.Thanisch, Erben Thanisch and Dr. H. Thanisch, Erben Mller-Burggraef

-Eden (I can tell the difference between Fritz Haag and Willi Haag though)

I know that one! The answer is neither is Thomas Haag.
 
A belated Happy TG to all you denizens. Our TG was celebrated at a rendezvous point with my mother, so wines were selected off of restaurant wine lists, which thankfully (pun intended) were quite interesting. So, the highlight was probably the '07 Nigl Kremser Freiheit Grner Veltliner, which impressed all and sundry. Honorable mention to a surprisingly appealing '06 Louis Latour Marsannay and a distinctly non-Gamayesque '04 Jadot Ch. des Lumieres Morgon.

Mark Lipton
 
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