Thanksgiving 2014, Day 3

[stefan]

For breakfast we ate bagels & lox and drank

NV Eric Rodez Brut. “I like this better than Pol Roger. Is that a sacrilege?” Upon questioning, stefanJr clarified that he meant NV P-R. Neither of us has drunk any Eric Rodez, vintage or NV, that is better than vintage Pol Roger. The NV Eric Rodez is fuller and more complex than NV Pol Roger, but the yeasty, toasty Pol Roger provides a very attractive aperitif.

During football we drank

1999 Chehelam Reserve Pinot Gris. stefanJr served this blind and asked me to guess what it was. I displayed my usual excellence in blind tastings. The slight oxidation in the nose suggested an old wine, but the sweet fruit questioned that. There were no discernible varietal characteristics. I guessed that the wine was a blend, maybe chardonnay mixed with a Rhone varietal or two. Even after learning that the wine was a pinot gris I could not identify it as such (stefanJr said that he also could not tell that the grope was pinot gris). It is quite a tasty wine, by the way.

Before dinner, with aged gouda, Pave of Herve, and petite delice de Jura we drank

2000 Larcisse-Ducasse. The wine/cheese match was awful, but everyone liked the wine. stefanJr was happy to be introduced to this little known Grand Cru Classe St. Emilion. stefan 90. stefanJr 89. Lucie 90-91. Irena 90.

With leftover boeuf bourguingnon and potato pancakes we drank

2002 St. Innocent Seven Springs Pinot Noir. This powerful PN has a beautiful perfume. The wine reminds me of Pommard. “Tastes so young,” remarks Irena. This is one of the great Oregon PNs. It is a perfect match for the food. “Maybe the best nose of any Oregon PN I have drunk,” says stefanJr, and that says a lot. s 94. sJr 95. L 92. I 90.

2005 Terra Blanca Onyx. stefanJr had a great tasting at this Washington winery a few weeks ago and joined their wine club on the spot. This was the first time he had drunk at home a Terra Blanca wine. The bottle contained acetone, so we decanted. “Now there is a perfumey, raspberry nose,” stefanJr points out. But neither he nor I like the flavors very much. The wines stefanJr tasted at the winery were very old world in style, which this bottle is not. “Stuff going on all over the tongue, but lots I don’t like. The finish is impressive,” concludes stefanJr. s 86. sJr 89. L 82. I -.

Later stefanJr looked at Cellar Tracker reviews of the Terra Blanca and deduced that there may be bottle variation, so we were maybe just unlucky.

After dinner we drank

2009 Maysama Pinot Noir. There is too much candied fruit for my taste. This could be a California Pinot Noir. I did not finish even one glass.

[Claret]

2002 St. Innocent Seven Springs Pinot Noir. This powerful PN has a beautiful perfume. The wine reminds me of Pommard. “Tastes so young,” remarks Irena. This is one of the great Oregon PNs. It is a perfect match for the food. “Maybe the best nose of any Oregon PN I have drunk,” says stefanJr, and that says a lot. s 94. sJr 95. L 92. I 90.

The 2002 St. I Freedom Hill was also kicking out the jams last night. Excellent tertiary aromas and foresty flavors. Anden will be next, I have not tried it since release when it was very closed.