Thanksgiving was the usual big spread- turkey, ham, dressing, beans, root vegetables, kale/brussels sprouts salad, corn, relishes, much more. A red I bought and a white my brother brought:
2013 Thivin Cote de Brouilly
Red fruit, cranberry and cherry, some earth, pleasant but not really exciting. B
2011 Kistler “Kistler Vineyard” Chardonnay
Big, lots of oak, decent acids, long finish. Not really my style but well-done and not buttery or fat. B/B-
Actually, I also tasted both together. I had opened the Chard for my sister-in-law, checked for corkiness, than opened the Beaujolais. Poured myself a tasting pour, it was fine, poured for my dad, brother, and Betsy. Went back to top off mine for a table pour, and grabbed the Chard my mistake. Oops. The mix was truly the worst of both worlds- the oak beat the hell out of the red fruit, making it seem thin. C
There was also a wine called New Age, neglected to note more, which was like an industrial vinho verde spiked with the syrup from canned peaches. C-
Friday Betsy made a quick bouillabaisse, we tried with leftover wines. I thought the oak in Kistler was less apparent, Thivin hadn’t changed much, the Pine Ridge wasn’t obviously oxidized but seemed flatter.
Saturday we flew into Newark, I dropped Betsy at Columbia/Pres to visit her niece who had spinal surgery, then returned a few hours later to pick her up. Slow roasted some sweet potatoes, marinated salmon, so when we were home dinner took 15 minutes. Wine was the 2012 Bzikot Bourgogne. I thought this was oakfree on previous tries, but thought there was some here. Good acids, fresh, nice. B
Sunday I made roast chicken & vegetables with chipotle/adobo, cumin, etc and similarly flavored mix of lentils, black barley, and quinoa, & salad. Wine was the 2012 Edmunds St. John “Rocks and Gravel”. Fun fun wine. Bright, fresh fruit, some spice and herbs. With some air some floral notes, but it’s still the fruit that rules. Some tannin underneath, but easy and supple. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have guessed a GSM blend if this was blind, this strikes me like a (excellent) Cru Beaujolais. B+/A-
Tonight yellow eye beans seasoned with smoked turkey wing, mushrooms w/spinach, and broccoli. Wine is the 2012 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Goldtropfchen Spatlese. Rich, tropical, acids keep it from cloying. At first I thought a bit too sweet/rich for my tastes, but as I revisit more impressed. There’s some mineral notes, gunflint and smoke, and the acids really do stand up to the sugars. B+
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.