Thanksgiving 2014, Days 1 & 2

[stefan]

Day 1.

We arrived in Eugene on Wednesday just before midnight after 14 hours of traveling. On Thursday, after I worked all day at the University of Oregon, we went to a 5 course Willakenzie Estate wine dinner at the Campbell House. The food was creative and interesting, although the final two courses of (1) buffalo tenderloin, lobster mushroom, wild mushroom polenta, and bone marrow maitre d’hotel butter, and (2) chicken liver and Oregon white truffle “faux gras” over savory brioche French toast with hazelnut syrup, apparently were plated too early and so arrived at the table somewhat dried out. The wines were all OK but not exciting. My favorite was the unctuous (for a p, b.) 2012 pinot blanc that we had with delicious panko crusted scallops, lemongrass, napa cabbage, and five spice pork shoulder hash. The 2012 pinot gris was good but there are better pinot gris for the $20 retail that Willakenzie Estate commands. The 2011 Kiana Pinot Noir with braised pork cheeks, pink lady apple turnip sauce, pickled cheddar emulsion, and fingerling complemented the dish. The nose is attractive and there is more body than in most Oregon PN from the weak 2011 vintage, but the wine seems to have been manipulated and had some canned candy fruit flavors. The more masculine 2011 Emery PN with the penultimate course had the same positive and negative characteristics as the preceding PN. I don’t mind drinking either PN, but neither is worth the $50+ they cost. The final course was paired with 2009 late harvest pinot gris. It is a good wine but made us all wish for a Sauternes.

After returning home we drank a 1997 St. Innocent O’Connor (now Zenith) Pinot Noir. stefanJr told me that 1997 was a poor vintage in Oregon and so we did not expect much. However, the bouquet alone was worth more than the $25 auction price I paid. In the mouth there was tannin and grass and no fruit. Still, I preferred this dried out wine to the Willakenzie PNs. It might have paired well with the too dry buffalo course at the Campbell House.

Day 2.

Lucie made a delicious boeuf bourguignon to go over mashed potatoes for dinner, and we drank one Bordeaux and one Burgundy. Following François again, we started with

1986 La Lagune. We drink some La Lagune sometime during almost all family gatherings. This bottle I purchased at auction within the last year. Popped and poured, the wine at first did not yield much, IMO, but Lucie said, “it has a really nice nose”. “Cloves,” says Irena, and sJr agrees. OK, but it is dumb in the mouth. “Tannic and acidic and not much fruit. Nice herbs, though,” remarks Irena. “It is better without the stew; more complex,” comments stefanJr, who continues, “also more cherry fruit. The food overshadows the wine.” We revisited the La Lagune after the food is finished. stefanJr is right. The fruit became sweeter and the finish lengthened.

1995 Faiveley Echezeaux. “Crazy,” exclaims Irena, who had never before drunk an Echezeaux. “This wine blows up with the food,” says stefanJr. Yes, this boeuf bourguignon does demand a big Burg even if sometimes we have favored Bordeaux with this dish. But then Lucie does not always use pinot noir (horrors!) when she makes bourguignon (today she used 2010 Panther Creek Winemaker’s Cuvee and the remainder of the 1999 St. Innocent O’Connor). The tannins in the Echezeaux are very strong for the fruit at this point in time, but otherwise the wine is very good and has quite a long finish. “Beautiful, beautiful nose,” exclaims Lucie, whose nose is unclogged, “and it is really nice with the sauce.” The finish gets even longer as we approach the end of the bottle.

After dinner two of stefanJr’s colleagues brought over a visiting seminar speaker. While the women were putting our granddaughters to bed, we emptied the rest of the bottle of the 2010 Panther Creek. This is a good basic Willamette Pinot Noir but not more. We followed with 1999 Siduri Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This Oregon PN, being made by a California winery, was unknown to all the Oregonians. It has lots of dried hay vinted with the grapes. It is a sturdy wine that has held up pretty well, but it is not comparable to the really good ‘99s from the Willamette Valley.

[Claret]

Always look forward to your T'giving notes. Keep the St. I rolling. I am popping a 2002 Freedom HIll today.

Oregon Pinot Blanc can be very good.

[stefan]

stefanJr intends to open an '02 SI PN tonight to have with the leftover stew and, probably, potato pancakes. We'll drink beer at lunch with the chalupas I am making.

[Nicklasss]

I too, always enjoy Stefan family Thanksgiving time, food and wine. Make us dreaming.

Maybe i should plan to go to Portland next year, for The US Thanksgiving? I would be Happy to meet StefanJr, as he is the same vintage as me.

Nic

[DavidG]

Great notes and story as always, Professor. I almost feel like I'm there.

Stefan's notes have become a holiday tradition. The first installment always makes me feel like the holiday season has really begun.

[stefan]

stefanJr says to come, Nic, but to Eugene rather than Portland. The kids can play and the adults can do their thing.

[Jay Winton]

Thanks as always Father Stefan. I really need to visit that part of the country one day.

[AlexR]

I recently did a translation of a text in which the author gave an interesting take on wine and food matches (about which much nonsense is written).

He said that recommending a wine with beef should depend on the way the beef is cooked.
Which makes sense to me.
He claimed, for instance, that a grilled steak would go better with the tannins of a Bordeaux, but that a stew goes better with the round, soft tannin of Burgundy.

Alex R.