What, no thread on Thanksgiving bottles?

K

Ken Schramm

Ken Schramm
I did not bust out huge guns, what I did was enjoyable nonetheless.

Jakob Schneider 2016 Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Rielsing Stätlese - delicious, glistening, vibrant, sparkly like a holiday. Platonic. Joyful.

Alfred Merkelbach 2016 Ürziger Würzgarten Rielsling Auslese - Platonic in a different way. Delicious and food friendly in a more gravelly, earth-bound fashion. Kate Hepburn to the Schneider's Audrey Hepburn.

Pithon Paille 2010 Chinon Vielles Vignes - Complete, still a few years shy of its peak, and sadly the last of my bottles. Still singing acidity might have been too much for some of the very traditional Thanksgiving fare, but the last glass, after dinner, was salve for the soul. I opened my last bottle of the PP Bourgueil with Putnam earlier in the week, and that bottle was even more composed and irresistible. Very much what I seek from Loire Cabernet Franc. I was philosophically sorrowful at the perhaps permanent hole they leave in the cellar.
 
I opened a horribly overoaked 2013 Ridge Geyserville.

I mean we all joke about Draper perfume but this was much worse than I remember any previous Geyservilles (though the last I had was a 1999).
 
At a restaurant for non-traditional Thanksgiving fare...

J C Bassin VV Chablis '15 -- round, full, rich, no edges, delicious (minus the "distinctive signature of Chablis" [whatever that is]).

Bouchard Beaune de Chateau 1er Cru '14 -- smooth, well-endowed, showing nicely in its drinking window.

. . . . Pete
 
For once, a smaller version at home, so just one bottle, a 2014 Foillard CdP which was quite enjoyable but still in need of more time to really come together.

Mark Lipton
 
We did well with lots of local foodstuffs, although of course the wines were from further afield.

First course was ricotta gnocchi (locally-made) with NC shrimp and fennel. Lovely match with 2017 Baudry Chinon Blanc. Clear herbal chenin with poise and drinkability, and a lovely match.

Main course was NC crab cakes, roasted broccolini with a pistachio herb pesto, and saffron rice (locally grown). Pretty good match with 2015 Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumes, which had a nice dose of golden chardonnay fruit, although that was balanced by more crystalline cut than I expected. I had actually chosen the wine thinking it would be a bit richer, in honor of my mother-in-law's tastes. But, the wine turned out to be closer to my core preferences. I guess the cook deserves to win!

Dessert was a tangy key lime tart (I always go overboard on the proportion of key limes).
 
originally posted by MLipton:
For once, a smaller version at home, so just one bottle, a 2014 Foillard CdP which was quite enjoyable but still in need of more time to really come together.

Mark Lipton
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Glad to hear it was enjoyable, although I've been hesitant to open 2014s.
 
I like your thinking! 'Overboard' is probably the wrong word. It was perfect for me and my son. I ordered 2 lbs of key limes for a 10-inch pie. (Don't even bother measuring how much juice I get) And no whipped cream, meringue or any sweet adulteration on top.
 
We had two bottles with dinner.

Fichet's Meursault Le Tesson 2016 was nutty, floral, and definitely young. If I had the choice I think that I'd buy three bottles of the basic bourgogne blanc instead of one bottle of this lieu dit, which is intended as praise for the basic bottling.

I don't usually drink syrah, but my wife said "get some syrah" and the Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Les Pierrelles 2015 was well-priced. It was a deal, in fact, with more delicate and subtle fruit flavors than I had expected, and less tannin and ripeness. This bottle was drained quickly.

After dinner we had Martin Müllen's 2016er Trarbacher Hühnerberg Spätlese*, which was perfect. Apricot, citrus, minerals, and a degree of lightness that is unusual in spätlesen.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by MLipton:
For once, a smaller version at home, so just one bottle, a 2014 Foillard CdP which was quite enjoyable but still in need of more time to really come together.

Mark Lipton
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Glad to hear it was enjoyable, although I've been hesitant to open 2014s.
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Me too. I have enough of this wine that I decided to look in on it. The most curious part was a Brett note that got more intense the longer the bottle was open.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
I like your thinking! 'Overboard' is probably the wrong word. It was perfect for me and my son. I ordered 2 lbs of key limes for a 10-inch pie. (Don't even bother measuring how much juice I get) And no whipped cream, meringue or any sweet adulteration on top.
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But did you pollute the wonderful limes with a graham cracker crust? I’m biased from growing up with my grandmother’s wonderful key lime pie, featuring a pastry crust topped with an airy just slightly sweet meringue and made with ripe yellow key limes from her yard in Miami Beach, that allows the limes’ delicate flavors and brilliant tartness to shine through unadulterated by the strong flavors of graham crackers. To me, a graham cracker crust with key limes is tantamount to using bourbon barrels to vinify Mosel Riesling.
 
I did use a graham cracker crust, which is the only way I have considered making it. But now you have me inspired to go a different direction next time! Because I can see your point, although I wouldn't go quite as far as bourbon barrels on Mosel riesling, because we still got plenty of lime flavor (at least until the tongue hit the crust).
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
We did well with lots of local foodstuffs, although of course the wines were from further afield.

First course was ricotta gnocchi (locally-made) with NC shrimp and fennel. Lovely match with 2017 Baudry Chinon Blanc. Clear herbal chenin with poise and drinkability, and a lovely match.

Main course was NC crab cakes, roasted broccolini with a pistachio herb pesto, and saffron rice (locally grown). Pretty good match with 2015 Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumes, which had a nice dose of golden chardonnay fruit, although that was balanced by more crystalline cut than I expected. I had actually chosen the wine thinking it would be a bit richer, in honor of my mother-in-law's tastes. But, the wine turned out to be closer to my core preferences. I guess the cook deserves to win!

Dessert was a tangy key lime tart (I always go overboard on the proportion of key limes).
Click to expand...

Nice choices! Did you get those from RC? I've really glommed to the current iteration of Pillot. Glad you liked it.
 
originally posted by John M:
We had two bottles with dinner.

Fichet's Meursault Le Tesson 2016 was nutty, floral, and definitely young. If I had the choice I think that I'd buy three bottles of the basic bourgogne blanc instead of one bottle of this lieu dit, which is intended as praise for the basic bottling.

I don't usually drink syrah, but my wife said "get some syrah" and the Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Les Pierrelles 2015 was well-priced. It was a deal, in fact, with more delicate and subtle fruit flavors than I had expected, and less tannin and ripeness. This bottle was drained quickly.

After dinner we had Martin Müllen's 2016er Trarbacher Hühnerberg Spätlese*, which was perfect. Apricot, citrus, minerals, and a degree of lightness that is unusual in spätlesen.
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We had Fichet AC Mersault 2014 ourselves. It was delicious.
 
with traditional thanksgiving sides but swapping a whole beef tenderloin for turkey we enjoyed:

2014 Franz Hirtzberger Singerriedel Reisling Smaragd from magnum. this was mostly consumed before dinner and was nothing short of glorious. i can't own enough wine from Hirtzberger.

my son and daughter were able to make it which gave a good reason to open some birth year wines. '97 and '95.

1997 Forteto della Luja, Le Grive, named after the black birds that frequent the vineyards at this estate, this is a blend of Pinot Noir and Barbera. This showed really well and opened up nicely after about 3 hours of air. easy t o drink and a nice complement to beef.

1995 Bel Air Marquis D'Aligre Marguax, i believe a fairly even mix of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, this was terrific mature Bourdeaux. this still has a long life ahead of it. i don't drink too much bourdeaux these days but i imagine this would qualify as a classic marguax.
i've been dabbling in bordeaux lately because there seems to be good value among the somewhat lesser known or chased after wines.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
2017 Baudry Chinon Blanc... 2015 Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumes...
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Nice choices! Did you get those from RC? I've really glommed to the current iteration of Pillot. Glad you liked it.
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Yes, I have you to thank. I was happy with the Pillot and it almost inspired me to do a mixed-case of his wines, or other white Burgundy. Except then the value slapped me in the face. Because I would have liked that wine a lot better at $40-50 and am not in the mood to go up to $100 for more complexity.

Which then reminded me why I drink so little white Burgundy in the first place. Back to square one!

Still, it was a lovely evening.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
I did use a graham cracker crust, which is the only way I have considered making it. But now you have me inspired to go a different direction next time! Because I can see your point, although I wouldn't go quite as far as bourbon barrels on Mosel riesling, because we still got plenty of lime flavor (at least until the tongue hit the crust).
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I have one word for you: parfait.
 
'15 Pinon- Vouvray Les Derronieres, '14 Cazin- Cour-Cheverny Cuvee Renaissance and '17 Gilles-Robin- Crozes-Hermitage Papillon. All lovely and great with the turkey and sides.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
1995 Bel Air Marquis D'Aligre Marguax, i believe a fairly even mix of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, this was terrific mature Bourdeaux. this still has a long life ahead of it. i don't drink too much bourdeaux these days but i imagine this would qualify as a classic marguax.
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Can you confirm or deny the rumors that this needs like an 8 hour decant to get drinkable?
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
'15 Pinon- Vouvray Les Derronieres, '14 Cazin- Cour-Cheverny Cuvee Renaissance and '17 Gilles-Robin- Crozes-Hermitage Papillon. All lovely and great with the turkey and sides.
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Used the Papillon as a T-day wine many many years ago, gorgeous fruit bomb.
 
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